Github windows 10 privacy
Windows 10 Privacy Guide — 1903 Update
Important: Maintainer needed!
I am switching to Linux as my main OS and 1903 will be the last update for this guide from me. Want to pick up the project?
Windows 10 has raised several concerns about privacy due to the fact that it has a lot of telemetry and online features. In response to these concerns, Microsoft released a document explaining exactly what data they collect, and now Windows 10 even has a Diagnostic Data Viewer. Most of it seems pretty legit stuff when telemetry is set to basic, but still, if you don’t trust them, here’s how to prevent Windows 10 from sending your data to Microsoft.
Last update: July 5, 2019
Important: This procedure cannot be reverted without reinstalling Windows. Do not follow this guide if:
- You are not an experienced user
- You need to use a Microsoft Account for any reason (outside of your web browser)
- You need to download anything from the Windows Store (including distros for the Linux subsystem if you want to use it)
- You need to add/remove user accounts to your PC (new accounts will not work properly)
You’re doing this at your own risk, I am not responsible for any data loss or damage that may occur.
Do not use the default settings
At the end of the setup process, create a local account, don’t use Cortana and turn off everything in the privacy settings. 
If you already installed Windows with the default settings, go to Start > Settings > Privacy to turn them off. You should also go to Account and disconnect your Microsoft account because this guide will prevent it from working properly.
Let it download all the updates
Once you get to the desktop, go to Settings > Updates and security, and let it download all the updates. Reboot and repeat until no more updates are available.
This is important because Windows Update may interfere with our activities. 
Now open the Store app, and let it download updates too.
Again, this is important because updates would interfere with our activities.
This may take some time. 
Make sure you check for updates several times, because we absolutely don’t want it to download stuff while we’re removing it.
Now that the system is fully updated, make sure Windows is activated with your license (or KMSPico).
Remove everything you can
Open the start menu and remove all the applications. Some of them, such as Microsoft Edge, will not have an uninstall option; we’ll remove them later.
What’s important now is to remove all the OEM software and the shitty games like Candy Crush and Minecraft.
If you used previous versions of Windows 10, you’ll notice that this time we can remove more stuff, like Paint 3D, without resorting to tricks.
- You will need Install_Wim_Tweak. Download this archive, extract it to your Desktop, then move it to C:\Windows\System32
This is a very handy tool that allows us to remove Windows components with a single command. You can delete it from System32 when you’re finished with this guide. - We need a command prompt, so click start, type cmd and run it as administrator
- We will also need PowerShell, so click start, type PowerShell and run it as administrator
Removing Windows Defender
In the command prompt, type the following commands:
This will take 1-2 minutes.
Unfortunately, since June 2018, the Windows Security icon in the Start menu can no longer be removed without breaking the system.
If Windows complains about the system being unprotected, right click the notification and hide it. 
We will now remove almost all UWP features in Windows. The only UWP app you’ll have left will be the settings app.
If you manually install UWP apps later (like cracked UWP games) they may not work properly.
Note: if some of the apps reappear after a few minutes, it’s because you didn’t wait for the updates to finish. You can simply remove them again using the same commands.
In the PowerShell, type:
You can ignore any error that pops up.
In the command prompt, type:
In the PowerShell, type:
Alternatives: MPC-HC, VLC, MPV
In the PowerShell, type:
You can ignore any error that pops up.
In the command prompt, type:
Additionally, go to Start > Settings > Gaming and turn off everything.
In the PowerShell, type:
Alternatives: Notebot
In the PowerShell, type:
In the command prompt, type:
In the PowerShell, type:
You can ignore any error that pops up.
In the PowerShell, type:
You can ignore any error that pops up.
Alternatives: Thunderbird
In the PowerShell, type:
In the PowerShell, type:
Alternatives: JPEGView, or the old Windows Photo Viewer
In the PowerShell, type:
Ignore any error that pops up
In the PowerShell, type:
In the PowerShell, type:
Alternatives: SpeedCrunch
In the PowerShell, type:
Alternatives: Audacity
Since May 2019, Edge can no longer be fully removed without breaking Windows Update. We can neutralize it, but the icon will still be there in the start menu.
Right click the Edge icon on your taskbar and unpin it.
