Windows is a personalized computing environment that enables you to seamlessly roam and access services, preferences, and content across your computing devices. Key components of Windows are cloud-based, and both cloud and local elements of Windows are updated regularly, providing you with the latest improvements and features. To provide this computing experience, we collect data about you, your device, and the way you use Windows. And because Windows is personal to you, we give you choices about the personal data we collect and how we use it. If your Windows device is managed by your organization, your organization may use centralized management tools provided by Microsoft or others to access and process your data (including your interaction data, diagnostic data, and the contents of your communications and files), and to control device settings (including privacy settings), device policies, software updates, data collection by us or the organization, or other aspects of your device.
Windows Settings, formerly known as PC Settings, is an essential component of Microsoft Windows, and offers a convenient interface for adjusting user preferences, configuring the operating system, and managing connected devices so that you can manage user accounts, adjust network settings, and personalize various aspects of Windows. Windows Settings also allows you to manage which apps can access various device capabilities such as the device's camera, microphone, location, calendar, contacts, call history, messages and more, while controlling access to your personal data. Each capability has its own privacy settings page in Windows Settings, so you can control which apps can use each capability.
For more information about data collection in Windows, see Data collection summary for Windows. This statement discusses Windows 10 and Windows 11 and references to Windows in this section relate to those product versions. Earlier versions of Windows are subject to their own privacy statements.
Activation
When you activate Windows, a specific product key is associated with the device on which your software is installed. The product key and data about the software and your device are sent to Microsoft to help validate your license to the software. This data may be sent again if there is a need to re-activate or validate your license. On phones running Windows, device and network identifiers, as well as device location at the time of the first power-up of the device, are also sent to Microsoft for the purpose of warranty registration, stock replenishment, and fraud prevention.
Advertising ID
Windows generates an advertising ID for each user on a device, which Microsoft, third-party apps, and advertising networks can use to provide relevant ads and personalized experiences on apps and across the web, similar to how websites use cookies. App developers and advertising networks can also use it for their own purposes, subject to their own privacy policies and the controls described below.
The advertising ID setting applies to Windows apps using the Windows advertising identifier. You can turn off use of the advertising ID in the Windows Settings app. Learn more about advertising ID in Windows.
The advertising ID setting does not apply to other methods of personalized advertising delivered by Microsoft or third parties, such as cookies used to provide personalized display ads on websites. Third-party products accessed through or installed on Windows may also deliver other forms of personalized advertising subject to their own privacy policies. For more information on how Microsoft uses data for advertising, see the How we use personal data and Advertising sections of this privacy statement.
Cellular plan activation from Mobile Operator website
When you seek to activate a cellular data plan from a third-party mobile operator for your Windows device through the Settings app in Windows, the mobile operator's website may request access to your device and SIM card identifiers. With your consent, the Settings app may share the specific identifiers with the operator's website.
Diagnostics
As we mention in the Diagnostic data section above, Microsoft collects diagnostic data to solve problems and to keep its products like Windows up to date, secure, and operating properly, and to improve Windows and related Microsoft products and services. This data is periodically collected from your device and stored with unique identifiers to help Microsoft recognize individual users on a device and identify issues and usage patterns.
Certain product documentation and other materials refer to required diagnostic data as "Basic diagnostic data" and to optional diagnostic data as "Full diagnostic data." Please see the Data collection summary for Windows for more information about how Windows uses diagnostic data. For a current list of required diagnostic data and optional diagnostic data collected, see Windows Required (Basic level) diagnostic events and fields or Windows Optional (Full level) diagnostic data.
If you use a work or school account, your organization may enroll your device in the Windows diagnostic data processor configuration. Microsoft processes Windows diagnostic data based on a contract with the organization. If an organization uses Microsoft management tools or engages Microsoft to manage your device, Microsoft and your organization can process and use diagnostic and error data from your device for device management, monitoring, troubleshooting, and other organizational purposes.
Required diagnostic data includes information about your device, its settings and capabilities, and whether it is performing properly. We collect the following required diagnostic data:
- Device, connectivity, and configuration data:
- Data about the device such as the processor type, OEM manufacturer, type of battery and capacity, number and type of cameras, firmware, and memory attributes.
- Network capabilities and connection data such as the device's IP address, mobile network, and whether the device is connected to a free or paid network.
- Data about the operating system and its configuration such as the OS version and build number, region and language settings, diagnostics data settings, and whether the device is part of the Windows Insider program.
- Data about connected peripherals such as model, manufacturer, drivers, and compatibility data.
- Data about the applications installed on the device such as application name, version, and publisher.
- Whether a device is ready for and can receive an update based on factors like low battery, limited disk space, or connectivity through a paid network.
- Whether updates complete successfully or fail.
- Data about the reliability of the diagnostics collection system itself.
- Basic error reporting, which is health data about the operating system and applications running on your device.
Optional diagnostic data includes more detailed information about your device and its settings, capabilities, and device health. When you choose to send optional diagnostic data, required diagnostic data will always be included, and we collect the following additional information:
- Additional data about the device, connectivity, and configuration, beyond that collected as part of required diagnostic data.
- Status and logging information about the health of operating system and other system components beyond that collected about the update and diagnostics systems under required diagnostic data.
- App activity, such as which programs are launched on a device, how long they run, and how quickly they respond to input.
- Browser activity, including browsing history and search terms, in Microsoft Edge.
- Enhanced error reporting, including the memory state of the device when a system or app crash occurs (which may unintentionally contain user content, such as parts of a file you were using when the problem occurred).
