A Step-by-Step Guide to Disabling Telemetry on Windows

Step-by-Step Guide to Disabling Telemetry on Windows

Telemetry in Windows is used to collect diagnostic data that helps Microsoft improve their products. If you want to disable telemetry to enhance privacy or performance, follow this guide. Note that completely disabling telemetry is only available for Enterprise and Education editions. However, you’ll be able to reduce it significantly on other editions.

Step 1: Open Settings

1. Press Win + I to open the Settings app.

Step 2: Navigate to Privacy Settings

1. Click on Privacy.

Step 3: Adjust Diagnostic Data

1. In the left sidebar, select Diagnostics & feedback.
2. Under Diagnostic data, choose Required diagnostic data. This minimizes the data sent to Microsoft but doesn’t fully disable it.

Step 4: Disable Feedback Frequency

1. Still under Diagnostics & feedback, scroll to Feedback frequency.
2. Change this setting to Never.

Step 5: Disable Connected User Experiences and Telemetry Service

1. Press Win + R, type services.msc, and press Enter.
2. Scroll down to find Connected User Experiences and Telemetry.
3. Right-click it, select Properties, then change the Startup type to Disabled.
4. Click Stop if the service is running, then click OK to apply the changes.

Step 6: Edit Group Policy (For Pro and Enterprise Users)

1. Press Win + R, type gpedit.msc, and press Enter to open the Group Policy Editor.
2. Navigate to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Data Collection and Preview Builds.
3. Double-click on Allow Telemetry.
4. Set it to Disabled or Enabled with the level set to 0 – Security (only available for Enterprise).

Step 7: Use Registry Editor (Alternative Method)

1. Press Win + R, type regedit, and press Enter to open the Registry Editor.
2. Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\DataCollection.
3. If the DataCollection key doesn’t exist, create it.
4. Within DataCollection, create a new DWORD (32-bit) Value named AllowTelemetry.
5. Double-click AllowTelemetry and set its value to 0.

Step 8: Reboot Your Computer

1. Restart your computer to apply all changes.

Note:

• Reducing or disabling telemetry might limit some of the features or updates.
• Some options may not be available on all editions of Windows.
• Always back up your data and registry before making significant changes.

This guide should help you disable or reduce telemetry on your Windows device, enhancing both your privacy and system performance.