In the PowerShell, type:
Contact Support, Get Help
In the command prompt, type:
In the PowerShell, type:
Additionally, Go to Start > Settings > Apps > Manage optional features, and remove Contact Support (if present).
Microsoft Quick Assist
In the PowerShell, type:
In the command prompt, type:
In the PowerShell, type:
In the PowerShell, type:
In the command prompt, type:
Edit with 3D Paint / 3D Print
It is now possible to remove 3D Paint and 3D Print, but they forgot to remove the option in the context menu when you remove them. To remove it, run this in the command prompt:
In the PowerShell, type:
Reboot the system and you’re now free of UWP garbage.
With the Anniversary Update, Microsoft hid the option to disable Cortana.
Warning: Do not attempt to remove the Cortana package using install_wim_tweak or the PowerShell, as it will break Windows Search and you will have to reinstall Windows!
Open our command prompt again and use this command:
Reboot again and Cortana is gone. The icon is still there, but it will open the regular search instead.
Open the command prompt again.
Turn off Windows Error reporting
In the command prompt, type:
We will remove the service later, but in case an update reinstalls it, this will at least keep it turned off.
No more forced updates
This will notify when updates are available, and you decide when to install them.
In the command prompt, type:
No license checking
By default, Windows will check your license every time you turn on your PC, this will prevent it.
In the command prompt, type:
It doesn’t really affect you if you’re not using a Microsoft Account, but it will at least disable the Sync settings from the Settings app.
In the command prompt, type:
In the command prompt, type:
Removing Telemetry and other unnecessary services
In the command prompt type the following commands:
Press Win+R, type regedit, press enter, and navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services.
Here we need to locate the following keys:
These keys have messed up permissions. To delete them, we must fix them, here’s a video showing how to do it: 
Right click the key and select Permissions, then click Advanced, change the Owner to your username, check «Replace owner on subcontainers and objects» and «Replace all child object permission entries with inheritable permission entries from this object», if inheritance is enabled, disable it and convert to explicit permissions, apply, remove all the permission entries and add one for your username with Full control, confirm everything and delete the key.
Repeat for the 3 keys and you’re done.
Windows 10 has a huge amount of scheduled tasks that may report some data. Type these commands in the command prompt to remove them:
Some of these may not exist, it’s fine.
We must disable Windows Spotlight, and other «Suggestions» (literal ads).
Go to Start > Settings > Personalization > Lock screen:
- Set the background to Picture
- Set «Get fun facts, tips, tricks and more on your lock screen» to off
Go to Personalization > Start:
- Set Show suggestions occasionally in Start to off (They’re literally ads)
Go back to Settings and go to System > Notifications and actions:
- Set «Get tips, tricks, and suggestions as you use Windows» to off
- Set «Show me the Windows welcome. » to off
Go to System > Multitasking:
- Set «Show suggestions occasionally in your timeline» to off
Go back to Settings and go to Privacy:
- Under General, turn off everything
- Under Activity history, turn off everything
- Under Speech, turn off everything
- Under Inking, turn off everything
- Under App diagnostics, set Let apps access diagnostic information to off
Go back to Settings and go to Search:
- Under Permissions & History, turn off everything
Later on, you might get a «Suggestions» notification. Right click it and turn it off.
For some applications (such as the settings app), the only way to prevent them from reporting data is to block them with a firewall. This is why you should use a firewall to block all traffic except the applications you explicitly allow, like your web browser. Personally, I allow Windows Update, Network discovery and sharing, DHCP, DNS, my web browser and nothing more.
SimpleWall is the new recommended firewall for this guide. If you used TinyWall before, it no longer works on 1903, so uninstall it.
SimpleWall can block/unblock individual executables, UWP apps, and services, as well as filter by address, port and protocol.
Unlike TinyWall unfortunately, it doesn’t have an autolearn mode, but it has a very useful notification that pops up when an application is blocked, so you can decide if you want to block it or allow it permanently. This is very useful when installing new software. Get used to seeing a lot of these in the first hours.
