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In Windows 11, open Start > Settings > Privacy & security > Inking & typing personalization. Turn off Custom inking and typing word list; Microsoft says this clears your custom word list. If your build shows Custom dictionary > Clear your custom dictionary, use that command for the most explicit deletion control. These actions remove your personal additions, not Windows’ standard language dictionary.
What the personal dictionary contains
Windows builds a custom word list from words you type or write so its typing and inking features can recognize those words more accurately. Microsoft associates this list with your Microsoft account and can use it across Microsoft products. Names, technical terms, unusual spellings and other words that are not in the ordinary language dictionary can therefore become personal entries.
The custom list is separate from the standard dictionary used for ordinary suggestions and handwriting recognition. Clearing the personal list does not erase the standard language dictionary, and it does not remove the language itself from Windows. If a familiar word continues to appear after the personal list is cleared, it may be coming from that standard dictionary rather than from your personal data.
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Clear the custom word list
- Open Start, then select Settings.
- In the Settings window, select Privacy & security.
- Select Inking & typing personalization.
- Find Custom inking and typing word list and switch it off. Microsoft’s description is explicit: “Turning this off clears your custom word list.”
- If the page includes a separate Custom dictionary section, open it and select Clear your custom dictionary.
The switch is the control that both disables the custom list and clears it. The separate command is the clearest choice when it is visible because its label states the deletion action directly. You do not need to remove a Windows language, reset the keyboard, or change handwriting settings to perform this cleanup.
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When the labels look different
Windows 11 feature updates can change the wording or arrangement of Settings pages slightly. Look for the page under Privacy & security and identify the control containing “inking,” “typing,” “custom,” or “dictionary.” A build may show the switch without a separate command, or it may present both. If both are present, turn off the custom-list switch and then use the clear command shown on the same page.
Which Windows 11 control should you use?
| Control | Where to find it | What it changes | Result and scope |
|---|---|---|---|
| Custom inking and typing word list | Settings > Privacy & security > Inking & typing personalization | Disables the personal list and clears the custom words stored in it. | Your custom word list is cleared; the standard language dictionary remains. |
| Clear your custom dictionary | Inking & typing personalization > Custom dictionary, when the command is exposed | Deletes the personal custom dictionary through an explicitly named command. | Removes personal dictionary entries; availability depends on the Windows 11 build. |
| Improve inking and typing | Settings > Privacy & security > Diagnostics & feedback | Controls optional samples used to improve recognition and prediction. | Stops optional diagnostic samples going forward; it is separate from deleting the custom list. |
| Remember my preferences | Settings > Accounts > Windows backup | Manages synchronization of preferences, including language preferences and dictionary settings. | A Microsoft account can make those preferences available on other devices when synchronization is enabled. |
These settings solve different privacy problems. The first two deal with words already saved as personal dictionary data. Improve inking and typing deals with optional diagnostic collection. Remember my preferences deals with whether relevant preferences can follow your account to another Windows device.
Stop optional collection of typed and handwritten samples
Deleting the custom dictionary does not by itself change the optional diagnostic setting. To stop optional samples used to improve recognition, follow this path:
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- Open Start > Settings.
- Select Privacy & security.
- Select Diagnostics & feedback.
- Turn Improve inking and typing off.
Microsoft explains that optional samples can include typed or written content, manual text changes and words added to the dictionary. Its privacy statement describes those samples and associated performance data as material used to improve handwriting recognition, autocompletion, next-word prediction and spelling correction. This is a future-collection choice: it governs optional samples sent for improvement, whereas the inking-and-typing personalization page is where you clear the personal word list.
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Why clearing and collection controls are separate
A cleared list answers the question “What personal words are already stored?” The Diagnostics & feedback switch answers “Will I allow optional samples to be collected for improvement?” You may choose one action or both. Someone who only wants to remove existing personal entries can clear the list. Someone who also does not want optional typed or handwritten samples included in diagnostic data should change the second setting as well.
Understand account synchronization before clearing on one device
Windows backup provides the account-level preference controls. Open Start > Settings > Accounts > Windows backup and review Remember my preferences, including the options for language preferences and dictionary settings.
When synchronization is enabled, a Microsoft account can make these preferences available across devices. That means the device you are cleaning may not be the only place where related preference data is used. Region settings and account-policy prompts can affect whether synchronization is available or how it behaves, so the page may not look identical for every account.
A practical account-and-device sequence
- On the Windows 11 device, clear the custom list from Privacy & security > Inking & typing personalization.
