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Documentation · Policy appendix

Privacy and telemetry

Every setting of the “Privacy and telemetry” package with its effect, value and recommending sources.

since 0.9.8.11

Purpose

This page lists every setting of the “Privacy and telemetry” package: what it does, which value Setup Foundry sets and who recommends it. It is generated from the catalog and never edited by hand.

51 settings.

Notes

Include local path when user is uploading files to a server

This setting determines whether the local path of a file is sent to the server when a user uploads that file through an HTML form from a site in the Restricted Sites zone.

Turn off Internet download for Web publishing and online ordering wizards

This computer policy controls whether Windows downloads a current list of external service providers when a user opens the Web publishing or online ordering wizards. These providers can offer services such as online storage and photographic printing.

Turn off Microsoft consumer experiences

This registry value controls the device-wide policy that suppresses Microsoft consumer experiences in Windows. It uses the REG_DWORD type. A value of 1 turns off consumer-oriented content and features, including Start suggestions, Microsoft membership notifications, post-OOBE app installation, and redirect tiles.

Let Windows apps activate with voice while the system is locked

This machine-wide REG_DWORD value determines whether Windows apps may use voice activation and allow speech interaction while the system is locked.

Allow indexing of encrypted files

This machine-level registry value controls whether Windows Search may index encrypted files and encrypted stores. It is a REG_DWORD value:

Disable Cortana voice support during OOBE

The DisableVoice DWORD value, when set to 1, disables Cortana voice support during the Windows out-of-box experience (OOBE). Cortana no longer provides spoken guidance through initial setup, and users cannot use the associated voice interaction to respond to supported prompts.

Limit optional diagnostic data for Desktop Analytics

This machine policy limits optional Windows diagnostic data sent to Microsoft to the events intended for Desktop Analytics. A value of 1 enables the limitation; a value of 0 disables it.

Do not show feedback notifications

This device-wide REG_DWORD value controls whether Windows displays notifications asking users to provide feedback to Microsoft.

Turn off Internet File Association service

This policy controls whether Windows offers the Microsoft web service for finding a suitable application when a file-name extension has no existing association.

AllowOnlineTips

Description to follow.

  • Technical:
    • Policy: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\System\AllowOnlineTips = 0 (REG_DWORD)
  • Switch in the app: Policies › Privacy and telemetry
  • Recommended by: Setup Foundry

Do not use diagnostic data for tailored experiences

This registry value controls, on a per-user basis, whether Windows may use diagnostic data from the device to personalize recommendations, tips, and offers. Setting the REG_DWORD value data to 1 prevents this use.

Allow Cortana

This device-wide policy value controls whether Cortana is allowed on the device. It uses the REG_DWORD data type:

Turn off Windows Customer Experience Improvement Program

This policy value controls participation of the entire computer in the Windows Customer Experience Improvement Program (CEIP). CEIP collects information about hardware configuration and the use of Windows, software, and services so that Microsoft can analyze usage and reliability patterns.

Allow Desktop Analytics Processing

This former device policy was designed to enroll a device in Desktop Analytics and place its Windows diagnostic data under Microsoft's processor commitments. A value of 2 allows this processing, while 0 disables it.

Allow suggested apps in Windows Ink Workspace

This registry value controls whether Windows may display recommended app suggestions in Windows Ink Workspace.

Turn off Inventory Collector

This computer policy controls the Windows application compatibility Inventory Collector. The collector gathers information about applications, files, devices, and drivers on the system. Windows uses this inventory information to help diagnose compatibility problems and can send it to Microsoft.

Disable AutoLogger-DiagTrack-Listener

The Start value controls whether the AutoLogger-DiagTrack-Listener ETW AutoLogger session starts automatically during the next system boot. It is a REG_DWORD value. A value of 0 prevents Windows from starting this session at the next restart.

Disable OneSettings Downloads

This machine-wide registry value controls whether Windows connects to the OneSettings service. OneSettings is part of Windows Services Configuration, which allows Windows components and apps to update their configuration dynamically.

Allow Clipboard synchronization across devices

This machine-level registry value controls whether Windows may synchronize Clipboard contents across devices. It is interpreted as a REG_DWORD:

Allow Cloud Search

This device-wide policy value determines whether Windows Search and Cortana may search cloud sources such as OneDrive and SharePoint.

Allow device name to be sent in Windows diagnostic data

This REG_DWORD value controls whether Windows may include the device name in Windows diagnostic data sent to Microsoft.

Turn off storage and display of search history

This per-user registry value controls whether Windows stores search queries in search history and uses that history to offer suggestions during subsequent searches in the search pane.

Turn off Application Telemetry

This machine-wide policy value controls the Windows Application Telemetry engine. Application Telemetry records how applications use certain Windows system components. Microsoft characterizes the collected usage information as anonymous.

Turn off saving snapshots for use with Recall

The DisableAIDataAnalysis DWORD value maps to the Windows policy that controls whether Recall can save screen snapshots. A value of 1 prevents Recall from saving new snapshots. Any Recall snapshots previously stored on the device are deleted when the policy takes effect.

Allow search and Cortana to use location

This device-wide registry value controls whether Windows Search and Cortana may access location information to provide location-aware results.

Turn off Steps Recorder

This registry value belongs to the device-scoped ADMX policy for Windows Steps Recorder (psr.exe). When the policy is enabled, Steps Recorder is disabled. When the policy is disabled or not configured, Steps Recorder remains available if the component is present in the installed Windows version.

