How to Permanently Turn Off Microsoft Compatibility Telemetry

Windows Telemetry benefits you indirectly by sending your device data to Microsoft to improve Windows. If you don’t want to share your data for privacy or performance reasons, I will tell you how to turn off Microsoft Compatibility Telemetry permanently.

You can disable Microsoft Compatibility Telemetry through Windows, but the best and safer way to do it is by using O&O ShutUp10++.

(O&O ShutUp10++ is one of the must-have software for Windows. Do you use all the programs in the list?)

Here is how to do it:

1. Download O&O ShutUp10++ and run it.
   
   This is a portable program, so you don’t need to install it on your PC to run it.
2. With O&O ShutUp10++ open, go to Actions, then click on Create a system restoration point:
   
   This is important, so you can undo any changes if there are any issues with Windows after disabling telemetry.
3. Now click on Apply only recommended settings:
   
   This will disable telemetry and improve your overall privacy too. To further increase your privacy, you can choose Recommended and somewhat recommended settings.
4. Restart your PC.

You can also choose which items to disable in O&O ShutUp 10++, but I don’t recommend it if you aren’t an advanced user.

I also don’t recommend actions > apply all settings since some features, such as Windows Update, are essential to Windows. If you make any changes, remember to create a system restore point, as advised in step 2.

If you don’t trust freeware programs and prefer to do the process using Windows, you can do it through the Task Scheduler, as shown next.

How to Disable Microsoft Compatibility Telemetry through the Task Scheduler

Since Windows recommend you keep the Microsoft Compatibility Telemetry, it provides a not-so-simple way through the Task Scheduler and then the command prompt to turn it off.

Only try this method if you are an advanced user and know how the task scheduler and command prompt work.

(As said above, create a system restore point so you can undo the changes if anythi

1. Enter Task Scheduler on Windows Search and press Enter.
2. On the Task Scheduler, go to the following path:
   Task Scheduler Library\Microsoft\Windows\Application Experience
3. On the Application Experience Folder, right-click on Microsoft Compatibility Appraiser and select Disable:
   
4. Now enter Command Prompt on Windows Search and click on Run as administrator.
5. Now run the following command on Command Prompt:
   sc delete DiagTrack
   sc delete dmwappushservice
   echo “” >
   C:\\ProgramData\\Microsoft\\Diagnosis\\ETLLogs\\AutoLogger\\AutoLogger-Diagtrack-Listener.etl
   reg add HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\DataCollection /v AllowTelemetry /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f
   
6. Restart your PC

We also use the command prompt because many users complain that using only the Task Scheduler won’t permanently disable telemetry.

(Do you know where your incognito mode history is saved? Read my article on that to learn what happens whenever you browse incognito.)

Conclusion

The simplest and safest way to turn off Windows Compatibility Telemetry is by downloading O&O ShutUp10++ and clicking on Actions > Apply only recommended settings. This will disable telemetry and turn off unnecessary services to increase your privacy.

A more complex alternative is to disable the Microsoft Compatibility Appraiser in Task Scheduler. Still, many users reported that it is temporary, so you must also follow the command prompt steps.

Remember to fix the Desktop Window Manager memory leak on Windows to improve your Windows PC performance.