Did you know your Windows PC is logging every action you take and storing it in a database called “Activity History”?
Every website you visit, every app you use, every game you play, every file you open…all of that data is collected and stored on your PC, and then sent to Microsoft for them to use for various purposes.
If this collection, transmission and usage of your detailed computing activities makes you a bit squeamish, you’re certainly not alone. I’m right there with you.
Luckily, it’s very easy to turn “Activity History” off to prevent your PC from collecting that info in the first place.
And once you’ve put a stop to that data collection activity, you can optionally delete the data that has already been collected and stored.
The short video below shows how to disable “Activity History” on your Windows 10 or Windows 11 PC and delete the info that has already been collected and stored.
Note: You can watch this video at full screen by clicking the little “square” icon in the lower-right corner of the video after it begins playing.
If you prefer following written instructions, just follow the steps below for your Windows version.
Windows 11:
1 – Right-click on the Start button and select Settings from the menu.
2 – In the left-hand pane, click Privacy & security.
3 – In the right-hand pane, scroll down to the “Windows permissions” section and click Activity history.
4 – Toggle the “Store my activity history on this device” setting to Off.
5 – Now click the Clear history button to delete the activity info that has already been collected and stored.
Windows 10:
1 – Right-click on the Start button and select Settings from the menu. You should now see the Settings dialog on the screen.
2 – Scroll down and click Privacy.
3 – Click Activity history.
4 – Uncheck the two boxes you see to disable Activity History.
5 – Toggle the “Show activities from these accounts” setting to Off.
6 – Click the Clear button to delete the activity info that has already been collected and stored.
That’s all there is to it. All the detailed activity info that has already been collected and stored has now been removed and Windows will no longer collect activity info in the future.