Even if you choose to send us optional diagnostic data, some of the data described above might not be collected from your device. Microsoft minimizes the amount of data it collects by collecting some of the data from only a subset of devices (sample). The Diagnostic Data Viewer tool shows if your device is part of a sample and what specific data is collected from your device. You can find download instructions for the Diagnostic Data Viewer tool in the Windows settings app under Diagnostics & feedback.
The specific data collected through Windows diagnostics may change as needed to address new issues or support recently released devices. For example, Microsoft may collect new types of data to troubleshoot performance problems or update devices. We provide limited portions of error report information to partners, like device manufacturers, solely to help them repair or improve their products and services, which work with Windows and other Microsoft products and services. We may also share aggregated, de-identified diagnostic data, such as general usage trends for Windows apps and features, with select third parties. Learn more about diagnostic data in Windows.
Inking and typing recognition. You can choose to help Microsoft improve inking and typing recognition by sending inking and typing diagnostic data. If enabled, Microsoft collects samples of what you type or write to enhance features like handwriting recognition, autocompletion, next word prediction, and spelling correction across languages. The collected data is divided into small samples and processed to remove information that could identify you or reconstruct the original content, such as unique identifiers, sequencing details, email addresses, and numeric values. Performance data, including text changes you make manually and words you add to the dictionary, is also included. Learn more about improving inking and typing in Windows.
Personalized offers
If you choose to turn on Personalized offers, we will use information about your device and how you use it, including Windows diagnostic data, in combination with your account info and data collected by other Microsoft products and services to offer you personalized tips, ads, and recommendations to enhance your Windows experiences. Personalized offers include suggestions on how to customize and optimize Windows, as well as ads and recommendations for Microsoft and third-party products and services, features, apps, and hardware to enhance your Windows experiences. For example, Windows might tell you about new features to help you get the most out of your device. If you stream movies in your browser, Windows might recommend an app from the Microsoft Store that streams more efficiently. Or, if you are running out of space on your hard drive, Windows might recommend you try OneDrive or purchase hardware to add more storage.
When Personalized offers is on, Windows may use your required diagnostic data to personalize offers. This data may include information about your device, its settings and capabilities, and whether it is performing properly. If you have decided to share optional diagnostic data, the data used to personalize offers may also include information about how you use apps and features, plus additional information about the health of your device. We may also use information about your device and your activity to personalize offers locally on your device, even when the data does not leave your device. We do not use the content of crash dumps, speech, typing, or inking input data for personalizing offers.
In addition to information about your device and how you use it, including Windows diagnostic data, we may use or combine the following data from other Microsoft products and your account with Windows diagnostic data to personalize offers:
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Web activity, if you give Microsoft Edge permission to collect your web activity for personalized search, ads, and news.
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Info about your use of other Microsoft products and services, including Microsoft Bing, Microsoft 365, XBOX, and Microsoft websites, such as MSN.com.
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Subscription and purchase history.
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Data from third-party websites which may be shared with Microsoft.
We may also use information about your interactions with tips, recommendations, and promotions to provide and improve the personalized offers and similar messages in other Microsoft products.
To manage how data collected by other Microsoft products is used to personalize offers, you can visit your Personalized ads and offers page. In some regions such as the European Economic Area, turning off Personalized offers on Windows also stops the use of data from other Microsoft products to personalize tips, ads, and recommendations in Windows. In other regions, you can manage how data collected by other Microsoft products is used to personalize offers by visiting your Personalized ads and offers page.
Contextual data from your device and some basic account data are used to show you appropriate messaging in Windows regardless of whether the Personalized offers setting in Windows or the settings to use data from other Microsoft products to personalize offers are turned off. For example, this data is used to make sure content is in the correct language and appropriate for your age group.
Personalized offers applies to tips, offers, ads, and recommendations you see in Windows. Changing this setting will not impact the kinds of offers you may see in other Microsoft products. You can change this setting at any time by searching for Personalized offers in the Windows Settings app. Learn more about personalized offers.
Tailored experiences
Tailored experiences is being replaced by Personalized offers in more recent versions of Windows. If you have not installed the latest Windows Update, you may still see Tailored experiences on your device.
If you choose to turn on Tailored experiences, we will use your Windows diagnostic data (Required or Optional as you have selected) to offer you personalized tips, ads, and recommendations to enhance Microsoft experiences. If you have selected Required as your diagnostic data setting, personalization is based on information about your device, its settings and capabilities, and whether it is performing properly. If you have selected Optional, personalization is also based on information about how you use apps and features, plus additional information about the health of your device. However, we do not use information about the websites you browse, the content of crash dumps, speech, typing, or inking input data for personalization when we receive such data from customers who have selected Optional. Tailored experiences data is transmitted to Microsoft and stored with one or more unique identifiers that can help us recognize an individual user on an individual device and understand the device's service issues and use patterns.
Tailored experiences include suggestions on how to customize and optimize Windows, as well as ads and recommendations for Microsoft and third-party products and services, features, apps, and hardware for your Windows experiences. For example, to help you get the most out of your device, we may tell you about features you may not know about or that are new. If you are having a problem with your Windows device, you may be offered a solution. You may be offered a chance to customize your lock screen with pictures, or to be shown more pictures of the kind you like, or fewer of the ones you do not. If you stream movies in your browser, you may be recommended an app from the Microsoft Store that streams more efficiently. Or, if you are running out of space on your hard drive, Windows may recommend you try OneDrive or purchase hardware to gain more space. Learn more about tailored experiences in Windows.
