12 Telemetry Settings to Turn Off for Real Privacy

What "Required only" actually stops — and what it doesn't

Setting diagnostic data to "Required only" in Settings → Privacy & security → Diagnostics & feedback genuinely shrinks the payload: basic device and connectivity data still leaves, but optional usage detail, app activity and the feedback payload stop. The same screen's other switches matter too — feedback frequency set to "Never" ends the nags, and declining tailored experiences keeps your diagnostic data out of personalization. What this does not do is make the machine silent: Windows Update, the Store, Defender's cloud checks and any Microsoft account still talk to their servers, because that is functionality, not telemetry.

That distinction is the whole game. Telemetry settings control the diagnostic exhaust of the system; they do not control your browser, your search engine, your cloud sync or the apps you install — which together leak multiples of what the OS ever sends. Get the twelve switches right, then spend the saved worry where the real volume is.

The twelve switches, grouped by screen

All twelve live in four screens under Settings → Privacy & security, so the tour takes minutes rather than an afternoon. Flip them in this order and you will have covered everything a stock installation shares by default. None of them requires editing the registry or a group policy. Two of the twelve are conscious decisions rather than plain off-switches, and they are marked below.

• Diagnostics & feedback: "Send optional diagnostic data" off, feedback frequency "Never"
• General: advertising ID off, "Show suggested content" off, tips and welcome experiences off
• Speech and inking: online speech recognition off, "Improve inking and typing" off
• Search permissions: cloud content search through the Microsoft account off
• Location: global toggle off or a per-app review, then clear the location history
• Two conscious decisions: Find My Device and Recall on Copilot+ PCs — decide, don't default

The settings that matter more than all twelve

If you only do one thing, switch to a local account or at minimum audit what the Microsoft account syncs — account choice cuts more data flow than every telemetry toggle combined. The second big lever is the browser: search engine, sync scope, extensions and cookie policy decide most of what an ordinary person's day actually reveals. The third is DNS: whoever resolves your lookups sees the shape of your entire browsing, so choose that provider deliberately. Telemetry-off is a floor, not a ceiling — build the rest of your privacy on the things that carry the traffic.

Questions and Answers

Read next