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On Windows 11, open Settings > Privacy & security > Diagnostics & feedback. Under Diagnostic data, choose Required to send the minimum category or Optional to add activity, browser, health, and enhanced error details. Optional always includes Required. The same page lets you inspect currently available events, delete device diagnostic data, and review separate personalization and feedback controls. Windows 10 uses Settings > Privacy > Diagnostics & feedback; treat that path as legacy because Windows 10 support ended on October 14, 2025.
How do I see what data Windows sends to Microsoft?
Windows exposes a live inspection tool called Diagnostic Data Viewer. It is useful for seeing events that are available while the viewer is running, but it is not a historical archive of everything your computer has ever transmitted.
Windows 11: open Diagnostics & feedback
- Open Settings.
- Select Privacy & security.
- Open Diagnostics & feedback.
- Expand or review View diagnostic data.
- Turn on the viewer switch, then select Open Diagnostic Data Viewer.
The viewer displays diagnostic events that are available during its operation. Microsoft says it does not provide diagnostic-data history. Some Optional events are sampled, so not every Optional data type necessarily applies to every device. The viewer can indicate whether a device is included in a sample and what data is being collected from it.
If the diagnostic-data selector, viewer switch, or deletion control is unavailable, look for a notice such as Some settings are hidden or managed by your organization. A workplace, school, or other organization may be enforcing the setting through policy. On a managed device, contact the IT administrator rather than assuming a local Windows switch can override that policy.
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Windows 10: the legacy path
In Windows 10, go to Settings > Privacy > Diagnostics & feedback. That page contains the corresponding diagnostic-data choice, viewer, deletion, typing and inking, and feedback controls. Labels and available choices can vary by edition, update, and enrollment policy.
Microsoft states that Windows 10 support ended on October 14, 2025. If you still use Windows 10, check the support and update status for your specific edition and organization before relying on these controls. The path above remains the documented route where the page is present, but it should not be read as a promise of continued security updates for every Windows 10 installation.
What is the difference between Required and Optional diagnostic data?
Required is the minimum diagnostic category. Microsoft describes it as information needed to help keep Windows reliable, secure, and operating normally. It concerns the device, its settings and capabilities, and whether the operating system is functioning properly.
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Optional adds detail beyond that minimum. Choosing Optional does not replace Required; it sends Required data as well. The exact inventory can change with Windows versions and updates, and Microsoft’s published lists should be treated as version-dependent rather than permanent field-by-field contracts.
| Setting | Collection scope | Examples Microsoft describes | Crash-data sensitivity | What selecting it means |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Required | Minimum device, configuration, capability, and operating-condition information | Device attributes; battery, network, processor, memory, and system attributes; update and app compatibility; crash or hang counts; performance context | Crash metadata and context are included, but not the same Optional crash-memory detail | Windows continues sending this minimum category |
| Optional | Additional device, configuration, health, activity, browser, and error information | Device-health detail; programs launched and how long they run; Microsoft Edge or Internet Explorer browsing history and search terms; enhanced error reporting | Crash information can include device memory at the time of a crash and may unintentionally contain part of a file or webpage | Required data is included automatically, plus the additional Optional categories that apply |
What Required data is intended to support
Required data gives Microsoft operational context: what hardware and software capabilities exist, whether updates are compatible, and whether Windows components are crashing, hanging, or performing poorly. Microsoft’s organization guidance describes examples such as battery, network, processor, memory, and other system attributes, together with compatibility and reliability information.
Required does not mean that no information leaves the device. It means the minimum diagnostic category Microsoft documents for maintaining normal operation, security, compatibility, and reliability.
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What Optional data can add
Optional data can include more detailed device-health and configuration information, activity such as which programs are launched and how long they run, and Microsoft browser browsing history and search terms. It can also enable enhanced error reporting.
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Sampling means the viewer will not show every possible Optional event
Microsoft says some Optional data types are sampled. Your device may therefore send only the sampled categories that apply to it, and the Diagnostic Data Viewer may show whether the device is in a sample. Seeing no event for a particular category is not proof that the category is universally disabled, nor does the viewer represent a complete historical transmission log.
How do I turn off optional diagnostic data in Windows 11?
- Open Settings.
- Choose Privacy & security.
- Select Diagnostics & feedback.
- Under Diagnostic data, select the option labeled Required or the equivalent minimum-data choice shown on your build.
- Leave Optional data unselected, then review the neighboring controls on the same page.
Microsoft’s labels can differ by Windows edition, update, and management policy. Use the option that the page identifies as the minimum or Required level. On Windows 11, Microsoft says the older Enhanced category is not available; do not look for it as a third choice.
Check the controls next to the selector
Turning off Optional diagnostic data does not automatically change every privacy setting on the page. Review each of these separately:
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- Delete diagnostic data: removes device-associated diagnostic data within the scope Microsoft describes below.
- Tailored experiences (called Personalized offers on newer Windows versions): controls Microsoft’s use of diagnostic data for personalized tips, ads, and recommendations as defined by that setting.
- Improve inking & typing: is a separate control for handwriting and typing-related improvement data.
- Feedback frequency: determines how often Windows asks for feedback; it is not the Required/Optional diagnostic-data switch.
Other Windows, Microsoft app, browser, and activity-history settings can exist elsewhere. The diagnostic-data selector is not a universal “nothing leaves my PC” switch.
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If the Required choice is missing or locked
An unavailable choice commonly indicates organization management, an edition limitation, or a policy applied through Group Policy or mobile-device management. Do not use a registry edit, firewall block, or endpoint workaround as though it were equivalent to the supported policy. On a managed computer, ask the administrator which category the organization permits and why the local control is locked.
