Enable or Disable Tailored Experiences in Windows 11

Tailored experiences in Windows 11 are personalized tips, ads, and suggestions that Microsoft shows based on your usage patterns. They appear in settings pages, the Start menu, and notifications. This guide shows you how to turn them on or off, helping you control how much personalization Windows applies. You’ll need a Windows 11 PC with administrator access.

What You’ll Need

A Windows 11 device (version 22H2 or later recommended)
Administrator account privileges (to change some settings)
Stable internet connection (settings sync may be required)

Step-by-Step

Open Windows Settings. Press Win + I on your keyboard, or click the Start button and select the gear icon.
Go to Privacy & Security. In the left sidebar, click Privacy & security.
Select Diagnostics & feedback. Scroll down and click on Diagnostics & feedback.
Find “Tailored experiences”. Scroll down the page until you see the section labeled Tailored experiences. It will have a toggle switch.
Toggle the switch. Click the toggle to turn it On (blue) to enable tailored experiences, or Off (gray) to disable them. The change takes effect immediately.
Verify the change. The toggle should now reflect your choice. You can also close and reopen Settings to confirm it stays.

Note: If you don’t see the “Tailored experiences” option, your Windows version may not support it, or your device is managed by an organization (work/school). In that case, see the Troubleshooting section.

Common Mistakes

Turning off the wrong toggle. Some users confuse “Tailored experiences” with “Advertising ID” or “Relevant ads”. These are separate settings. Make sure you’re on the correct page.
Expecting immediate removal of ads. Disabling tailored experiences stops new personalized suggestions, but some generic ads may still appear. It doesn’t remove all ads from Windows.
Not checking if you have admin rights. If you’re on a work or school device, the option may be grayed out or hidden. You need local admin rights to change it.
Assuming it’s the same as “Diagnostic data”. Tailored experiences use diagnostic data, but turning off diagnostic data doesn’t automatically turn off tailored experiences. You must toggle the specific switch.

Tips

Use the search bar. In Settings, type “tailored” in the search box at the top to jump directly to the correct settings page.
Check your Microsoft account. Tailored experiences may also be influenced by your Microsoft account privacy settings. Visit account.microsoft.com/privacy to review ad preferences.
Combine with other privacy settings. To reduce personalization further, also turn off “Advertising ID” under Settings > Privacy & Security > General.
Restart your PC. After changing the setting, restarting your computer ensures all services pick up the change.
Keep Windows updated. Microsoft occasionally changes the location or behavior of this setting. Ensure your Windows is up to date to have the latest options.

Troubleshooting

I can’t find “Tailored experiences” in Settings.

Make sure you’re running Windows 11 version 22H2 or later. Older versions may not have this option. Check by going to Settings > System > About and looking at “Version”.
If you’re on a work or school device, the setting might be hidden by group policy. Contact your IT administrator.
Try using the search function: type “tailored” in the Settings search bar. If it doesn’t appear, your edition (e.g., Windows 11 Home vs Pro) might not support it, though it’s usually available on all consumer editions.

The toggle is grayed out.

This usually means you don’t have administrator rights. Sign in with an admin account or ask your system administrator to change it.
If you are an admin, check if a group policy is overriding the setting. Press Win + R, type gpedit.msc (Pro/Enterprise only), and navigate to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Data Collection and Preview Builds. Look for “Configure tailored experiences” and set it to “Not Configured” or “Enabled” if you want it on.

I turned it off, but I still see personalized ads.

Tailored experiences only affect Microsoft’s own suggestions and ads. Third-party apps may still show personalized ads based on their own tracking.
Clear your advertising ID: Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > General and toggle “Let apps show me personalized ads by using my advertising ID” to Off.
Check that the setting is actually saved. Sometimes the toggle may revert if you have a sync issue. Try toggling it again and restarting.

The setting keeps resetting to On.

This can happen if you have a Microsoft account with sync enabled. Go to Settings > Accounts > Windows backup and turn off “Remember my preferences” under “OneDrive sync settings”.
If you’re on a domain, group policy may force it. Check with your IT admin.

Frequently Asked Questions

What exactly are tailored experiences in Windows 11?
They are personalized tips, ads, and suggestions from Microsoft based on your diagnostic data and usage. For example, you might see a suggestion to use a feature you haven’t tried yet.

Does disabling tailored experiences improve performance?
Not significantly. The main benefit is privacy—you stop receiving personalized suggestions and ads. Performance impact is negligible.

Will this affect my ability to use Windows?
No. You’ll still get all features and updates. You just won’t see personalized content.

Can I enable it later?
Yes, you can toggle it back on anytime by following the same steps.

Is this the same as turning off diagnostic data?
No. Diagnostic data is a separate setting. You can turn off tailored experiences while still sending diagnostic data, or vice versa.

Does this affect my Microsoft account?
It may affect how Microsoft personalizes ads across your account, but you can also manage ad preferences separately at your Microsoft account privacy dashboard.

General steps for current mainstream versions; menus can differ by device and version. See the disclaimer or report an error.

More in this bed

The whole Tech How-To bed →