Feedback Hub
Feedback Hub gives you a way to provide feedback on Microsoft products and installed first party apps and in some cases third-party apps. It determines the apps installed on your device through public APIs. For HoloLens users, Feedback Hub can access your camera and microphone when you choose to share surroundings or audio input and uses your picture and document libraries to attach screenshots and screen recordings for feedback submissions.
You can sign into Feedback Hub with either your personal Microsoft account or a work or school account. When you use a work or school account your feedback may be associated with your organization and viewable by its administrators through Feedback Hub or the admin center. Regardless of which account you use, your feedback may be publicly accessible depending on your organization's settings.
When you submit feedback about a problem to Microsoft, diagnostic data is sent to help improve Microsoft products and services. The Feedback Hub will either send this data automatically or give you the option to send it, depending on your diagnostic data settings in the Diagnostics & feedback section of Windows settings. Additional personal data may be collected based on the type of feedback you provide to better troubleshoot specific issues - for example, location data when providing feedback about location services. Microsoft may also share your feedback and related data with partners, like device manufacturers or firmware developers to assist in resolving issues with products and services that work with Windows. Learn more about diagnostic data in Windows.
Get Help
Get Help enables Windows users to get technical support on Windows and other Microsoft applications. It provides you with self-service support (such as links to help articles or directions on how you can solve problems on your own), recommends Diagnostics, and helps connect you to a live Microsoft agent if needed. If you choose to run a Diagnostic, any diagnostic data collected is handled according to the Windows Diagnostics section above. You can sign in with your Microsoft account to create a support case, and enterprise account users may also be able to do the same based on their organization's support contract and administrator settings.
If enabled by system settings, you can use the system microphone in Get Help to voice your support question instead of typing, with controls available in the "Microphone Privacy Settings" in the Windows Settings app. Get Help does not use your location for its services.
Live captions
Live captions transcribe audio to help with the comprehension of spoken content. Live captions can generate captions from any audio containing speech, whether the audio is online, downloaded to your device, or received from your microphone. By default, transcribing microphone audio is disabled.
Voice data that is captioned is only processed on your device and is not shared to the cloud or with Microsoft. Learn more about live captions.
Location services
Windows location service. Microsoft's location service helps determine the precise geographic location of your Windows device using a combination of GPS, nearby wireless access points and routers, cell towers, IP address, or default location.
Location services give you control over which apps are allowed to access your precise location. When location services are turned off, Windows and apps will not have access to device location, and some apps may not be able to access information about Wi-Fi networks. With location services turned on, apps can access approximate location and can request permission to use precise location. You can manage these permissions in Windows Settings. When location is enabled, data about cell towers and Wi-Fi access points and their locations are collected, de-identified, and used to improve location services. Learn more about location in Windows.
If an app or feature accesses your device's location and you are signed in with your Microsoft account, your last known location information is also saved to the cloud. This information is available across your devices to other apps or services that use your Microsoft account and to which you've granted permission. This location information can be viewed or deleted from your Microsoft account privacy dashboard.
There are some exceptions to how your device's location can be determined that are not directly managed by the location settings. For example, desktop apps are a type of app that do not support per-app control over precise location access. Desktop apps are usually downloaded from the internet or installed from media (such as a CD, DVD, or USB storage device).
Even when you've turned off location services in Windows, some third-party apps and services could use other technologies (such as Bluetooth, IP address, cellular modem, etc.) or cloud-based location services to determine your device's location with varying degrees of accuracy.
To facilitate getting help in an emergency, whenever you make an emergency call, Windows will attempt to determine and share your precise location, regardless of your location settings. In addition, your mobile operator will have access to your device's location if your device is using a cellular service.
General location. If you turn on Location services in Windows Settings, apps that cannot use your precise location may still have access to your general or coarse location, such as your city, postal code, or region.
A limited set of features in Windows will use your IP address to provide you with contextual information for your area if location services are turned off, such as weather on the taskbar. For information about certain Windows apps that use the device's location, see the Windows apps section of this privacy statement.
Find my device. The Find my device feature allows an administrator of a Windows device to find the location of that device from account.microsoft.com/devices. To enable Find my device, an administrator needs to be signed in with a Microsoft account and have the location setting enabled. This feature will work even if other users have denied access to location for all their apps. When the administrator attempts to locate the device, users will see a notification in the notification area. Learn more about Find my device in Windows.
Narrator
Narrator is a built-in Windows screen reader that enables you to navigate your device without a screen. When you use features such as image descriptions or page title descriptions (by pressing Narrator + Ctrl + D), or popular links lists (Narrator + double press of S), the image or URL of the web page you're visiting is sent to Microsoft. This data is used only to generate the requested descriptions or summaries and to improve Microsoft services, such as Bing. Images are not retained by Microsoft after analysis.
You can disable these features at any time by going to Narrator>Get image descriptions, page titles and popular links in Settings in Windows.
You can also send feedback about Narrator to help Microsoft diagnose and resolve problems with Narrator and improve Microsoft products and services, such as Windows. Verbal feedback can be submitted at any time in Narrator by using Narrator Key + Alt + F. The Feedback Hub app will launch when you use this command and give you the opportunity to submit verbal feedback. If you enable the setting "Help Make Narrator Better" in the Windows settings app and submit verbal feedback through Feedback Hub, recent device and usage data, including event trace log (ETL) data, will be submitted along with your verbal feedback to improve Microsoft products and services, such as Windows.
Linked mobile experiences on Windows
The Phone Link feature lets you link your mobile phone to your Windows PC, enabling a variety of cross-device experiences across all your Windows devices.
