Microsoft is definitely keeping tabs on your preferences and browsing habits in Windows 10. For more information, check out our Windows 10 Start menu guide. Turn off these pesky ads by going to Settings > Personalization > Start > Show suggestions occasionally in Start. Microsoft pushes its Windows Store apps - so much so, in fact, that you may be seeing apps you never downloaded in your Start menu.

Get your notifications under control by going to Settings > System > Notifications & actions and turning off things like Get tips, tricks and suggestions when you use Windows or Show me the Windows welcome experience after updates and occasionally when I sign in to highlight what's new and suggested, and individual app notifications. But notification overload is definitely a thing, especially when you add unnecessary notifications (such as Windows tips) into the mix. The Windows 10 Action Center is a handy central hub for all of your notifications - apps, reminders, recently installed programs. This feature is turned on by default, but you can turn it off by going to Settings > Update & security > Advanced options > Delivery optimization, and toggle Allow downloads from other PCs off. The catch, of course, is that your computer is also used as an update-sharing hub for other Windows 10 users. (You can also check out the top Windows 10 tips and tricks and how to troubleshoot common Windows 10 problems.)Ī feature Windows 10 added is an optimized update delivery system, which lets you download updates from other Windows 10 computers over the Internet (not just from Microsoft's servers). Here are eight settings that are turned on by default that you can disable in Windows 10.

If you're a Windows 10 user, you'll want to spend just a few minutes looking into these default settings, and potentially turning them off, for the sake of privacy, speed and convenience. (Here's how you can download Windows 11 now and skip the wait.) No matter the reason you're still using Windows 10, some of the OS's default settings collect information, make you see more ads and notifications, and may be slowing down your device. Some people will be using Microsoft's older OS until mid-2022, while others debating if upgrading to Windows 11 is worth it, may keep Windows 10 until support ends in 2025. The new operating system's gradual rollout means not everyone will get the upgrade right away. Microsoft's Windows 11 operating system started rolling out to eligible devices Oct. Using Windows 10? Change these default settings now.

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