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Required diagnostic data is the baseline Windows sends to help Microsoft understand a device’s configuration, reliability, compatibility, and update readiness. Optional diagnostic data includes that baseline plus additional detail, such as app and feature usage, browsing activity in Microsoft browsers, and richer crash information. On a personal Windows 11 PC, you can review the setting at Start > Settings > Privacy & security > Diagnostics & feedback. Choosing required data does not mean Windows sends no other data, and it does not turn off every separate Windows service or feature.
What “required” and “optional” mean
Windows diagnostic data is information Microsoft says it uses to understand device configuration and performance, maintain security and updates, troubleshoot issues, and improve Windows. The two consumer-facing choices describe the breadth of diagnostic information sent; they are not a complete inventory of every data flow from Windows or other Microsoft services.
Required is the baseline level. It covers information about a device, its settings and capabilities, update readiness, compatibility, and health or reliability, along with basic error reporting. Microsoft uses these details to understand which configurations encounter problems and to help keep devices secure, current, and operating as expected. Microsoft publishes version-specific required event and field information for Windows 11 versions 25H2 and 24H2 in its required diagnostic events and fields reference.
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Optional includes required data and adds more diagnostic context. Depending on the category and collection, it can include additional device, connectivity, configuration, health, app and feature usage, and browsing history in Microsoft browsers. Enhanced error reporting can include crash-related memory state. In some crash circumstances, that information may unintentionally contain parts of content that was open; this is not a claim that every optional event contains personal content. Microsoft’s optional diagnostic data documentation describes the categories and examples.
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| Choice | What it covers | What it is for |
|---|---|---|
| Required | Baseline device, configuration, capability, compatibility, update-readiness, health and reliability information, plus basic error reporting | Understanding device configurations and supporting security, updates, reliability, and troubleshooting |
| Optional | Required data plus additional usage, health, device and connectivity detail, Microsoft-browser browsing history, and enhanced error context | Providing broader diagnostic context that may help identify and fix problems more quickly and improve Windows |
Microsoft does not publish a single percentage or volume that quantifies how much more data optional sends. The distinction is described through categories and event examples, and the specific items can change by Windows release. A setting labeled optional therefore should not be interpreted as a fixed, permanently identical package on every version of Windows.
What kinds of information are in required diagnostic data?
Required data is intended to answer basic operational questions: What hardware and software configuration is present? Is the device compatible with an update? Did a reliability or setup problem occur? Which Windows component reported an error? The documented categories include device characteristics, settings and capabilities, update and compatibility status, and health or reliability information.
Examples of useful context include information needed to distinguish one hardware configuration from another, identify whether a device meets an update prerequisite, or recognize that a particular Windows build and driver combination is failing. Basic error reporting gives Microsoft a way to see that a problem occurred and to correlate it with affected configurations. The published event-and-field reference for Windows 11 24H2 and 25H2 is version-specific; it is not a promise that every future release will use the same event list.
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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchRequired does not mean “nothing leaves the PC.” It means the minimum diagnostic level described by Microsoft for the Windows diagnostic system. It also does not mean that Microsoft receives a complete copy of the computer’s files, browsing activity, or every action a person takes. The category descriptions are the appropriate way to understand its scope, rather than assuming either extreme.
What additional information can optional diagnostics contain?
Optional diagnostics add context that is not needed for the baseline operation of Windows but can be useful when investigating difficult or uncommon problems. Microsoft’s categories describe additional device, connectivity, configuration, and health details, as well as information about app and feature usage. Optional data can also include browsing history in Microsoft browsers and enhanced error reports.
Enhanced crash reporting may include memory state associated with a failure. Memory can contain fragments of the document, message, web page, or other material that happened to be open when the crash occurred. This is a possibility in some crash circumstances, not a statement that every optional event contains readable personal content. Nor does it mean that all optional categories are collected from all devices. Microsoft describes sampling for some optional data, and collection items can change by release.
The practical difference is breadth and context. Required data can establish that a component failed on a certain configuration. Optional information may provide clues about what the user was doing, which feature was active, or what additional state surrounded the failure. That can make diagnosis and product improvement more effective, while also increasing the categories of information a privacy-conscious user may prefer not to share.
Does required data include files or personal content?
The documented required-data description centers on device and configuration information, reliability, compatibility, updates, and basic error reporting. It is not a guarantee that every diagnostic field is devoid of personal information. The more specific content-related caution applies to enhanced optional crash reporting: crash-related memory information can sometimes capture parts of a file or other content that was open when the crash occurred.
That possibility should be understood as a risk associated with some crash circumstances, not as evidence that Windows routinely sends the contents of every file. Microsoft’s descriptions explain categories and examples; they do not establish that every optional event contains content, or that the same information is collected from every device.