My recommended configuration for SimpleWall is this:
- Under Settings > Mode, use Whitelist. This will block all traffic that you don’t explicitly allow
- Under Settings > Settings > General, enable «Load on system startup», «Start minimized», and «Skip User Account Control prompt»
- Under Settings > Settings > Rules, select «Enable boot-time filters»
- Under Settings > Settings > Rules > System Rules, allow smb (inbound and outbound), if you plan to use network file sharing, and also Windows Update
- Under File > Import, you can load my preset: download. It blocks some Windows features that aren’t already blocked by the guide, and allows all apps to access the local network but not the Internet.
- Click on Enable filtering, then select Whitelist
Feel free to experiment with SimpleWall, it is a very powerful tool.
The only disadvantage at the moment is that it blocks Windows Update even if you explicitly allow it. The developer is aware of this issue and it will probably be fixed in later releases. A temporary workaround is available here.
Congratulations! Your copy of Windows is now Debotnetted!
Things will change in the future, and I’ll do what I can to keep this guide updated. As of May 2018, this guide works on Windows 10 Pro.
Can Windows revert these changes?
When a major update is installed, almost all changes will be reverted and you’ll have to repeat this procedure. Major updates come out about twice a year.
Github windows 10 privacy
Debloat Windows 10
Important: There seems to be an issue where sound, brightness settings, and network get disabled. Please take extra caution and have a look at the corresponding issue.
This project collects PowerShell scripts which help to debloat Windows 10, tweak common settings and install basic software components.
I test these scripts on a Windows 10 Professional 64-Bit (English) virtual machine. Please let me know if you encounter any issues. Home Edition and different languages are not supported. These scripts are intended for tech-savvy administrators, who know what they are doing and just want to automate this phase of their setup. If this profile does not fit you, I recommend using a different (more interactive) tool — and there are a lot of them out there.
Also, note that gaming-related apps and services will be removed/disabled. If you intend to use your system for gaming, adjust the scripts accordingly.
There is no undo, I recommend only using these scripts on a fresh installation (including Windows Updates). Test everything after running them before doing anything else. Also, there is no guarantee that everything will work after future updates since I cannot predict what Microsoft will do next.
The scripts are designed to run without any user interaction. Modify them beforehand. If you want a more interactive approach check out DisableWinTracking from 10se1ucgo.
Download Latest Version
Code located in the master branch is always considered under development, but you’ll probably want the most recent version anyway.
Enable execution of PowerShell scripts:
Unblock PowerShell scripts and modules within this directory:
Scripts can be run individually, pick what you need.
- Install all available updates for your system.
- Edit the scripts to fit your need.
- Run the scripts you want to apply from a PowerShell with administrator privileges (Explorer Files > Open Windows PowerShell > Open Windows PowerShell as administrator )
- PS > Restart-Computer
- Run disable-windows-defender.ps1 one more time if you ran it in step 3
- PS > Restart-Computer
In the past I included small fixes to make the start menu more usable, like removing default tiles, disabling web search and so on. This is no longer the case since I am fed up with it. This fucking menu breaks for apparently no reason, is slow, is a pain to configure / script and even shows ads out of the box!
Please replace it with something better, either use Open Shell or Start is Back, but stop using that shit.
After running the scripts, the start menu search-box may no longer work on newly created accounts. It seems like there is an issue with account initialization that is triggered when disabling the GeoLocation service. Following workaround has been discovered by BK from Atlanta:
- Delete registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\lfsvc\TriggerInfo\3
- Re-enable GeoLocation service (set startup type to Automatic )
- Reboot
- Login with the account having the stated issue
- Start Cortana and set your preferences accordingly (web search and whatnot)
You may now disable the GeoLocation service again, the search box should remain functional.
If you are deploying images with MDT and running these scripts, the sysprep step will hang unless dmwappushservice is active.
Xbox Wireless Adapter
Apparently running the stock remove-default-apps script will cause Xbox Wireless Adapters to stop functioning. I suspect one should not remove the Xbox App when wanting to use one. But I haven’t confirmed this yet, and there is a workaround to re-enable it afterwards. See #78.
Some of the domains blocked by adding them to the hosts-file are required for Skype. I highly discourage using Skype, however some people may not have the option to use an alternative. See the #79.
Fingerprint Reader / Facial Detection not Working
Ensure Windows Biometric Service is running. See #189.
All scripts are provided as-is and you use them at your own risk.
I would be happy to extend the collection of scripts. Just open an issue or send me a pull request.