Wherever you go, Windows 10 knows you're there. Then go to the 'See ads that interest you' section at the top of the page and move the slider from On to Off. Sign into your Microsoft account at the top right of the page. To make absolutely sure you're not tracked online when you use Windows 10, and to turn off any other ways Microsoft will use information about you to target ads, head to the Ad Settings section of Microsoft's Privacy Dashboard. You'll still get ads, but they'll be generic ones. You can turn off Windows 10's advertising ID if you want. You'll still get ads delivered to you, but they'll be generic ones rather than targeted ones, and your interests won't be tracked.

There you'll see a list of choices under the title 'Change privacy options' the first controls the advertising ID. Launch the Windows 10 Settings app (by clicking on the Start button at the lower left corner of your screen and then clicking the Settings icon, which looks like a gear) and go to Privacy > General.

You can turn that advertising ID off if you want.

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The ID doesn't just gather information about you when you browse the web, but also when you use Windows 10 apps. Windows 10 does this with the use of an advertising ID. That information creates a profile of a person's interests that is used by a variety of companies to target ads. Turn off ad trackingĪt the top of many people's privacy concerns is what data is being gathered about them as they browse the web. If you have an earlier release of Windows 10, some things may be different. Note: This story has been updated for the Windows Update, version 21H1. Here's how to protect your privacy in just a few minutes. Whether you think Microsoft's operating system crosses the privacy line or just want to make sure you protect as much of your personal life as possible, we're here to help. There has been some concern that Windows 10 gathers too much private information from users.

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