Telemetry Settings That Actually Matter
Windows 11 includes a long list of privacy, diagnostic and personalisation settings. Some genuinely affect the information sent to Microsoft, while others simply change whether you receive personalised adverts, recommendations or occasional feedback requests.
The problem is that these settings are often grouped together under headings such as Privacy & security, making every switch appear equally important.
They are not.
Turning off the wrong services or applying aggressive registry “fixes” can cause more trouble than they solve. Meanwhile, leaving one or two genuinely important settings enabled may allow Windows to collect more diagnostic and usage information than your organisation intended.
Here is what the main Windows telemetry settings actually do, which ones deserve your attention and which ones make far less difference than their names suggest.
What Is Windows Telemetry?
Telemetry is the automated collection of technical information from a device. Microsoft generally refers to this as diagnostic data.
Windows uses diagnostic data to understand areas such as:
● The device’s hardware and configuration
● Whether Windows Update is working correctly
● Application crashes and system failures
● Driver compatibility
● Windows performance and reliability
● How operating system features are being used
Microsoft separates Windows diagnostic data into two main categories: Required diagnostic data and Optional diagnostic data.
Required diagnostic data includes a limited set of information Microsoft considers necessary to keep Windows secure, updated and functioning correctly. Optional diagnostic data can include more detailed information about application usage, device performance, browsing activity, installed software and how Windows features are used. (Microsoft Support)
For most organisations, the goal should not be to break every connection between Windows and Microsoft. It should be to collect only what is necessary, avoid unnecessary personalisation and manage the remaining settings consistently.
Setting That Matters: Optional Diagnostic Data
Go to:
Settings > Privacy & security > Diagnostics & feedback
The most important switch on this page is:
Send optional diagnostic data
For most standard business computers, this can be turned off unless there is a specific reason to enable it.
Required diagnostic data will still be sent, but disabling optional diagnostic data reduces the additional product usage, performance, software inventory and other detailed diagnostic information that Windows may collect.
Optional diagnostic data may be useful when:
● A device is enrolled in the Windows Insider Programme
● Microsoft support has requested additional diagnostics
● Your IT team uses a service that depends on enhanced diagnostic information
● You are actively investigating a compatibility or reliability problem
Windows Insider devices require optional diagnostic data because preview versions need more detailed reporting to identify faults and compatibility problems. (Microsoft Learn)
For ordinary production devices, however, enabling additional data collection should be a deliberate decision rather than an unnoticed default.
Setting That Matters: Tailored Experiences and Personalised Offers
Depending on your Windows 11 version, this may appear as Tailored experiences or within a section called Recommendations & offers.
When enabled, Microsoft can use diagnostic data to provide personalised tips, advertisements, recommendations and suggestions for Microsoft or third-party products.
With optional diagnostic data enabled, this personalisation may be based on more detailed information about how applications and Windows features are used. (Microsoft Support)
Turning this setting off does not stop Windows Update, security protection or normal diagnostic reporting. It mainly prevents diagnostic information from being used to personalise offers and recommendations.
For business computers, there is rarely a strong operational reason to keep this enabled. Turning it off can reduce distractions and help maintain a more professional, standardised desktop experience.
Setting That Matters: Advertising ID
Windows creates an advertising identifier for each user. Applications can use this identifier to provide personalised advertising and associate activity with a consistent user profile.
You can usually find the control under:
Settings > Privacy & security > General
On newer Windows 11 builds, related controls may instead appear under:
Settings > Privacy & security > Recommendations & offers
Turning off Let apps show me personalised ads by using my advertising ID prevents applications from using that Windows advertising identifier for personalisation. (Microsoft Support)
This setting is worth disabling on business computers, particularly where devices are intended solely for work.
However, it is important to understand what it does not do. Turning off the advertising ID does not remove every advert from Windows or prevent websites from using cookies and other tracking methods. It simply removes one method of creating personalised advertising experiences within supported applications.
Setting That Matters: Improve Inking and Typing
The Improve inking and typing option allows Microsoft to receive additional typing and handwriting information to improve recognition and suggestion services.
On a conventional office desktop or laptop, this is unlikely to provide a significant benefit. It can normally be disabled without affecting standard keyboard use.
An organisation may choose to leave it enabled where employees regularly use:
● Digital pens
● Handwriting recognition
● Touchscreen input
● Specialist accessibility features
● Multilingual text prediction
This is a genuine data-sharing choice, but its importance depends heavily on how the device is used. It should not automatically be enabled across every computer simply because a small number of users need handwriting functionality.
Setting That Matters: Activity History
Activity history is separate from the main Windows diagnostic data controls.
It can record information about applications, files and services used on the device. Depending on the Windows version, account configuration and Microsoft services in use, some activity information may also be associated with the user’s Microsoft account or appear in Microsoft’s privacy dashboard. (Microsoft Support)
Review the setting under:
Settings > Privacy & security > Activity history
On shared computers, public-facing devices and systems that handle confidential work, activity history deserves particular attention.
Turning it off may reduce some convenient features, but it can also reduce the amount of historical activity retained or associated with the user.
Do not confuse activity history with browser history, recent files or Microsoft 365 audit logs. These are separate systems with their own controls and retention policies.
Setting That Matters: Application Permissions
Location, microphone, camera, contacts and file access controls are not strictly Windows telemetry settings. Nevertheless, they can have a much greater privacy impact than many of the switches found on the Diagnostics & feedback page.
Review:
Settings > Privacy & security > App permissions
Pay particular attention to:
● Location
● Camera
● Microphone
● Notifications
● Account information
● Contacts
● Documents
● Pictures
● Videos
● File system access
● App diagnostics
Disable permissions that an application does not genuinely need.