If a computer handles confidential documents, customer records, health information, or regulated material, treat optional crash context as a factor in the organization’s privacy assessment. A person can choose required-only on a personally managed device, but a business or school may set a policy that determines the available level. Local settings should not be treated as a substitute for an organization’s data-classification and incident-response rules.
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What changes when you choose required only?
Microsoft says a Windows device remains just as secure and operates normally when it sends only required diagnostic data. Optional data is therefore additional diagnostic context, not a prerequisite for ordinary operation or security. It may help Microsoft identify and fix some problems more quickly, but selecting required does not itself mean Windows updates, basic device operation, or security protections stop working.
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How to review or change the setting in Windows 11
On a personally managed Windows 11 device, use Settings to inspect the current diagnostic-data choice. The wording or available controls can depend on the Windows release and whether an organization manages the device.
- Open Start > Settings.
- Select Privacy & security > Diagnostics & feedback.
- Review the Diagnostic data choices and select the level you want, if the control is available. Selecting optional includes required data; turning optional off leaves the required baseline.
- On the same page, review the options for Diagnostic Data Viewer and diagnostic-data deletion if you want to inspect data or use the deletion control.
Look carefully at the wording on the page. A control can be unavailable because the device is managed, because an edition does not expose the same options, or because Microsoft changed the interface in a later release. Do not assume that a missing toggle means diagnostics are disabled; it may mean a policy is enforcing the level.
Windows 10 used Settings > Privacy > Diagnostics & feedback, but the available controls depend on the release and servicing status. Windows 10 support ended on October 14, 2025, so the Windows 11 path is the relevant walkthrough for a current consumer device. Older screenshots and instructions may use different labels and should be checked against the version actually installed.
How to inspect diagnostic data
Windows includes Diagnostic Data Viewer. On Windows 11, open Start > Settings > Privacy & security > Diagnostics & feedback, enable or open Diagnostic Data Viewer from that page, and review the entries available while the viewer is running. The viewer can help you inspect diagnostic data on the device; Microsoft explains its purpose in the Windows Privacy Compliance Guide.
There are two important limits to what this inspection tells you:
- It is not a history browser. Microsoft Support states, “The Diagnostic Data Viewer does not allow you to view your diagnostic data history.” It displays data available while it is running, not a permanent record of everything previously sent.
- Some optional data is sampled. Microsoft may collect some optional diagnostic data from a sample of devices rather than every device. The viewer may indicate that the device is in a sample and identify sampled data being collected. Seeing a category—or not seeing one—does not establish a complete server-side record.
Use the viewer as an inspection aid when checking the kinds of events exposed on the PC, not as a guarantee that you can see an exhaustive server-side copy. It also cannot establish that a category never existed simply because it was not visible during the time the viewer was open.
What deleting diagnostic data does—and does not do
The Diagnostics & feedback page provides a control to delete diagnostic data. Microsoft cautions that using it does not delete data associated with a Microsoft account and does not stop future diagnostic data from being sent. An organization may also hold a copy. Treat the control as a deletion action with a limited scope, not as a promise that every copy everywhere is erased or that collection is permanently disabled.
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Deletion and collection are separate actions. If you want less optional data going forward, change the diagnostic-data level where the control is available. If you want to remove a local or account-associated record, read the description beside the deletion control and any Microsoft account instructions; do not infer that one button covers every storage location.
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Why the setting may be unavailable
If Windows says a setting is hidden or managed by your organization, a work or school administrator may have set the diagnostic-data policy. In that case, the choice may be unavailable or fixed by policy; changing the local Settings control may not be possible. Contact your IT administrator rather than trying to bypass the management setting.
Microsoft documents organizational controls through Group Policy and mobile device management (MDM). The applicable policies and user-visible controls differ by Windows version and edition. Administrators can consult Microsoft’s guide to configuring Windows diagnostic data in an organization and the System Policy CSP reference.
Policy management can also explain why two otherwise similar PCs show different choices. A company may select a diagnostic level centrally, hide user controls, or apply settings only to certain enrolled devices. A school-owned computer can remain subject to those rules even when a student or employee signs in with a personal account.
What this choice does not control
Required versus optional diagnostic data does not describe every kind of information Windows or its services may process. Required service data has a separate scope, and other Windows features may have their own settings and purposes. Organizational enrollment can also affect how diagnostic data is managed or processed. To understand a specific feature, check its own privacy settings and documentation rather than assuming the diagnostic-data selection covers it.
For example, a diagnostic-data selection is not a master switch for activity history, personalized offers, account synchronization, cloud services, or application-specific telemetry. Those features may have separate controls, retention terms, and administrative policies. The safest interpretation is narrow: this setting governs the Windows diagnostic-data level described on the Diagnostics & feedback page.
