On Windows 11, the system receives a unique advertising identification number that allows advertising companies to track your activities to show you personalized ads when using certain apps.
Although sometimes personalized ads can be helpful to find different products and services you may have an interest in, some people may consider this a privacy concern. If you are one of those who would prefer not to see advertisements based on your behavior, Windows 11 allows you to disable the tracking ID. You will still see ads in the different apps, but they won’t be personalized.
This guide will teach you the steps to disable advertising tracking on Windows 11 apps.
Disable advertising tracking on Windows 11
To disable advertising tracking on Windows 11, use these steps:
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Open Settings on Windows 11.
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Click on Privacy & security.
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Under the “Windows permissions” section, click the General tab.
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Turn off the “Let apps show me personalized ads by using my advertising ID” toggle switch.
Once you complete the steps, Windows 11 will no longer show personalized advertisements based on your behavior on apps that use this unique advertising identification. You will continue to see ads, but they won’t be personalized. Also, this will option will not stop Google from showing personalized ads. In this case, you will have to turn off personalization from your Google account online.
While on the “General” page, you can also disable the options to prevent websites from showing content based on your language, Windows 11 from tracking your app’s activity and suggested content in the Settings app.
Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He has also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 15 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows and software, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 21 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me. Email him at [email protected].