Windows 11 Telemetry & Privacy Settings
Windows 11 sends required diagnostic data to Microsoft and can also send optional diagnostic data depending on your settings. Privacy cleanup is safer when you distinguish those settings from unrelated security, update, or reliability services.
Start with Diagnostics & feedback
Windows exposes diagnostic controls under Settings > Privacy & security > Diagnostics & feedback. Microsoft distinguishes required diagnostic data from optional diagnostic data, with optional data including more detailed app-usage, performance, and device information.
Microsoft: Windows diagnostic data
Advertising ID and tailored experiences
Advertising ID and tailored experiences are separate privacy choices. Disabling them can reduce personalization and certain recommendations without pretending that every Windows data flow has been eliminated.
App permissions are another layer
Camera, microphone, location, contacts, calendar, and other capabilities can often be controlled per app. Traditional desktop applications do not always behave exactly like Store apps, so review which type of software you are changing.
Use the Diagnostic Data Viewer if you want evidence
Microsoft provides a Diagnostic Data Viewer that lets you inspect Windows diagnostic events sent from the device. It is a better way to understand what Windows is reporting than relying on broad “telemetry” claims from random scripts.
Microsoft: Diagnostic Data Viewer
Where Khuna's cleanup tool fits
Khuna's Windows Cleanup Tool groups privacy-related options with visible labels and keeps higher-risk system changes separate from ordinary privacy cleanup. That makes it easier to review advertising, suggestions, app privacy, AI-related surfaces, and other settings without treating every background component as something to remove.