At times, apps gather usage data anonymously from your system. However, if you do not want that to happen, you can turn off Application Telemetry in Windows 11/10, using the Local Group Policy Editor and Registry Editor.
What is Microsoft application telemetry?
According to the official statement, Microsoft “Application Telemetry is a mechanism that tracks anonymous usage of specific Windows system components by applications.” In simple terms, when you install an app, it begins gathering usage data (such as how long you use it, any errors you encounter, and how you interact with the app) anonymously. At times, it may send such data to the app developer so that they can improve the performance of the app.
This setting works only when the Experience Improvement Program is turned on. If it is turned off, Application Telemetry won’t overwrite that setting.
How to turn off Application Telemetry in Windows 11/10
To turn off Application Telemetry in Windows 11/10 using Group Policy, follow these steps:
- Search for group policy in the Taskbar search box.
- Click on the search result.
- Go to Application Compatibility in Computer Configuration.
- Double-click on the Turn off Application Telemetry setting.
- Choose the Enabled option.
- Click the OK button.
To learn more about these steps, keep reading.
To get started, search for group policy in the Taskbar search box and click on the search result to open the Local Group Policy Editor.
Then, navigate to the following path:
Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Application Compatibility
Here you can see a setting named Turn off Application Telemetry. You need to double-click on this setting and choose the Enabled option.
At last, click the OK button to save the change.
How to disable Application Telemetry in Windows 11/10
To disable Application Telemetry in Windows 11/10 using Registry, follow these steps:
- Press Win+R > type regedit.
- Click the OK button and click on the Yes button.
- Go to Windows in HKLM.
- Right-click on Windows > New > Key and set the name as AppCompat.
- Right-click on AppCompat > New > DWORD (32-bit) Value.
- Name it as AITEnable.
- Restart your computer.
Let’s delve into these steps in detail.
First, press Win+R, type regedit, click the OK button and click on the Yes option in the UAC prompt to open the Registry Editor.
Then, go to this path:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows
Right-click on the Windows key, select New > Key, and set the name as AppCompat.
In the AppCompat key, you need to create a REG_DWORD value. For that, right-click on the AppCompat key, select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value, and set the name as AITEnable.
By default, the value data is set to 0, and you need to keep that.
Finally, close all windows and restart your computer. In case you want to revert the change, you can delete the AITEnable REG_DWORD value. To do that, right-click on it, select the Delete option, and click the Yes button.
I hope this guide helped.
Read: Manage Telemetry and Data Collection settings in Windows
How do I turn off telemetry in Windows 11?
It is possible to change or turn off telemetry in Windows 11 with the help of the Local Group Policy Editor and Registry Editor. For that, open the Data Collection and Preview Builds setting in the Computer Configuration. Then, double-click on the Allow Diagnostic Data setting and choose the Enabled option. Finally, select the Diagnostic data off option from the drop-down menu.
Read: How to disable Microsoft Compatibility Telemetry
Should I turn off Microsoft compatibility telemetry?
Although it is not recommended to disable the Microsoft Compatibility Telemetry in Windows 11 or Windows 10 computers, you can certainly do that. It doesn’t harm your computer in any way despite disabling the functionality. It prevents the apps from collecting and sending usage data to the respective server from your computer.
Read: Disable Windows Customer Experience Improvement Program
