The latest version of Windows does have some privacy issues. By default, the operating system collects data like user activity and search queries. It uses some of this information to serve up advertising. It’s also not clear how much information it sends ‘home’ to Microsoft that could be used to identify you. Here you’ll learn some ways to boost your Windows privacy
Remove Bloatware
Depending on where you bought your Windows device, it may come with a number of unnecessary programs. These are known as ‘bloatware’ or ‘junkware’.
You can just go to “Add/Remove” programs in ‘Control Panel’ to get rid of any you don’t use. (Windows won’t let you delete anything vital).
Still, the safest way is to do a clean install of Windows 11 using an installation USB or DVD you created yourself. If you don’t feel comfortable doing this, you can reset Windows to restore system files but not preinstalled apps.
Switch to a Local Account
Windows 11 Home and certain versions of Pro now require you to log in with a Microsoft Account. This can be useful e.g. for syncing purchased content across your devices.
This isn’t best for your privacy though, as it’s just another way for Microsoft to log your user activity. If you decided to do a clean install of Windows in the previous step, there is a workaround where you can force Windows to let you use a local account by disconnecting from the internet.
You can also go to System Settings > Accounts > Your Info and choose “Sign in with a local account instead”.
Disable Personalized Advertising
Go to Windows Settings > Privacy & Security > General and disable all the options there like “Let Apps show me Personalized Ads by using my Advertising ID.” In theory, this means Microsoft will collect less data about your activity and browsing habits.
Disable Cortana
The Cortana virtual assistant records your voice and then shares search queries and other information with the cloud. Windows also only offers limited options to control Cortana and it can’t be removed altogether.
This is a big privacy price to pay for the convenience of being able to schedule meetings and set alarms using your voice instead of a keyboard.
To disable Cortana, first open Windows settings. Next, go to Apps > Installed Apps > Cortana. Click the ‘…’ and choose ‘Advanced Options’. Under “App Permissions” set “Microphone” to “Off”. Under “Background Apps Permission” choose “Never”. Finally set “Runs at Login” to off. Restart your machine to apply changes.
Encrypt your hard drive
All versions of Windows 11 now support Bitlocker, which allows you to fully encrypt your hard drive. This means if your device falls into the wrong hands, there’s no way to recover your data without the correct key.
Bitlocker may keep you safe but there have been accusations of a software “backdoor” that would allow Microsoft and government agencies to access data without your permission. If you choose Bitlocker depending on your setup options your “Recovery Key” may also be stored on Microsoft’s servers.
Consider using an open-source alternative like Veracrypt to protect your hard drive instead.
Switch web browsers
If you’ve taken care of Cortana but continue to use other Microsoft apps, then Windows can continue to gather data about your user activity. No matter how much Microsoft promise they don’t do this, there’s no way to be certain as these programs are proprietary – you’ve no way of knowing for certain what happens under the hood.
FOSS (Free and Open Source Software) is just that: the code has been made publicly available online for review, so experts know exactly how it works. This is how you can be sure it’s not gathering data it shouldn’t.
Start with your web browser. Use Edge to download an open-source alternative browser like Firefox or Brave. When running searches, instead of Bing use a search engine that doesn’t log your IP or requests like DuckDuckGo. (Brave also has its own privacy-friendly search engine).
You can secure your web browser further with privacy-enhancing extensions.
Open-Source your Apps
Windows 11 also comes with a number of Microsoft products which may be gathering more information about you than you’d like. As with your web browser, the best way to stay safe is to use open-source alternatives instead.
Instead of “Mail and Calendar”, use Mozilla Thunderbird to handle both your e-mails and appointments.
If you want to stay safe from the possibility that Microsoft’s logging every video and music file you play, install VLC Media Player instead.
Microsoft Teams is a great way to stay video conference but open source alternatives Jitsi and Signal are just as good. They even offer end-to-end encryption on all calls.
The almighty Microsoft Office has become an industry standard but if you take the time to download and use LibreOffice, you’ll find it has most of the same features.
If you don’t want to store your files in Microsoft’s own OneDrive, consider using open-source ‘client’ software like Nextcloud. You can either host the files on your own server or sign up with a compatible cloud storage service.
Update and Backup
Early and often. Many exploits of computer systems including the “WannaCry” Ransomware attack in 2017 exploited Windows vulnerabilities for which a patch had already been released months beforehand. Run Windows Update and back up your system daily.
Use a VPN
If you install ‘client’ software in Windows 11 from a reliable VPN service, then each time you connect to the internet your web traffic will be routed through a secure, encrypted virtual ‘tunnel’.
As you connect to the internet via a VPN server, any websites you visit will see the IP address of the server, not that of your Windows device. This makes it much harder for hackers to target you. It also can prevent some types of browser fingerprinting.
As your data is encrypted, neither your ISP nor anyone viewing their records will see which websites you’re visiting or the apps you’re using.
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