GuideTweak tabs

Privacy tweaks

Telemetry limiting and personalization opt-outs. All of these are safe to turn on.

Privacy optimizations and telemetry limiting, covering the advertising ID, input, handwriting and speech personalization, search suggestions, tailored experiences, app permissions, and lock-screen spotlight content. All of these are safe to turn on.

Telemetry

  • Disable Telemetry sets telemetry to the lowest allowed level and silences the diagnostic data toasts.
  • Disable Customer Experience Improvement Program opts out of the CEIP usage upload.
  • Disable Feedback Prompts stops Windows periodically asking you to rate features.
  • Disable App Launch Tracking stops Windows tracking which apps you launch for the Start menu's “most used” list.
  • Disable User Activity History turns off Timeline and Activity History collection and upload to your Microsoft account.
  • Disable Windows Error Reporting suppresses WerFault.exe crash upload dialogs and background crash reporting.

Advertising

  • Disable Advertising ID turns off the per-user ad ID apps use to track you across sessions.
  • Disable Language Header Tracking prevents websites from reading your preferred-language list via the Accept-Language header.

Input Personalization

  • Disable Typing Insights opts out of typing statistics collection.
  • Disable Speech Data Collection opts out of online speech recognition uploads.
  • Disable Handwriting & Ink Collection stops Windows collecting handwriting and typed text samples.
  • Disable Contact Harvesting prevents Windows scanning your contacts and emails for personalization data.

Search Suggestions

  • Disable Search Box Suggestions turns off Bing web suggestions in the Start menu and taskbar search.
  • Disable Dynamic Search Box removes the dynamic search highlights and illustrations from the search box.

Tailored Experiences

  • Disable Tailored Experiences stops Microsoft personalizing tips, ads, and recommendations based on your diagnostic data.
  • Disable Windows Consumer Features blocks auto-installed suggested Store apps like Candy Crush, Spotify, and Disney+.
  • Disable Cloud Content Optimization turns off cloud-optimized Start Menu content and first-run “soft landing” experiences.
  • Disable Online Tips hides the Settings app online tips and the Security & Maintenance health indicator.

App Permissions

  • Deny Location Access blocks every app from reading your location through the Windows privacy API.
  • Deny App Diagnostics Access blocks apps from reading diagnostic information about other running apps.
  • Deny User Notifications Access blocks apps from reading your Windows notifications.

Lock Screen

  • Disable Rotating Lock Screen turns off Windows Spotlight rotating lock-screen images and Microsoft-curated overlay ads.

Want the diagnostics services themselves off, not just the uploads? The Services tab's diagnostics & telemetry group stops them at the source.