Some Phone Link features, and the resulting data that is synced between your phone and Windows devices, differs for Android devices and iPhones and is described separately below.
As part of providing Phone Link's features, Microsoft collects performance, usage, and device data that includes, for example, the hardware capabilities of your mobile phone and Windows device, the number and duration of your sessions on Phone Link, and the amount of time you spent during setup.
Android Devices
You can use Phone Link to see recent photos, view and send text messages, and make and receive live calls from your Android phone on your Windows device. You can also view, dismiss, or perform other actions to your Android phone notifications and instantly access and use Android apps installed on your Android phone from your Windows device and share your phone screen on your Windows device through Phone Link's mirroring function.
To use Phone Link, you must install the Link to Windows app on your Android device and grant the requested app permissions. You must log into your Microsoft account on the Phone Link feature on your Windows device and on Link to Windows on your Android phone. Both devices must be connected to the internet. Some features require Bluetooth and pairing your phone with your PC.
We never store your texts, call history, photos, or what apps you have or information displayed by the apps on our servers or change them on your phone.
You can unlink your Android phone from your Windows device at any time by going into your Phone Link settings and choosing to remove your Android phone, or from the settings in Link to Windows on your Android phone. For detailed information, see our support page.
Text Messages. Phone Link allows you to view text messages delivered to your Android phone on your Windows device and send text messages from your Windows device. Phone Link accesses the content of your text messages and the sender's or recipient's contact information. These text messages are temporarily stored on your device and only those messages received and sent within the last 30 days are visible on your Windows device.
Calls. Phone Link allows you to make, receive, and view your recent calls from your Android phone on your Windows device. To activate this feature, you must enable certain permissions on both the Phone Link Settings page on your Windows device and Android phone's settings, such as call logs access and permission to make phone calls from your PC. These call details are temporarily stored on your Windows device and only calls received and dialed within the last 30 days are visible under call logs on your Windows device.
Photos. Phone Link allows you to copy, share, edit, save, or delete a limited number of your most recent photos from your Android phone on your Windows device. These photos are temporarily stored on your Windows device.
Notifications. Phone Link allows you to view, read, dismiss, or perform other actions related to your Android phone's notifications on your Windows device. To activate this Phone Link feature, you must enable certain permissions, such as sync notifications, on both your Windows device and Android phone.
Apps mirroring. On supported devices, Phone Link allows you to use the Android apps that are installed on your Android phone on your Windows device. Microsoft collects a list of your installed Android apps and recent activity to provide the service and show you your most recently used apps but does not retain further information.
Instant Hotspot. On supported Android devices, Link to Windows enables users to share mobile hotspot information with their paired PC over secure Bluetooth communication. Your PC can then be connected to the internet. Please note mobile data charges may apply depending on your mobile data plan.
Contacts. Link to Windows allows you to sync your Android contacts into the Microsoft cloud. You can access them in other Microsoft products and services by going into Link to Windows settings and enabling "Contacts sync" feature. Your contacts information is stored online and associated with your Microsoft account. Learn more.
iPhones
You can use Phone Link to make and receive calls from your iPhone, view and send text messages, and view, dismiss, or perform other actions on your iPhone notification from your Windows device.
To use Phone Link, you must have Bluetooth enabled on your iPhone. You may also optionally install the Link to Windows app on your iPhone.
You can unlink your iPhone from your Windows device at any time by going into Phone Link settings and choosing to remove your iPhone. You can do the same from your iPhone by going into Settings > Bluetooth > Selecting your PC name > click on the (i) icon > and choosing Forget This Device.
We never store your texts or call history on our servers or change them on your iPhone.
Text Messages. Phone Link allows you to view text (SMS) messages delivered to your iPhone on your Windows devices and send text messages from your Windows device. Phone Link accesses the content of your text messages and the sender's or recipient's contact information. These text messages are temporarily stored on your Windows device and only text messages received and sent within your Bluetooth session or iMessage are visible on your Windows devices.
Calls. Phone Link allows you to make, receive, and view your recent calls from your iPhone on your Windows device. To activate this feature, you must enable the Sync Contacts feature under Bluetooth settings on your iPhone. These call details are temporarily stored on your Windows device.
Notifications. Phone Link allows you to view, read, dismiss, or perform other actions related to your iPhone's notifications on your Windows device. To activate this Phone Link feature, you must enable certain permissions such as sync notifications, on both your Windows device and iPhone.
Contacts. Phone Link allows you to sync your contacts from your iPhone to access them for messaging and calling by going into Bluetooth settings on your iPhone and toggle on Sync Contacts under your PC name after connecting your iPhone to Phone Link.
Cross-device experiences
Cross-device experiences in Windows enable access to a linked mobile device from your PC through your Microsoft account. By linking your mobile device and enabling these experiences, Windows may make certain mobile device content available across Windows to deliver features and services that support integrated cross‑device functionality. These can be managed under "Mobile Devices" in the Bluetooth & Devices section in your Windows PC Settings. As part of providing these features, Microsoft collects performance usage and device data, including information about the hardware capabilities of your mobile and Windows devices. You can turn this feature on or off at any time in your Windows PC Settings.
Use your mobile device as a connected camera. This feature allows you to use your mobile device's camera in apps or products on Windows that support camera functionality. You can enable this feature under "Mobile Devices" in the Bluetooth & Devices section in the Settings on your PC. Microsoft does not record or store your camera sessions or any of the information displayed by your camera in any of the applications or products.
