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11 Privacy Settings You Should Change In Windows 10

Windows 10 Operating System comes with different options and controls that you can change to secure the data of the system. If you are concerned about the privacy and security of the essential data stored on your computer, then never leave the settings to its default mode. 

Henceforth, you need to check the Privacy settings as soon as possible to avoid data leakage. If you are unaware of how to do this, you can go through the guide described below. 

In this guide, you will help you grasp 11 privacy-related settings that you can modify to get a more secure and less invasive Windows 10 experience. So, let’s begin. 

Privacy Settings You can change in Windows 10 OS

Have a look at the Privacy settings described below: 

  1. Turn Off the Location Tracker: Turn Off the Location Tracker

While using Windows 10 on the laptop, tablet, or mobile device there are various instances where allowing Windows 10 and third-party applications to access the location is convenient. But that doesn’t mean you have to turn the location on the location tracking feature all the time. 

To turn the location off, first, go to Settings and tap on the Privacy tab. Afterward, tap on the Location button. At last, tap on the Change option from the ‘Location for this device is On’ and turn it off. 

  1. Syncing: Syncing

Some applications sync automatically while running on Windows 10. If you are using a Microsoft account, the settings, passwords will be synced on other devices as you sign into using the same account. 

If you disable this option, the settings and password will not be synced on other devices. To do this, first, go to Settings and navigate to the Accounts section. 

Now, tap on the ‘Sync your settings’ option. You can either toggle the individual sync settings off or turn the syncing off at once. 

  1. Use a Local Account: 

Use a Local AccountYou can use the local account instead of a Microsoft account as it does not require an email ID. It will prevent Microsoft from collecting essential data from your computer. 

Using a local account, you will be able to create a password and username for the system. To create this, open the Settings app and go to the Accounts section. Afterward, click on the ‘Your info’ option. 

Next, tap on the ‘Sign in with a local account instead’ option and perform the on-screen prompts to complete this procedure. 

  1. Lock Down the Lock Screen

When you open up a device, the lock screen is the first feature that appears. Sometimes, this lock screen can hold several essential information that you might not want to share with others. 

Here are 3 ways through which you can change the display of the lock screen and how to log-into the main screen. Simply follow the highlighted points.

Turn off the Notification Showing on the Lock Screen

Turn off the Notification Showing on the Lock ScreenFirst, go to Settings and go to the System section. Afterward, click on the ‘Notifications and actions’ area. Lastly, turn the ‘Notifications on the lock screen’ option off. 

Turn off the Cortana from the Lock Screen: 

Turn off the Cortana from the Lock ScreenIn the beginning, navigate to the Settings and click on the Cortana option. Next, click on the ‘Talk to Cortana’ button. Now, turn the ‘Use Cortana even when my device is locked’ off. 

Hide the Email Address from the Lock Screen: 

Hide the Email Address from the Lock ScreenTo hide the emails from the lock screen of your device, first, you need to open the Settings app. Then, go to the Accounts section. Click on the ‘Sign-in options.’ 

Afterward, you have to make sure that the ‘Show account details (e.g. email address) on the sign-in options’ is turned off. 

  1. Disable the Advertising ID: 

Disable the Advertising ID

All the Microsoft account comes with a unique advertising ID. It helps the company to collect data about the users and deliver a personalized advertisement experience of other platforms. When you sign in to the Microsoft account on Windows 10 OS, these advertisements will start to follow the computer. 

To turn it off, go to the Settings app and navigate to the Privacy section. Afterward, go to the General tab and turn the ‘Let apps use advertising ID to make ads more interesting to you based on your app usage’ option off. Turning it off will prevent personalized advertisements to pop-up on your device. 

  1. Create a Restore Point or Enable the System Protection

Create a Restore Point or Enable the System Protection

If you download a defective driver or corrupted software, the system will start acting strangely. Often, you might even face a bootable issue in the system. At this juncture, you can revert the system back to its previous System Restore points. 

Windows 10 comes with an in-built System Protection feature, but this feature is disabled by default. If you want to protect the system, then you have to create a restore point by following the steps mentioned below: 

  1. Go to the Search bar and type “restore point” in the search bar. 
  2. Click on the ‘Create a restore point’ from the search results. 
  3. Afterward, choose the System driver and tap on the Configure button.  
  4. Now, turn the Restore settings to ‘Turn on System Protection’. Move the slider to set the disk space usage to its maximum. Afterward, click on the OK button. 
  5. Tap on the Create button to create an initial restore point. 
  6. After that, you have to give the name of the restore point when asked. 
  7. Once you complete the above steps, tap on the Close button. 

7. Disable User Account Control: 

Disable User Account ControlWindows OS always shows a new window each and every time you are trying to install a new program on your computer. You can disable the User Account control to prevent this needless dialog box. 

How to Disable User Account Control? 

  1. Navigate to the search bar and type “user account control” in the search bar. 
  2. Click on the ‘Change User Account Control Settings’ option to open it. 
  3. Move the slider to its extreme down to choose the ‘Never notify’ option and tap on the OK button to proceed further. 
  4. Afterward, tap on the Yes button to complete this procedure. 

8. Change the Default Browser: 

Change the Default BrowserAfter upgrading the Windows 10 from Windows 8 or 7, you will notice that the Microsoft Edge now becomes your default browser, even if Chrome or Firefox was previously the default one. 

If you want to change it, you can go to the Settings and then tap on the System option. Choose the Default apps from the left side of the screen. Afterward, tap on the Microsoft Edge icon by going to the Web browser section. Lastly, choose the browser that you wish to set as your default one. 

9. Turn off Camera Access: 

Turn off Camera AccessAll the laptops come with an in-built webcam. Using this anyone can spy on you. So, if you want, you can disable the camera access. 

For that, first, you can open Privacy by going to the Settings app. Tap on the Camera button from the left pane. From there you can select the applications which have the authority to access the webcam and camera. 

Here, you will get the option to turn off the camera access completely or let the system access the camera. However, you won’t get the option specifically for any particular application that you have installed. 

10. Disable Microphone Access

Disable Microphone AccessWindows 10 allows you to choose which applications can access the microphone. You can also change the authority by disabling the microphone access. Now, to disable it, go to the Settings option. Then, tap on the Privacy tab. Afterward, tap on the Microphone option. 

Now, you will get the options to control the applications. Go through the list and turn the access off or on as necessary. Or if you prefer, you can also turn the Microsoft access off for the applications with the help of the ‘Toggle’ option showing the list. 

11. Control Access to the Contacts: 

The phone numbers and email addresses represent important data based on the personal data on the system. So, you need to make sure that those details are secure.

To manage this, first, open the Settings and go to the Privacy tab. Tap on the Contacts button. Now, you can control the access of the apps installed on the system. 

Wrapping Up

Thus, by the end of this article, you must be having a clear idea about the privacy features in Windows 10. We have helped you with the steps and tricks through which you can change the settings based on the requirement.

Thus, now you can change the Privacy settings with ease and these can help you to keep the data secured. Additionally, you can share your valuable feedback in the comment section given at the end of this post. 

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