8 Windows 10 default settings you need to disable right now

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Using Windows 10? Change these default settings now.

Sarah Tew / CNET

Microsoft’s Windows 11 began rolling out to eligible devices on October 5th. The phased rollout of the new operating system means that not everyone will get the update right away. Some people will be using Microsoft’s old OS until mid-2022, while others debating whether it’s worth upgrading to Windows 11, they might keep Windows 10 until end of support in 2025. (Here’s how you can download Windows 11 now and skip that. ‘wait.) Regardless of why you’re still using Windows 10, some of the operating system’s default settings gather information, show you more ads and notifications, and may slow down your device.

If you’re a Windows 10 user, you’ll want to take just a few minutes to go through these default settings and potentially turn them off, for privacy, speed, and convenience reasons. Here are eight settings enabled by default that you can disable in Windows 10. (You can also check out the best Windows 10 tips and tricks and how to fix common Windows 10 problems.)

Stay up to date on the latest Microsoft news, as well as reviews and recommendations on Windows PCs.

File sharing updates

A feature added by Windows 10 is an optimized update delivery system, which allows you to download updates from other Windows 10 computers on the Internet (not just Microsoft servers). The problem, of course, is that your computer is also used as an update sharing hub for other Windows 10 users.

This feature is turned on by default, but you can turn it off by going to Settings> Update & Security> Advanced Options> Delivery Optimization and turning off Allow downloads from other PCs.

Screenshot from Alison DeNisco Rayome / CNET Annoying notifications

The Windows 10 Action Center is a handy central hub for all your notifications – apps, reminders, recently installed programs. But notification overload is definitely one thing, especially when you add unnecessary notifications (like Windows hints) into the mix.

Keep tabs on your notifications by going to Settings> System> Notifications & Actions and turning off things like Get tips, tricks and tips when using Windows or Show me the Windows welcome experience after updates and occasionally when I log in to highlight news and notifications suggestions and individual apps.

Screenshot from Alison DeNisco Rayome / CNET Start menu ads

Microsoft pushes its Windows Store apps to the point where you might see apps you’ve never downloaded in the Start menu. These suggested apps are basically ads.

Disable these annoying ads by going to Settings> Personalization> Start> Show suggestions occasionally on Start. For more information, see our guide to the Windows 10 Start Menu.

Screenshot from Alison DeNisco Rayome / CNET Targeted ads from third party apps

Microsoft is certainly keeping an eye on your browsing preferences and habits in Windows 10. You even have a unique advertising ID (tied to your Microsoft account), which the company uses to show you targeted ads. Oh, and Microsoft also shares this Advertising ID profile with third-party apps from the Windows Store, unless, of course, you turn off this information sharing.

You can turn it off by going to Settings> Privacy> General> Allow apps to use advertising ID to make ads more interesting to you based on your app activity (if you turn off this option, you will reset your ID).

Screenshot by Alison DeNisco Rayome / CNET Cortana “to meet you”

Cortana, your adaptive personal assistant in Windows 10, gets, well, quite personal with the information it collects about you. Cortana “gets to know you” by gathering information such as voice and handwriting patterns and typing history, which you might find just a little creepy.

You can prevent Cortana from knowing you and erasing your information from your device by going to Settings> Privacy> Ink and typing and turning off the option.

Alison DeNisco Rayome / CNET App screen running in the background

In Windows 10, many apps run in the background – that is, even if you don’t have them open – by default. These apps can receive information, send notifications, download and install updates, and otherwise consume bandwidth and battery life. If you are using a mobile device and / or a metered connection, you may want to disable this feature.

To do this, go to Settings> Privacy> Background apps and turn off Allow apps to run in the background or disable each app individually.

Screenshot from Alison DeNisco Rayome / CNET All synchronization

Windows 10 is all about synchronization. Everything – system settings, themes, passwords, search history – syncs across all devices you’re signed in on by default. But not all of us want our search history to sync from our phones to our computers, so here’s how to turn off syncing.

To turn off synchronization of settings (including themes and passwords), go to Settings> Accounts> Sync your settings. You can turn off syncing for all settings or selectively turn off specific settings.

Screenshot from Alison DeNisco Rayome / CNET Automatic Updates

Windows 10 automatically downloads and installs updates, and you can’t really turn them off. And honestly, you shouldn’t turn them off – an updated operating system is a safe operating system. But if for some reason you want to prevent your computer from automatically downloading and installing Windows 10 updates (perhaps so that you can manually download and install those updates as per your schedule), you can pause the updates for a certain amount of time. . Go to Settings> Updates> Advanced options and under Suspend updates choose a date within the next 35 days. However, you will no longer be able to pause after that point until you update.

Screenshot from Alison DeNisco Rayome / CNET

For more information, take a look at the best Windows 11 features and how to use them and everything you need to know about upgrading from Windows 10 to Windows 11.

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