Skip to main content
Tech Radar Tech Radar Pro Tech Radar Gaming
TechRadar TechRadar the business technology experts
Asia
flag of Singapore
Singapore
Europe
flag of Danmark
Danmark
flag of Suomi
Suomi
flag of Norge
Norge
flag of Sverige
Sverige
flag of UK
UK
flag of Italia
Italia
flag of Nederland
Nederland
flag of België (Nederlands)
België (Nederlands)
flag of France
France
flag of Deutschland
Deutschland
flag of España
España
North America
flag of US (English)
US (English)
flag of Canada
Canada
flag of México
México
Australasia
flag of Australia
Australia
flag of New Zealand
New Zealand
RSS
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • Expert Insights
  • Website builders
  • Web hosting
  • Security
Trending
  • Best web hosting
  • Best office chairs
  • Best website builder
  • Best antivirus
  • Expert Insights
Don't miss these
Apple iPhone 16 Pro REVIEW
iPhone 5 smart privacy features on iPhone you need to know about
Google Chrome logo on desktop and mobile
iOS How to private browse in Chrome on Windows, Android and ChromeOS
A woman getting frustrated by her laptop
Windows Don't trust Windows 11's Recall feature? A new report will only harden your resolve to never use the AI-powered search
Private browsing mode in safari browser iphone apple
Security How to browse the web anonymously
Phone and laptop
Security Best privacy tool and anonymous browser of 2025
Acer Aspire 14 AI laptop display showing the Windows 11 login screen
Windows If you haven't upgraded to Windows 11 24H2 yet, Microsoft's giving you a good reason to do so - better security
Angry woman using a laptop
Windows Microsoft finally fixes one frustrating Windows 11 pop-up – just as a more irritating one arrives to take its place
Twitter social media application change logo to X. Elon Musk CEO of twitter rebranded Twitter to 'X'. Social media application technology concept.
Cyber Security How to safely verify your age on X – prove your age without risking your personal data
Apple Intelligence
Security Microsoft calls out Apple Intelligence AI security flaw which could have let hackers steal private data
Hands typing on a keyboard surrounded by security icons
Pro I am a privacy expert and this is why I believe user personalization is the future of privacy
A person using a mobile device to verify their age via a facial scan
VPN Privacy & Security What is age verification? The privacy nightmare facing millions of UK internet users
Safari icon app browser on the display iPhone. Safari is a web browser developed by Apple and part of macOS and iOS.
iOS How to private browse in Safari on Mac, iPhone and iPad
Woman looks at laptop on desk with glasses taken off
Cyber Security From face scans to credit checks: how UK age verification works and why it’s a privacy nightmare
People using Windows 11 laptops
Windows Microsoft promises to crack one of the biggest problems with Windows 11: slow performance
A person holding a cellphone asking the user to confirm their age
Cyber Security What happens to your data when you verify your age – and what are the risks?
  1. Pro

How to fix Windows 10 privacy issues

How-to
By Nick Peers published 8 June 2016

Keep it secret, keep it safe

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Tighten privacy in Windows 10

Tighten privacy in Windows 10

There has been a lot of discussion about the amount of data Windows 10 collects about you – is it really making your computing life easier, or are there genuine privacy concerns that need addressing?

Whatever the answer, it's also true Windows 10 provides settings that allow you to choose what to share and what to keep private.

The problem is, those settings are scattered all over your computer, so finding them all is time-consuming and not always that easy. Don't panic, though, because O&O ShutUp 10 is looking out for you.

This free tool – which runs directly from your hard drive – provides convenient access to the privacy settings you may want to examine and tweak. Read on to discover how to quickly and painlessly choose what content you want to share with Microsoft.

If you want a guide on using the built-in privacy tools of Windows 10, then check out our guide on how to use Windows 10 privacy settings.

Page 1 of 9
Page 1 of 9
1. Get O&O ShutUp

1. Get O&O ShutUp

Go to O&O's website in your web browser and click the green Download button. Save OOSU10.zip to your Downloads folder – once done, right-click the OOSU10.zip folder and choose 'Extract All…'

Click 'Extract', then open the OOSU10 folder that's created and double-click OOSU10.exe, clicking 'Yes' when prompted.

Page 2 of 9
Page 2 of 9
2. Take a quick tour

2. Take a quick tour

Your current privacy and security settings will be displayed in a list, divided into various sections, with a slider indicating if the setting has been disabled (green) or not (red).

Click a setting's title and a panel will appear with a full explanation. The green tick, yellow triangle and red exclamation mark indicate whether the setting can be disabled without ramifications.

Page 3 of 9
Page 3 of 9
3. Create Restore point

3. Create Restore point

Rather than flick each item on or off individually, you can quickly apply settings using the Actions button. Before you begin, however, take steps to protect yourself by choosing 'Create a system restore point (recommended)'.

Click 'Yes' when prompted to confirm your action – you're now ready to tighten your PC's privacy and security.

