How-To

How to Disable Advertising Tracking on Windows 11

By Brian Burgess

Published April 12, 2023

Want to stop targeted ads on your Windows 11 PC? You can disable the setting in your Windows settings menu. This guide explains how.

Microsoft has introduced several changes with Windows 11, including how it uses advertising tracking. In addition, the system receives a unique ad identification number which lets advertisers track your activities to display personalized ads.

You can disable ad tracking (along with other types of tracking) during a clean install of Windows 11 or upgrade from Windows 10 to 11. However, if you clicked through the privacy options, you can disable ad tracking (and more) later from the Settings app.

One easily identifiable place to find personalized ads is the Widgets board which displays news, weather, and other content. Luckily, you can disable advertising tracking on Windows 11.

How to Disable Advertising Tracking on Windows 11

Personalized ads can be helpful while looking for a specific product or service. But if you are more concerned about privacy and do not want to share your activities with advertisers, you can disable the unique ad identification number.

While you will still see ads in different areas throughout the OS, they won’t be personalized based on previous behavior.

To disable advertising tracking on your Windows 11 PC:

1. Press the Windows key and launch Settings, or use Windows key + I to open it directly.
2. When Settings opens, select Privacy & security from the left column.
3. Scroll down to the Windows permissions section on the right and select the General option.
4. Turn off the switch next to the Let apps show me personalized ads by using my advertising ID switch.
5. While in this section, it might be prudent to turn off the other settings for web tracking, start and search tracking, language list tracking, and customized content in the Settings app.

Once you disable the option to personalize ads based on your tracking ID, you will still notice ads; however, they will not be custom and based on behavior. Windows 11 will still operate fine after disabling all four options. But there will be less tracking of your behavior and personalized settings in the UI.

If you want to turn the tracking back on, go back into the Settings app and turn on the option to show personalized ads using your advertising ID.

Keep Windows 11 Private and Secure

If you are privacy conscious and prefer that Windows 11 doesn’t track your settings and behaviors, disabling ad tracking is straightforward using the above options. And if you really want to limit the data Microsoft collects on you, read how to disable telemetry data tracking on Windows 11.

And don’t forget about other options for keeping your system secure. For example, learn to set Windows Security for optimal protection. In addition, for overall online security, ensure you enable Two Factor Authentication (2FA) for every site that offers the capability. The 2FA technology adds an extra layer of protection that compliments your strong passwords.

Of course, your computer isn’t the only place to manage privacy and security. You also need to secure your phone. For example, iPhone and iPad users can generate an app privacy report to discover what your apps are doing behind the scenes. Or, if you are an Android user, you can check for embedded trackers in Android apps.