Does turning off optional diagnostic data affect Windows security?
Microsoft’s Windows diagnostics and privacy guidance states: Regardless of whether you choose to send Optional diagnostic data, your device will be just as secure and will operate normally.
In practical terms, selecting Required keeps the minimum diagnostic category while declining the additional Optional categories; it does not turn off Windows security features or stop Required data.
That assurance applies to the diagnostic-data choice itself. It does not mean every other privacy control is disabled, and it does not guarantee that third-party applications or separate Microsoft applications use identical settings. Those products can have their own diagnostic controls.
Can I delete diagnostic data Windows already sent?
Use Settings > Privacy & security > Diagnostics & feedback on Windows 11, or Settings > Privacy > Diagnostics & feedback on Windows 10, and select Delete diagnostic data when the control is available.
Microsoft defines this action narrowly. It deletes diagnostic data associated with the device; it does not delete diagnostic data associated with your Microsoft account, and it does not stop new diagnostic data from being sent. After deletion, future Required data (or Optional data, if you later enable it) can still be collected.
Use the Microsoft Privacy dashboard for account-associated data
For additional diagnostic information associated with a Microsoft account, Microsoft points to the Microsoft Privacy dashboard. The dashboard is a separate route from the device-level Delete diagnostic data button, so clearing the Windows control should not be treated as a complete account-data deletion.
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Managed services may retain their own copy
If an organization uses services that rely on Windows diagnostic data, it may retain a copy under its own administrative arrangements. Deleting device-associated data from Settings does not promise removal from an organization’s systems or records.
What Windows diagnostic data controls do not cover
Third-party and separate Microsoft applications
Microsoft’s organization guidance says Windows diagnostic-data settings apply to Windows components. Third-party applications and other Microsoft applications can provide separate diagnostic controls. For example, an application may have its own telemetry, crash-reporting, or usage setting outside the Windows Diagnostics & feedback page.
To reduce collection comprehensively, review privacy and diagnostics settings inside the individual applications you use, as well as browser controls and account-level settings. Do not infer from a Required selection that every application on the computer follows the same policy.
Windows activity and browsing-history controls
Windows offers additional controls for app activity and browsing history outside the diagnostic-data selector. Optional diagnostic data can include Microsoft browser history and search terms as described by Microsoft, but changing the diagnostic selector is not the same as clearing browser history or disabling every activity-history feature.
Windows 11 and Windows 10 differences to keep in mind
| Question | Windows 11 | Windows 10 |
|---|---|---|
| Settings path | Settings > Privacy & security > Diagnostics & feedback | Settings > Privacy > Diagnostics & feedback |
| Minimum category | Required (exact wording can vary by build, edition, and policy) | Corresponding minimum diagnostic-data choice; labels can vary |
| Enhanced category | Microsoft says the old Enhanced category is not available | Do not assume older category names map directly to current Windows 11 choices |
| Support status | Current support depends on the specific release and edition | Microsoft says Windows 10 support ended October 14, 2025 |
| Organization controls | Can be governed by edition, Group Policy, or MDM | Can be governed by edition, Group Policy, or MDM |
Microsoft’s organization procedures list Windows 11 Enterprise, Education, and Professional; Windows 10 Enterprise, Education, and Professional; and Windows Server as applicable environments. A Home installation, a managed business build, and a server deployment can therefore expose different choices.
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A practical privacy review checklist
- Confirm the Windows version and edition before following the path.
- Open Diagnostics & feedback and identify which diagnostic-data options are actually available.
- Select Required if you want the minimum category; remember that Required remains included when Optional is selected.
- Turn on View diagnostic data only when you want to inspect live events, and interpret the viewer as a nonhistorical, sampled window.
- Review Tailored experiences or Personalized offers, Improve inking & typing, and Feedback frequency independently.
- Use Delete diagnostic data for the device-level deletion scope, then use the Microsoft Privacy dashboard for account-associated data.
- Review separate controls in browsers, third-party applications, and other Microsoft applications.
- If a setting says it is managed by your organization, contact IT instead of attempting to override policy locally.
Common mistakes and how to avoid them
Mistake: treating Optional as an alternative to Required
Optional is additive. Selecting it includes Required data and adds the Optional categories that apply. If your goal is the minimum category, choose Required.
Mistake: assuming the viewer is a transmission history
The Diagnostic Data Viewer shows available events while it is running. Microsoft says it does not display history, and sampling means it will not necessarily show every possible Optional event.
Mistake: assuming deletion stops collection
Delete diagnostic data removes device-associated data within Microsoft’s stated scope; it neither deletes account-associated data nor stops new data from being sent. Use the Privacy dashboard for the account portion and change the diagnostic-data choice separately.
Mistake: assuming Required means no crash information
Required data can include crash and reliability context. Optional can add crash-memory detail that may unintentionally contain part of a file or webpage. The distinction is the amount and sensitivity of crash information, not an absolute presence-versus-absence of crash reporting.
Mistake: assuming the Windows switch governs every app
Windows components, Microsoft applications, browsers, and third-party applications can expose different diagnostics controls. Check each relevant product when you need a broader privacy review.
Mistake: trying to override an organization policy
A managed-device notice means policy may be controlling the setting. Group Policy and MDM can configure diagnostic-data collection, and the available options depend on Windows version and edition. Ask the administrator for the organization’s policy rather than promising that a consumer setting will prevail.
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