Limit Windows 11 data collection

Various studies have shown that when using your Windows 11 PC, you leave behind a lot of digital traces that are collected by Windows and, in some cases, sent to Microsoft.

This poses a serious privacy risk. However, you do have the option to reduce the amount of personal data collected.

The most important setting for this is called ‘Optional diagnostic data’. It’s found in Settings > Privacy & security > Diagnostics & feedback. By turning off Optional diagnostic data, you prevent the collection of some of the data below:

Installed applications

List sent to Microsoft

Can be partially deactivated

Applications started and duration of use

Information sent to Microsoft

Optional Diagnostic Data can disable this

Visited websites with Microsoft web browsers (Microsoft Edge, Internet Explorer)

Information sent to Microsoft

Optional Diagnostic Data can disable this

Search terms / browsing

Information sent to Microsoft

Optional Diagnostic Data can disable this

Opened files and documents (activities log)

Information saved on the PC

Optional Diagnostic Data can disable this

Entered words

Some information can be sent to Microsoft

The Settings > Privacy & security > Inking and typing personnalization can disable this

Speech (online speech recognition)

Information sent to Microsoft

The Privacy & security settings can disable this

Location

Information sent to Microsoft if services or applications have the permission to get the location

Disable this by removing the permission given to applications

Advertising ID

Applications can use it if the ID has been activated

You can disable this with the Settings > Privacy & security > Recommendations & offers > Advertising ID

Recall (a screen dump is taken every few seconds)

Information saved on the PC

This controversial function must be activated specifically and poses a risk if a third party were to gain access to your computer.

PC operation data (hardware, drivers, configuration, performance, Windows errors)

Information sent to Microsoft

You cannot disable this

We also recommend that you check the permissions granted to the microphone, camera, Contacts, Calendar, File System, etc. apps (in Settings > Privacy and security).

In addition, Internet services such as the Bing search engine, OneDrive, Microsoft 365, the Microsoft account, and the Microsoft Edge browser record usage data. Check the permissions granted for each of these services.

For the record, the Cloud Act requires US companies to provide their government with data hosted in their data centres on demand, even if those centres are located abroad, without informing you. Therefore, any personal file stored by OneDrive, Google Docs, iCloud and others is liable to be transmitted to the US administration. The only way to protect yourself against such a transmission is to store your data with a local hoster (provided that the hoster does not use the infrastructure of a US company such as Amazon AWS). For example, the Swiss hoster Infomaniak has its own data centres based in our country.