Get new photo notifications from your mobile device. This feature allows you to receive notifications from your linked mobile device on your Windows PC. These photos are temporarily stored on your Windows PC while you are editing or opening those photos. You will need to initiate saving to your PC to store those photos until you decide to delete them. We never store your photos on our servers or change or delete any photos on your mobile device.
Show your mobile device in File Explorer and device name in Windows Share. This feature allows you to access your mobile device's files in File Explorer. You can enable this feature under "Mobile Devices" in the Bluetooth & Devices section in the Settings on your PC. Microsoft will not store your file contents in its services.
You can also enable access to your linked mobile device through Windows Share. You can turn on this feature in Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Mobile devices. Once enabled, your linked devices are visible in Windows, allowing you to share files and folders between your PC and your mobile device.
Recording
Some Windows devices have a recording feature that allows you to capture audio and video clips of your activity on the device, including your communications with others. If you choose to record a session, the recording will be saved locally on your device. In some cases, you may have the option to transmit the recording to a Microsoft product or service that broadcasts the recording publicly. Important: You should understand your legal responsibilities before recording and/or transmitting any communication. This may include obtaining the prior consent of everyone participating in the conversation or any other authorizations as required. Microsoft is not responsible for how you use recording features or your recordings.
Security and safety features
Device encryption. Device encryption helps protect the data stored on your device by encrypting it using BitLocker Drive Encryption technology. When device encryption is on, Windows encrypts the drive Windows is installed on and generates a recovery key. The BitLocker recovery key for your personal device is automatically backed up online and associated with your personal Microsoft account. Microsoft doesn't use your individual recovery keys for any purpose.
Malicious Software Removal Tool (MSRT). MSRT runs on your device at least once per month as part of Windows Update, and checks for infections by specific, prevalent malicious software ("malware") and helps remove any infections found. When MSRT runs, it will remove the malware listed on the Microsoft Support website if the malware is on your device. During a malware check, a report will be sent to Microsoft with specific data about malware detected, errors, and other data about your device. You can turn off MSRT's reporting feature if you do not want to send this data to Microsoft.
Microsoft Family. Parents can use Microsoft Family Safety to understand and set boundaries on how their child is using their device. Please carefully review the information at Microsoft Family Safety if choosing to create or join a family group. For users under the age of 13 or as specified by law in their jurisdiction, certain Microsoft products and services will either block users under that age or will ask them to obtain consent or authorization from a parent or guardian before they can use it, including when creating an account to access Microsoft services. If you are under the statutory age in your region, during the registration process you'll be prompted to request consent from a parent or guardian by entering an adult's email. When Family activity reporting is turned on for a child, Microsoft will collect details about how the child uses their device and provide parents with reports of that child's activities. Activity reports are routinely deleted from Microsoft servers.
Microsoft Defender SmartScreen and Smart App Control. Microsoft strives to help protect your device and passwords from unsafe apps, files, and web content.
Microsoft Defender SmartScreen helps protect you and your device by identifying threats from unsafe websites, apps, and files. When checking content, it sends relevant data-including web addresses and, if needed, details about suspicious sites or apps-to Microsoft for security analysis. This data will only be used for security purposes in detecting, protecting against, and responding to security incidents, identity theft, fraud, or other malicious, deceptive, or illegal activities. If a threat is found, you'll receive a warning instead of the content. You can turn this feature on or off in the Windows Security app.
Where supported, Smart App Control checks software installed on your device to identify potential threats. On supported devices, it begins in evaluation mode using data collected by Microsoft Defender SmartScreen-such as file names, hashes, download locations, and digital certificates-to determine if Smart App Control is suitable for your device. If your device qualifies, Smart App Control is automatically enabled for added protection; otherwise, it remains permanently off. For unsupported or unsuitable devices, Microsoft Defender SmartScreen continues to provide protection. When Smart App Control is active, it blocks and alerts you about apps identified as malicious, potentially unwanted, or unknown and unsigned before they open, run or install. Learn more about Smart App Control.
When either Microsoft Defender SmartScreen or Smart App Control checks a file, data about that file is sent to Microsoft, including the file name, a hash of the file's contents, the download location, and the file's digital certificates. You can turn Smart App Control on or off in the Windows Security app.
Microsoft Defender Antivirus. Microsoft Defender Antivirus automatically activates to protect your device when no other antimalware software is running and monitors your device's security status and scans for malware, unwanted software, and potentially harmful apps. When Microsoft Defender Antivirus is turned on or otherwise running, it automatically sends reports to Microsoft with data about suspected malware and other unwanted software, potentially unwanted apps, and other malicious content. It may also send files that could contain malicious content, such as malware or unknown files for further inspection. If a report may contain personal data, you'll be asked for permission before it's sent. You can choose to disable reporting and file sharing with Microsoft.
Speech, Voice Activation, Inking, and Typing
Speech. Microsoft provides both a device-based speech recognition feature and cloud-based (online) speech recognition technologies.
Turning on the Online speech recognition setting lets apps use Microsoft cloud-based speech recognition. Additionally, in Windows 10, the Online speech recognition setting enables your ability to use dictation within Windows.
Turning on speech while setting up a HoloLens device or installing Windows Mixed Reality allows you to use your voice for commands, dictation, and app interactions. Both device-based speech recognition and online speech recognition settings will be enabled. With both settings enabled, while your headset is turned on the device will always be listening to your voice input and will send your voice data to Microsoft's cloud-based speech recognition technologies.