Choosing between the two levels
Choose required if you want the narrower diagnostic option
Required keeps the baseline Microsoft describes for device configuration, health, reliability, compatibility, updates, and basic error reporting. It is the appropriate choice if you prefer not to send the additional usage and enhanced error detail included in optional diagnostics, while recognizing that this setting does not disable unrelated Windows data flows.
This choice can suit a personal PC used for ordinary work, browsing, and communication when the owner wants the minimum Windows diagnostic level. It can also be a sensible default for devices that handle sensitive material, subject to any employer or school policy. Keep expectations realistic: required still supports Microsoft’s stated operational and security purposes, and it is not equivalent to an offline or zero-telemetry configuration.
Choose optional if you accept broader diagnostic context
Optional adds information that may help Microsoft understand app and feature use, device health, and more detailed error circumstances. That extra context can help with diagnosis and product improvement, but it may include sensitive crash-related memory information in some circumstances. Optional collection is not necessarily uniform across devices or events.
Optional may be useful when troubleshooting an unusual failure and when the owner is comfortable sharing the additional categories. It is not a guarantee of a faster fix, because Microsoft samples some optional data and because a particular problem may not generate a useful event. It is also not a requirement for receiving security updates or keeping Windows operating normally.
There is no documented universal data-volume figure that makes the choice for you. The practical decision is whether the potential value of richer diagnosis is worth the additional categories of information described above. Revisit the setting after a major Windows upgrade, a change in device ownership, or a change in organizational policy because both the available controls and the documented event categories can change by release.
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Common mistakes to avoid
- Calling required “no data.” Required is a baseline diagnostic level, not a promise that Windows sends nothing.
- Assuming optional is mandatory for security. Microsoft says normal operation and security continue with required-only diagnostics.
- Promising that optional never contains content. Enhanced crash memory can sometimes include parts of open content.
- Treating the viewer as a complete audit log. It shows data available while running and not diagnostic history.
- Assuming every optional event is collected. Microsoft describes sampling and release-dependent event lists.
- Expecting deletion to erase every copy. Account-associated data and organizational copies are outside the local deletion action described by Microsoft.
- Ignoring management policy. A work or school administrator may hide or fix the control.
Bottom line
Required diagnostic data is Microsoft’s baseline for understanding Windows devices, configurations, compatibility, reliability, updates, and basic errors. Optional diagnostic data includes that baseline and adds broader usage, health, connectivity, Microsoft-browser browsing, and enhanced crash context. Required-only keeps Windows secure and operating normally, but it does not switch off every separate service or data flow. Use the Windows 11 Diagnostics & feedback page to choose the level available to you, treat Diagnostic Data Viewer as a real-time inspection tool rather than a history log, and remember that organizational policy and Windows version can change what you see.
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What is the difference between required and optional Windows diagnostic data?
Required is the baseline information about device configuration, capabilities, compatibility, update readiness, health, reliability, and basic errors. Optional includes required data plus additional usage, health, connectivity, Microsoft-browser browsing, and enhanced error context.
How do I turn off optional diagnostic data in Windows 11?
On a personal Windows 11 device, go to Start > Settings > Privacy & security > Diagnostics & feedback and select the required diagnostic-data level if the control is available. A work or school policy may control the setting.
Does required-only diagnostic data reduce Windows security or stop updates?
No. Microsoft states that the device remains just as secure and operates normally when it sends only required diagnostic data. Optional data can provide additional troubleshooting context but is not a security prerequisite.
Can optional crash data contain parts of my files?
In some crash circumstances, enhanced error reporting can include crash-related memory state that may contain parts of content open at the time. This does not mean every optional event contains personal content.
Can I see everything Windows has sent?
No. Diagnostic Data Viewer shows data available while it is running and does not provide diagnostic-data history. Some optional data is sampled, so the viewer is not an exhaustive server-side audit.
What happens when I delete diagnostic data in Settings?
The deletion control has limited scope. Microsoft says it does not delete data associated with a Microsoft account, does not stop future sending, and may not remove a copy held by an organization.
Why is my diagnostic-data setting locked?
A work or school administrator may enforce the level through Group Policy or mobile device management. Contact the IT administrator; the local Settings page may not be able to override the policy.
Does required versus optional control all Windows privacy settings?
No. Required service data and features such as activity history or personalized offers have separate scopes and controls. Check the privacy documentation for the specific feature or service.
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Required is the minimum Windows diagnostic level for device, configuration, compatibility, reliability, update, health, and basic error information. Optional adds usage details and richer health and crash context, with possible sensitive memory content in some crashes. Required-only does not weaken security or normal operation, but it also does not disable every Windows service or data flow. Check Settings > Privacy & security > Diagnostics & feedback, and remember that version and organizational policy determine the controls available.
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