Tweak Windows 11's privacy settings
–NATE DRAKE
YOU’LL NEED THIS
WINDOWS 11 Notepad (included with Windows)
THE GNU WEBSITE
, which is supported by the Free Software Foundation, contains a page entitled ‘Microsoft’s Software is Malware’. While this is an exaggeration, Windows 11 does raise some privacy concerns. For instance, the OS can display intrusive ads. It pressures users to run Microsoft apps like Edge, even when there are better alternatives. Windows also monitors user activity to suggest search results, and sends a great deal of ‘diagnostic data’ home to Microsoft.
While Windows 11 does have dedicated privacy settings, these are usually on an ‘opt-out’ basis. In this guide, we’ll explore how to use Windows without an online Microsoft account. You’ll also discover how to disable the most intrusive settings, as well as how to stop the OS from sending telemetry to Microsoft that could risk your privacy.
As this involves changing system settings, you should run a full backup of Windows 11 before continuing.
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EDUCE YOUR ATTACK SURFACE
One of the simplest ways to maximize your Windows 11 privacy is to do a clean install of the OS. During setup, you can choose to disable invasive settings like Location Services.