When you use our cloud-based speech recognition technologies, we collect and use your voice recordings and create a text transcription of the spoken words in the voice data. Microsoft will not store, sample, or listen to your voice recordings without your permission. Learn more about Microsoft and your voice data.
You can turn off online speech recognition at any time and stop any apps that rely on the online speech recognition setting from sending your voice data to Microsoft. You can still use device-based speech recognition services that do not rely on the cloud and only use device-based recognition-like captions, Narrator, or voice access-without sending your voice data to Microsoft. However, Microsoft cloud-based speech recognition technologies provide more accurate recognition than the device-based speech recognition.
If you are using a HoloLens or Windows Mixed Reality headset, you can also turn off device-based speech recognition at any time. This will stop the device from listening for your voice input. Learn more about speech recognition in Windows.
Voice activation. Windows provides supported apps with the ability to respond and take action based on voice keywords that are specific to that app.
If you've given permission for an app to listen for voice keywords, Windows will actively monitor the microphone for those keywords. Each app needs to ask for your permission before accessing your microphone. When a keyword is detected, the app will access and process your voice recording, take action, and respond, such as with a spoken answer. The app may send your voice recording to its own cloud services to process commands and collect the recordings for other purposes, such as improving its services.
Voice activation functionality can be enabled when the device is locked and the screen is off. Once an app is activated with a voice keyword, it may continue listening to the microphone. The app may be activated by anyone who speaks near the device and have access to the same set of capabilities and information as when the device is unlocked.
You can turn off voice activation at any time. Learn more about voice activation in Windows.
Even when you've turned off voice activation, some third-party desktop apps and services could still be listening to the microphone and collect your voice input. Learn more about third-party desktop apps and how they may still be able to access your microphone even with these settings turned off.
Voice typing. In Windows 11, dictation is now voice typing. Voice typing may use both device-based and online speech recognition technologies to power its speech-to-text transcription service. You can also choose to contribute voice clips to help improve voice typing. If you choose not to contribute voice clips, you can still use voice typing. You can change your selection anytime in the voice typing settings. Microsoft will not store, sample, or listen to your voice recordings without your permission. Learn more about Microsoft and your voice data.
Voice access. Windows enables everyone, including people with mobility disabilities, to control their PC and author text using their voice. For example, voice access supports scenarios like opening and switching between apps, browsing the web, and reading and authoring mail. Voice access leverages modern, on-device speech recognition to accurately recognize speech and is supported without an internet connection. When a user invokes voice access it uses the device microphone. Learn more about voice access.
Inking & Typing Personalization. Your typed and handwritten words are collected to provide you with a custom word list, better character recognition to help you type and write on your device and text suggestions that appear as you type or write.
You can turn off inking & typing personalization at any time. This will delete your custom word list stored on your device. If you turn it back on, you'll need to recreate your custom word list. Learn more about inking & typing personalization in Windows.
Sync and backup settings
When you sign into Windows with your Microsoft account, Windows can store your settings, files, and device configuration data in Microsoft's servers. Windows will only use the stored settings, files, and device configuration data to make it easier for you to migrate your experience on a different device.
You can turn off this feature and stop Windows from storing your settings, files, and configuration data from the Windows settings. You can delete the data that has been backed up previously to your Microsoft account, by visiting your Microsoft Account Devices page.
Learn more about Windows backup and sync settings.
Update Services
Update Services for Windows includes Windows Update and Microsoft Update. Windows Update is a service that provides you with software updates for Windows software and other supporting software, such as drivers and firmware supplied by device manufacturers. Microsoft Update is a service that provides you with software updates for other Microsoft software such as Microsoft 365.
Windows Update automatically downloads Windows software updates to your device. You can configure Windows Update to automatically install these updates as they become available (recommended) or have Windows notify you when a restart is required to finish installing updates. Apps available through the Microsoft Store are automatically updated through the Microsoft Store, as described in the Microsoft Store section of this privacy statement.
Windows AI Features
Click to Do
Click to Do can operate as a stand-alone feature or in partnership with Windows Recall. Once started, Click to Do enables you to capture and analyze screenshots, identify the presence of text and images, and offers relevant actions for each-such as editing a screenshot or revising captured text. Click to Do cannot identify the content within screenshots, but you can use local AI or other tools to modify that content if you wish. All activity remains on your local device unless you explicitly choose, like sending an image for a Bing search, requesting a summary of selected text (which is processed by Microsoft's Azure AI cloud service), or using another tool to modify a screenshot.
Additionally, Click to Do allows you to use your microphone to search for text within a captured screenshot: when you click the microphone button, it listens to what's said, enters it into the Search box, and highlights all matching results. The audio captured by the microphone is not transmitted off your device.
Windows Recall
Recall is a Windows feature available exclusively on Copilot+ PCs that helps users find previously viewed content using remembered text or visual clues. To use Recall, users must opt-in to save snapshots - screen images with metadata like app name and time stamp - which are securely stored locally and protected with Windows Hello Enhanced Sign-in Security (ESS). Each time Recall is opened, users must authenticate using Windows Hello biometric sign-in or PIN to decrypt snapshot contents. Analysis and processing of snapshots occur only on the device. Click to Do runs on top of snapshots in Recall to help you to take actions with your images or text on the screen.
Recall lets you search for text within captured snapshots using your Copilot+ PC's microphone. When you click on the microphone button inside the Search box within the Recall window, it enters what you said in the Search box. The microphone remains active until you pause your speech, and all audio captured stays on your device.