Page 4 of 9
Page 4 of 9
4. Take recommended steps

4. Take recommended steps

Click the Actions button again, but this time choose 'Apply all recommended settings'. You'll see all items marked with a green tick have their switches flicked to 'On'.

You've just restricted Windows 10's access to your PC and increased your privacy as a result. But don't stop there – now it's time to see what other settings you can disable.

Page 5 of 9
Page 5 of 9
5. Review other settings

5. Review other settings

Now roll your mouse over each setting marked with a yellow triangle and click the question mark button.

Review what the setting is and whether or not you need to use it – if you don't envisage it serving any purpose (such as biometrical features), then click the red switch to turn it to green and increase your privacy further.

Page 6 of 9
Page 6 of 9
6. Tame Windows Update

6. Tame Windows Update

If you're unhappy with how Windows Update operates, scroll down and review its settings. We suggest selecting 'Activate deferring of upgrades', which postpones non-critical updates for up to a month as well as 'Automatic driver updates through Windows Update disabled'.

Other settings should be left as they are based on the recommended settings.

Page 7 of 9
Page 7 of 9
7. Undo tweaks

7. Undo tweaks

You can now close O&O ShutUp – your settings will remain in place. Should you run into problems, simply relaunch the app again, locate the troublesome setting in question and flick the switch back from green to red to disable it.

If all else fails, open the Actions button and click 'Apply all recommended settings' or even 'Undo all changes'.

Page 8 of 9
Page 8 of 9
8. Your privacy secured

8. Your privacy secured

Congratulations – you've just taken decisive steps to ensuring your PC isn't leaking unwanted information to all and sundry. You've also reined in the worst excesses of Windows Update.

Keep checking the 'History of changes' section at the O&O ShutUp web page – new updates are regularly released, some of which offer more hidden settings to tweak.

  • Check out our collection of guides on how to use Windows 10
Page 9 of 9
Page 9 of 9
TOPICS
Windows 10
Nick Peers
Read more
Apple iPhone 16 Pro REVIEW
5 smart privacy features on iPhone you need to know about
Google Chrome logo on desktop and mobile
How to private browse in Chrome on Windows, Android and ChromeOS
A woman getting frustrated by her laptop
Don't trust Windows 11's Recall feature? A new report will only harden your resolve to never use the AI-powered search
Private browsing mode in safari browser iphone apple
How to browse the web anonymously
Phone and laptop
Best privacy tool and anonymous browser of 2025
Acer Aspire 14 AI laptop display showing the Windows 11 login screen
If you haven't upgraded to Windows 11 24H2 yet, Microsoft's giving you a good reason to do so - better security
Latest in Pro
Inventory unit
What is hardware inventory management?
China
Google warns of Chinese state actor hack in real-time following alerts
A circle of laptops connected to a cloud symbol.
Tencent Cloud sites breached to expose valuable data - here's what we know
An abstract image of digital security.
Regulatory compliance: Act now
Hacker with malware code in computer screen. Cybersecurity, privacy or cyber attack. Programmer or fraud criminal writing virus software. Online firewall and privacy crime. Web data engineer
The first AI-powered ransomware has been spotted - and here's why we should all be worried
Security
CISA is warning of a worrying Git security flaw, so stay alert
Latest in How Tos
ChatGPT on mobile
I finally got ChatGPT to stop asking 'Want me to…' at the end of every response – here’s how to do it
Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus celebrates with the winners trophy after defeating Jessica Pegula of the United States to win the Women's Singles Final on Day Thirteen of the 2024 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 07, 2024 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City.
How to watch US Open 2025: live stream tennis online for FREE, order of play, what TV channel, Day 4
Anker power bank on aeroplane tray table with laptop and person reading a book
I’m a power bank nerd and here are the airline rules you need to know
Puzzle pieces representing memory.
ChatGPT’s best hidden feature is a true game changer – here’s how to turn it on
Spam Callers
How to block spam calls on iPhone
Harry Kane of Bayern Munich poses for a photo with the Meisterschale trophy and his medal after the teams 2-0 victory in the Bundesliga match between FC Bayern München and Borussia Mönchengladbach at Allianz Arena on May 10, 2025 in Munich, Germany.
How to watch Bundesliga 2025/26: live stream guide, TV channels and free streams
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. 1
    $1 trillion worth of data centers by 2030: US leads the way when it comes to colocation and hyperscale capacity - but for how long?
  2. 2
    US startup set to test new CPU that could herald the era of Exaflop on a single chip - I still can't believe Neurophos's OPU claims to deliver 234 POPS with a 1000 Petaflops model planned
  3. 3
    Your car could be at risk – new Flipper Zero craze sees car thieves use cheap hacking device, and there's no easy fix
  4. 4
    Taylor Swift’s engagement is perfect timing for The Summer I Turned Pretty season 3 episode 8 to use her most devastating song
  5. 5
    I tested some of the cheapest noise cancelling earbuds and now I’ll never spend more than $40

TechRadar is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Contact Us
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Web notifications
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...