Disable Enhanced Phishing Protection telemetry calls

The TelemetryCallsEnabled DWORD value, when set to 0, disables telemetry calls from the Windows WTDS component associated with Enhanced Phishing Protection in Microsoft Defender SmartScreen.

Allow publishing of User Activities

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.

Do not allow web search

This machine-wide registry value corresponds to the Windows policy named “Do not allow web search.” A REG_DWORD value of 1 removes the option to initiate an Internet search from Windows Desktop Search or the associated Cortana search experience.

Don't search the web or display web results in Search

This machine-wide policy value controls whether Windows Search sends queries to a web service and includes web results in Search.

Turn off display of recent search entries in the File Explorer search box

This policy prevents File Explorer from displaying suggestions based on previous queries while a user types in its search box. New search-box entries are also prevented from being stored in the registry for later use.

Turn off Windows Copilot

This per-user policy value controls the original Copilot in Windows experience integrated into the Windows shell.

Turn off all Windows spotlight features

This per-user registry value disables all Windows spotlight features for the affected user. The scope includes Windows spotlight on the lock screen, Windows Tips, Microsoft consumer features, and other related content and suggestion experiences.

Disable Windows Error Reporting

The Disabled value controls Windows Error Reporting (WER) for the computer. When this REG_DWORD value contains 1, WER is disabled.

Allow Diagnostic Data

The AllowTelemetry registry value controls how much Windows diagnostic data is collected and sent to Microsoft. It is a REG_DWORD value representing the corresponding policy setting in Computer Configuration or User Configuration.

Connected User Experiences and Telemetry

The Start DWORD defines the startup type of the Windows service named DiagTrack. A value of 4 represents SERVICE_DISABLED: the service cannot be started, and attempts to start it fail with ERROR_SERVICE_DISABLED.

Do not show Windows tips

This machine-wide value determines whether Windows can display contextual Windows Tips, also referred to as the “soft landing” experience. These pop-ups introduce Windows features and explain how to use them.

Turn off toast notifications on the lock screen

This registry value corresponds to the user-scoped NoLockScreenToastNotification policy defined in WPN.admx. When the policy is enabled, applications cannot display toast notifications on the lock screen.

Include Internet in Safe Zones for Automatic Picture Download

This user policy controls whether Outlook treats the Internet as a safe zone for automatically downloading pictures and other externally linked content in HTML email messages.

Do not suggest third-party content in Windows spotlight

This per-user registry value controls whether Windows spotlight can suggest apps and content from third-party software publishers. It covers Windows spotlight experiences such as lock screen spotlight, suggested apps in the Start menu, and Windows tips.

“Hey Cortana” voice activation

This per-user registry value controls Cortana activation through the “Hey Cortana” activation phrase. A DWORD value of 0 turns this capability off. Cortana therefore no longer starts for that user merely because the phrase is detected.

Feedback frequency

This DWORD value limits, for the current user, the number of Windows-initiated feedback prompts allowed during the interval defined by PeriodInNanoSeconds.

Turn off Windows Media Player usage tracking

Setting the UsageTracking DWORD value to 0 opts the current user out of the Customer Experience Improvement Program in the legacy Windows Media Player. The Player consequently stops sending Microsoft the voluntary usage data associated with that program.

Show sync provider notifications

This per-user DWORD value controls whether File Explorer displays notifications associated with sync providers. These can include information about OneDrive and messages introducing features or actions related to cloud storage and file management.

Cortana consent (legacy)

The CortanaConsent DWORD value records the current user's consent state for the legacy Cortana experience that was integrated with Windows Search. A value of 0 represents consent not being granted or having been withdrawn. On Windows releases that honor this value, the associated online Cortana services are unavailable to that user.

Show me suggested content in the Settings app

This per-user DWORD value controls a channel used to display suggested content in Windows Settings. Setting it to 0 disables suggestions delivered through that channel for the affected user.

Let apps show me personalized ads by using my advertising ID

The DWORD value 0 disables the Windows advertising ID for the affected user profile. Windows then stops providing a usable identifier to apps that support the Windows advertising ID. The AdvertisingManager.AdvertisingId property returns an empty string when the feature is disabled.

Show the Windows welcome experience after updates and when signed in to show what's new and suggested

This per-user DWORD value controls the subscribed-content category associated with the Windows welcome experience. A value of 0 disables that content category for the current user. Windows should consequently stop presenting the welcome experience after updates or at sign-in to highlight new or changed features and show suggestions.

Disable Microsoft Office client telemetry

The per-user DisableTelemetry value is created as a DWORD with value data 1 and is intended to suppress Microsoft Office client telemetry. Microsoft does not publish a supported definition for this exact registry path and value, however. It therefore cannot be established reliably which Office releases honor it or which telemetry components they disable.

Enable Customer Experience Improvement Program

This per-user registry value controls whether Office 2016 users can participate in the Microsoft Office Customer Experience Improvement Program (CEIP). When a user participates, Office applications automatically send information about application usage to Microsoft. Microsoft combines this information with other CEIP data to investigate problems and improve commonly used products and features.

Widgets button

This per-user Windows 11 registry value controls whether the Widgets button or Widgets area is visible on the taskbar. When the REG_DWORD value is 0, the taskbar element is hidden. Weather information, notification badges, and rotating announcements supplied through Widgets are consequently no longer shown there.

See also