Recall securely stores all captured data-including personal data like snapshots, metadata, processing results, and user queries-locally on your Copilot+ PC and within your signed-in account. This information is never transmitted off your device unless you take action, such as copying a snapshot to another app or submitting feedback through the Windows Feedback Hub with a snapshot attached. The only way Recall content can be shared is by explicit user action on the device.
You can control your content (such as snapshots, metadata, search queries, and history) by pausing or deleting snapshots, filtering content, or using a supported browser in privacy mode. Learn more about your privacy and control over your Recall experience.
In addition to the Recall search feature, Recall also has a timeline feature that organizes snapshots chronologically in a timeline, displayed via a horizontal scrollbar, making it easy to review and utilize your past PC activities. Within the timeline view, you can delete snapshots individually, by website domain, or by app.
Recall also has a Sensitive Content filter that is on by default to help prevent the retention of information that might be more delicate in nature (e.g., credit card numbers, state issued ID numbers, etc.). Users can turn this filter off if they wish in Windows Settings.
Windows apps
A number of Microsoft apps are included with Windows and others are available in Microsoft Store. Please visit Microsoft Store to learn more about each of these apps, including:
Camera app. If you allow the Camera app to use your location, location data is embedded in the photos and videos you take with your device. Other descriptive data, such as camera model and the date that the picture or video was taken, is also embedded in photos and videos. If you choose to share a photo or video, any embedded data will be accessible to the people and services you share with. Once enabled, you can always disable the Camera app's access to your location by turning off all access to the location service in your device's Settings menu or turning off the Camera app's access to the location service.
When the Camera app is open, it shows rectangles detected by the selected camera for areas in the image that are potentially used for image enhancement. The Camera app does not retain any image enhancing data. You can always change your camera access settings in the Windows Settings menu. The Camera app uses various device capabilities such as location, camera, microphone, video, and picture library.
Photos app. There are two versions of the Photos app available. The updated Photos app includes features like iCloud integration and local and cloud folder views. The previous legacy version of the Photos app includes features like Video Editor, the People tab, and Albums. You are using the updated Photos app if the "About" section in the Photos app settings indicates the app is the "Updated" Photos app.
The updated Photos app lets you organize, view, and share photos and videos by grouping them through options such as name, date taken or modified, and storage location, whether locally or synced from cloud services like OneDrive and iCloud. You can move, copy, or upload files to your computer or OneDrive, and quickly access all photos by date, favorites, folders, and cloud service tabs for easy navigation and management.
The Photos legacy app lets you organize, view, and share your photos and videos, offering features not available in the updated Photos app, such as Collections, Albums, Video Editor, and the People setting. Collections display photos and videos by date taken. Albums help organize by location and tags and the Video Editor provides tools for editing, creating, and sharing videos.
The People setting in the Photos legacy app, when enabled, uses face grouping technology to organize your local photos and videos by detecting faces and grouping visually similar ones. You can associate these facial groupings with contacts from your People app. You can enable this feature either from the Settings page or the People tab.
When People settings are enabled in the legacy app, your groupings will be stored on your device for as long as you keep groupings, or the related photos or videos themselves. If you haven't interacted with the Photos legacy app for three years, you'll be prompted to allow continued facial grouping. You can turn the People setting on or off at any time in the Settings page; turning it off removes facial grouping data from the app but does not delete your photos or videos. Learn more about the Photos legacy app and facial grouping.
If you choose to share a photo or video using the Photos app or the Photos legacy app, any embedded data (such as location, camera model, and date) will be accessible to the people and services you share the photo or video with.
People app. The People app centralizes your contacts in one place by automatically importing them when you add accounts, including email and social network accounts. When you add an account, we tell you what data the People app can import or sync with the particular service and let you choose what you want to add. Other apps you install may also sync data to the People app, including providing additional details to existing contacts. When viewing a contact, recent interactions such as emails and calendar events from synced apps are displayed. You can remove accounts from the People app at any time.
Mail and Calendar app. The Mail and Calendar app allows you to connect all your email, calendars, and files in one place, including those from third-party email and file storage providers. When you add an account to the Mail and Calendar app, your email, calendar items, files, contacts, and other settings from your account will automatically sync to your device and to Microsoft servers. To configure an account, you must provide the app with your account credentials (such as username and password), which will be sent to the third-party provider's server. If your account is provided by an organization (like a work account), the account owner can implement certain policies and controls that may affect your use of the app - for example, multi-factor authentication or the ability to remotely wipe data from your device. The app also provides location-based services, such as weather information in your calendar. You can remove an account, make changes to the data that's synced from your account, or disable access to your device's capabilities like your location and camera at any time.
Windows operator messages (previously Microsoft Messaging) app. The Windows Operator Messages app receives and shows account-related SMS texts from your mobile operator about your data plan (such as your billing and data limits) on your PC or device. These messages are stored locally on your device. From your device, you can also access, view, and delete these messages. This app uses your device capabilities such as Contacts.
The Clock app. The Clock app is your hub for time management and focus on Windows. When users sign in with their Microsoft account, they can enable Microsoft To Do, a cloud connected experience. When the user turns on Focus Session in Microsoft To Do, session data is stored locally, which you can clear by going to the Clock settings page. Additionally, Focus Sessions supports connecting to Spotify accounts to listen to ambient audio.
Microsoft Journal. Microsoft Journal is a Windows application specifically designed for touch-focused, pen-capable devices such as tablets and 2-in-1 devices. It provides users with freeform personal note-taking experience. The app leverages AI and machine learning to better recognize your handwriting that processes data locally on your device. Users with a Microsoft 365 subscription can access their M365 calendar and contacts within the app. Journal lets you access photos library and the device camera and microphone so that you can add them to a workbook. Learn about Journal app here.
