Recent Windows versions are quite aggressive at tracking the things you do with your PC, both locally and online.
And as you might expect, Windows 11 does it big time.
For example, your Windows 11 machine takes note of the websites you visit, the ads you engage with and the things you search for in order to develop a customer profile on you.
They then use that detailed information to target you with personalized ads and for various other uses.
Most users are unaware that this tracking is even taking place, and some of those who are aware don’t really mind it. And truth be told, there are some who even like it.
Personally, I’m not a fan of being tracked by my computer in any way and having that information “phoned home” to Microsoft and their third-party advertising partners.
If you feel the same way, you can easily disable most of the tracking that’s taking place with just a few quick mouse clicks.
This short video shows how to turn off Windows 11’s most egregious tracking activities.
Note: You can watch this video at full screen by clicking the little “square” icon in the lower-right corner of the video after it begins playing.
If you prefer following written instructions, here you go:
1 – Right-click on the Start button and then select Settings.
2 – In the left-hand pane, click Privacy & security.
3 – In the right-hand pane, find the “Windows permissions” section and click General.
4 – Toggle every setting displayed there to Off.
5 – Click the left-pointing arrow in the top-left corner of the Settings window to return to the previous screen.
6 – Return to the “Windows permissions” section and click Diagnostics & feedback.
7 – Click Diagnostic data and toggle every setting displayed there to Off.
8 – Click the X in the top-right corner of the window to exit the Settings app.
That’s all there is to it. You have now disabled all of Windows 11’s most egregious tracking tools.
There are still other more subtle tracking tools in use that cannot be disabled. However, the ones you disabled above will go a long way towards protecting your privacy while using your Windows 11 machine.