Allow publishing of User Activities
This computer policy determines whether applications and the operating system may publish User Activities.
since 0.9.8.11
Purpose
Show registry keys (1)
HKLM\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\System\PublishUserActivities
This computer policy determines whether applications and the operating system may publish User Activities. A User Activity represents the state of a task so that Windows and supporting applications can present it in the activity feed or make it possible to resume the task later.
A value of 1 permits publication. A value of 0 prevents applications and the operating system from publishing User Activities. Policy changes take effect immediately.
Notes
Security
Published User Activities can contain information about device usage, such as applications and services used, files opened, or websites visited. The information included depends on the application or operating-system component that creates the activity. Allowing publication therefore has privacy implications for user activity metadata.
This policy does not grant applications general access to files or other user data. It controls only whether applications and Windows may publish the User Activities they create.
Possible side effects
With a value of 0, features that depend on published User Activities may become unavailable or provide reduced functionality. These can include the activity feed, discovery of recently used resources, and features for resuming earlier tasks.
Notes
PublishUserActivities controls only the publication of User Activities. The separate UploadUserActivities policy governs their upload, while EnableActivityFeed provides broader control over the activity feed. These settings are not interchangeable.
Microsoft deprecated the Windows option for sending activity history to Microsoft in the January 23, 2024 updates for Windows 10 version 22H2 and Windows 11 versions 22H2 and 23H2. Local storage and use of activity history remain separate from that cloud-upload capability.
Microsoft documentation
Microsoft Learn: Privacy Policy CSP – PublishUserActivities
Microsoft Support: Windows activity history and your privacy