A video conferencing application may need access to the camera and microphone. A calculator, basic utility or unknown Store application probably does not.
For business devices, application permissions should ideally be governed through Microsoft Intune, Group Policy or another central management platform rather than relying entirely on individual employees to configure them correctly.
Setting That Matters Less: Feedback Frequency
The feedback frequency setting controls how often Windows asks you to provide feedback.
Changing it to Never can reduce interruptions, but it does not necessarily reduce the underlying diagnostic data sent by Windows.
This is one of the most commonly misunderstood settings. Feedback requests and automatic diagnostic reporting are separate functions.
Turn feedback requests off when they are distracting, but do not treat this as a substitute for reviewing the optional diagnostic data setting.
Setting That Matters Less: Device Usage
Windows may ask whether a device is used for activities such as business, gaming, creativity, entertainment or education.
These selections are primarily used to customise tips, recommendations and promotional content. Microsoft explains that device usage choices can result in tailored suggestions and personalised advertisements. (Microsoft Support)
Turning every category off can reduce recommendations, but it does not disable core Windows diagnostic data.
This is worth adjusting if employees are receiving unwanted suggestions, although it is not one of the most important telemetry controls.
Setting That Matters Less: Language-Based Website Content
The option allowing websites to access the Windows language list sounds concerning, but it mainly helps websites provide content that matches the languages installed on the computer.
Turning it off may provide a small privacy improvement, but it is unlikely to transform the organisation’s overall security position.
It does not prevent websites from identifying approximate location, browser language, IP address or other information through different methods.
For most organisations, browser configuration, cookie policies, web filtering and account security deserve considerably more attention.
Setting That Matters Less: Deleting Diagnostic Data
Windows provides a Delete diagnostic data option under Diagnostics & feedback.
This can remove diagnostic data Microsoft has collected from that particular device, subject to the device’s management and diagnostic configuration.
However, deleting existing data does not disable future collection. If required or optional diagnostic data remains enabled, Windows can continue sending new information.
Think of this as clearing existing records rather than changing the rules for what happens next.
On devices configured through Microsoft’s Windows diagnostic data processor configuration, the deletion controls can work differently and may be managed by the organisation rather than the individual user. (Microsoft Learn)
Setting That Is Useful for Transparency: Diagnostic Data Viewer
The Diagnostic Data Viewer allows you to inspect diagnostic information being generated by a Windows device.
It can be accessed through:
Settings > Privacy & security > Diagnostics & feedback > View diagnostic data
The viewer is useful when an organisation wants to understand what a particular configuration is producing. However, enabling diagnostic data viewing can reserve storage space on the computer, and the tool only shows data available while its viewing capability is enabled. (Microsoft Support)
It is a transparency and troubleshooting tool, not a setting that reduces collection by itself.
Avoid “Disable All Telemetry” Scripts
Numerous scripts and utilities promise to disable every Windows tracking service with a single click.
These tools may:
● Disable services required by other Windows features
● Block endpoints used for security or reliability functions
● Interfere with Windows Update
● Break Microsoft Store applications
● Prevent legitimate monitoring tools from working
● Apply undocumented registry changes
● Be reversed by a future feature update
● Create an unsupported device configuration
Windows services and Microsoft endpoints do not always have one single purpose. A connection described as “telemetry” by an online script may also support error reporting, device management, licence verification or another operational feature.
Microsoft documents separate endpoints for diagnostic data, Windows Error Reporting and connected Windows services, which illustrates why indiscriminately blocking large groups of addresses can produce unintended results. (Microsoft Learn)
For a business, consistency and supportability are more valuable than achieving an unrealistic “zero telemetry” label.
What Should a Business Configure?
A sensible starting point for a typical Windows 11 business device is:
1. Keep required diagnostic data enabled.
2. Disable optional diagnostic data unless it supports a defined requirement.
3. Turn off tailored experiences and personalised offers.
4. Disable the Windows advertising ID.
5. Review activity history.
6. Disable unnecessary application permissions.
7. Limit feedback requests where they distract employees.
8. Manage important settings centrally through Intune or Group Policy.
9. Document any exceptions for troubleshooting, accessibility or specialist applications.
10. Review the configuration after major Windows feature updates.
Windows editions, management platforms and Microsoft services can affect which options are available. Some enterprise diagnostic controls are limited to particular editions or licensing arrangements, while managed devices may prevent users from changing settings that have been defined by an administrator. (Microsoft Learn)
Privacy Is About More Than Telemetry
It is easy to spend hours adjusting minor Windows privacy switches while overlooking much larger risks.
For most businesses, stronger privacy and security improvements will come from:
● Multi-factor authentication
● Managed software updates
● Appropriate user permissions
● Device encryption
● Secure backups
● Email security
● Endpoint detection and response
● Application control
● Browser security policies
● Staff awareness training
● Proper Microsoft 365 configuration
Telemetry settings are part of a wider security strategy. They should be reviewed, documented and centrally managed, but they should not distract from controls that prevent account compromise, ransomware and data loss.
Let Hamilton Group Review Your Windows Privacy Settings
Are your Windows devices using the right diagnostic, privacy and application permission settings—or has every employee ended up with a different configuration?
Hamilton Group can review your Windows environment, identify unnecessary data-sharing and personalisation settings, and create a consistent policy using Microsoft Intune, Group Policy and Microsoft 365 security tools.
We can also check whether aggressive privacy scripts or historic registry changes are interfering with updates, applications or device management.
Call Hamilton Group on 0330 043 0069 to discuss your Windows security and privacy requirements, or book a meeting with one of our experts for a more detailed review of your IT environment.