Microsoft PC Manager. Available in select regions, PC Manager is a desktop tool aimed at boosting your PC's performance. Based on your request, PC Manager will scan your device, and allow you to delete unneeded or temporary documents, optimize cache, stop or recover from unauthorized changes, or use other features to improve your PC's performance.
PC Manager will block pop-ups based on ad-block rules and the pop-up windows selected by you through custom block. If you agree to join the "Microsoft PC Manager Pop-up Plan," when you block pop-up windows through custom block, you can help us optimize Microsoft PC Manager's pop-up management feature by taking screenshots of the pop-up and sending them to Microsoft. Microsoft does not collect information other than screenshots, Windows title, and the class of Windows. Screenshots are only retained for a short period of time and regularly deleted. You can manage your Pop-Up Plan preferences through the PC Manager settings. The feedback feature in PC Manager may also process personal data if you include it in the feedback you provide to Microsoft. The feedback from users is regularly deleted after processing.
Circle to Act. Circle to Act is a service offered by PC Manager for selected markets, featuring tools such as Screenshot Tool, Text Extraction, Translation, and Smart Copy. To enable the Smart Copy feature, screenshots you upload during use may be processed by Microsoft in data centers located outside of your location. For the Text Extraction and Translation features, screenshots captured during use will be transmitted to Microsoft Azure, operated and maintained by Microsoft or our local operation partners within your region. These screenshots are processed locally, and the results are returned to you upon completion. Microsoft does not retain any image or text data you submit or the results provided, except where required to comply with legal obligations.
Snipping Tool. The Snipping Tool uses your microphone and pictures library to capture and store screenshots and screen recordings. The Snipping Tool includes a Text Action feature, which uses built-in optical character recognition (OCR) support. You can select and copy text directly from images using OCR. With clipboard integration items copied from the Snipping Tool are also copied to your clipboard. If you enable clipboard history across devices, the copied content can be used seamlessly across different devices. Users can manage their clipboard and snipping preferences through the Windows settings.
Sound Recorder app. The Sound Recorder app is designed for capturing audio via your microphone in various scenarios. While recording, you can mark key moments to easily locate important sections later. You can also trim, adjust volume levels, or apply other modifications as needed, and playback your recordings. Your recordings are autosaved and stored in your Documents folder for easy access, and you can share your recorded audio with friends and family.
Microsoft Clipchamp. Microsoft Clipchamp is a video editor that allows you to combine videos, images, and audio files, as well as add text and effects, and then save the finished video to your device or personal OneDrive via your Microsoft account. You can allow Clipchamp to access your camera and microphone to record videos directly from your device. Clipchamp will collect your imprecise location to provide a better experience, such as choosing which language to display to you.
Media Player. Media Player is Windows' default built-in multimedia player. When you open a multimedia file, Media Player will read the contents of that file. When you open Media Player, it will read the contents of your Music library and Video library folders to populate its own Music library and Video library pages inside the Media Player to help you organize, view, and play multimedia content.
To enrich your experience when playing music, Media Player will automatically attempt to display artist art and album art for the content you play and the content in your music library. To provide this information, Media Player sends an information request to Microsoft containing standard device data, such as your device IP address, device software version, your regional and language settings, and an identifier for the content. You can disable this feature on the app's Settings page.
Movies & TV. Microsoft Movies & TV allows you to rent or buy movies and TV episodes, and play them on your device.
To help you discover content that may interest you, Movies & TV will collect data about what movies and TV shows you watch, including the length of play and any ratings you give.
Movies & TV can also display and play local video files stored on your PC. To do this, it needs access to the video library on your device.
Windows Media Player Legacy. You can use Windows Media Player Legacy to play CDs and other digital content such as video, audio, and picture files, rip CDs, and manage your media library. To enhance your experience, the player displays related media information like album titles, song titles, album art, artist, and composer. To provide additional media details, Windows Media Player Legacy may send a request to Microsoft that includes standard computer information, a media content identifier, and your library's existing media information (including any edits or entries you've made) so Microsoft can recognize the track and return other available information.
Windows Media Player Legacy also allows you to play back content streamed over a network by communicating with streaming media servers, which are usually operated by non-Microsoft content providers. During playback of streaming media, the player may send a log to the streaming media or web server containing details such as connection time, IP address, operating system version, Windows Media Player Legacy version, Player ID number, date, and protocol. To help protect your privacy, the Player ID sent by Windows Media Player Legacy is unique to each session.
Windows Hello
Windows Hello provides instant access to your devices through biometric authentication. If you turn it on, Windows Hello uses unique points or features that are extracted from your face, fingerprint, or iris and stored on your device as a template to identify you-but it does not store the actual image of your face, fingerprint, or iris. Biometric verification data that's used when you sign in doesn't leave your device and remains on your device until you remove it. After a significant period of Windows Hello inactivity, you will be prompted to confirm that you want to continue to store your biometric verification data. You can delete your biometric verification data from within Settings. Learn more about Windows Hello.
Windows Search
Windows Search lets you search your stuff and the web from one place. If you choose to use Windows Search to search "your stuff," it will provide results for items on your personal OneDrive, your OneDrive for Business if so enabled, other supported third-party cloud storage providers and on your device. If you choose to use Windows Search to search the web, or get search suggestions with Windows Search, your search results will be powered by Bing and we will use your search query as described in the Bing section of this privacy statement. Learn more about search in Windows.