- While still signed in, open Accounts > Windows backup and inspect Remember my preferences for language and dictionary-related synchronization.
- If you do not want those preferences carried to other devices, review the synchronization choices and turn off the relevant preference option where Windows presents it.
- Repeat the privacy check on another Windows device using the same Microsoft account if that device has its own copy of the preferences or has not synchronized recently.
The Windows backup page is for managing synchronization preferences; it is not a replacement for the clear command on the inking-and-typing page. Use the page that matches the data action you intend to take.
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Choose the right action for your goal
- Remove saved personal words: turn off Custom inking and typing word list, and use Clear your custom dictionary if available.
- Prevent optional typed or handwritten samples from being used for improvement: turn off Improve inking and typing under Diagnostics & feedback.
- Stop dictionary-related preferences from following the account: review Remember my preferences under Windows backup.
- Keep ordinary Windows suggestions and handwriting recognition: clearing the custom list does not remove the standard language dictionary.
What changes after the custom list is cleared
Words that existed in the personal list are no longer available as custom entries for Microsoft’s typing and inking personalization. The deletion is targeted: Windows does not discard the standard dictionary that supplies ordinary language suggestions and handwriting recognition.
The custom list’s account association is important when more than one device is involved. If preference synchronization is enabled, the account can make dictionary-related preferences available on other devices. Clearing one device therefore should be considered together with the Windows backup settings and the other devices using the same account.
Clearing the list also does not automatically turn off optional diagnostic collection. If your privacy goal includes preventing future optional samples, change Improve inking and typing separately.
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- Return to Privacy & security > Inking & typing personalization and confirm that Custom inking and typing word list is off.
- If your build displayed Custom dictionary > Clear your custom dictionary, make sure you selected that command while on the page.
- Check Diagnostics & feedback separately if you intended to stop optional inking and typing samples; confirm that Improve inking and typing is off.
- Review Accounts > Windows backup > Remember my preferences if the same Microsoft account is used on multiple Windows devices.
- Test with a word that you had deliberately added as a personal term. A standard dictionary word may still be suggested because the standard dictionary was not removed.
The last check distinguishes a successful personal-list cleanup from a misunderstanding about the standard dictionary. A word continuing to appear is not, by itself, proof that the custom list survived.
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The Inking & typing personalization page is hard to find
Open Settings from Start and work through Privacy & security rather than looking under keyboard or language settings. The relevant page is named Inking & typing personalization. Feature updates may slightly alter capitalization or the arrangement of controls, but the distinctive terms “inking,” “typing” and “custom word list” identify the correct area.
There is no separate Clear your custom dictionary command
Not every Windows 11 build exposes the explicit command. Use the Custom inking and typing word list switch; Microsoft states that turning it off clears the custom word list. Do not substitute a language removal or keyboard reset, because those are broader changes and are not the documented personal-dictionary control.
The switch is off, but a word is still suggested
The personal list and the standard language dictionary are separate. Clearing the former does not remove the latter, so ordinary words and handwriting-recognition terms can remain available. Check whether the word was actually an unusual personal addition before treating the continuing suggestion as a failed deletion.
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I cleared the list but still want stronger privacy
Use Diagnostics & feedback > Improve inking and typing as a second step. Microsoft describes optional samples as potentially including typed or written content, manual changes and words added to the dictionary. The clear action handles stored custom entries; the diagnostics control handles optional samples collected for improvement.
The setting behaves differently on another device
Open Accounts > Windows backup on that device and inspect Remember my preferences. Synchronization depends on account and region conditions, and account-policy prompts can affect availability. A device that is not using the same account or is not synchronizing the relevant preference may not reflect the change made elsewhere.
A work or school account limits what I can change
Account policies can affect synchronization prompts and availability. Record which control is missing or unavailable, then check the Windows backup and privacy pages while signed into the intended account. If an organization manages the device, its policy may determine which account-level options are offered; do not assume that a missing synchronization option means the local clear command failed.
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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsA privacy-focused Windows 11 cleanup routine
For the narrowest change, clear only the custom list. This removes personal dictionary entries while leaving Windows’ standard language resources in place. For a broader privacy change, clear the list and disable optional inking-and-typing improvement samples. If several devices share the account, review Windows backup so the preference scope matches your intention.
Keeping the three scopes separate prevents accidental overreach: the custom-list switch changes stored personal words, the diagnostics switch changes optional future samples, and Windows backup controls whether relevant preferences can synchronize through the Microsoft account. Apply only the controls that correspond to the data you want removed or the collection you want stopped.
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