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Privacy Protector for Windows 10 & 11 - Best to Use in 2024

Completely protect your data by using these reliable tools

19 min. read

Updated onMay 21, 2024

updated onMay 21, 2024

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Windows 10 offers many useful features and user-personalized services, all by collecting huge amounts of data about you: what websites you visit, your location, the files you access, what you search for on search engines, and much more.

However useful these personalized services may be, there has got to be a clean line between data usefulness and privacy.

How many of you are aware of how much information Microsoft knows about you?

How many of you know what kind of data the tech giant is continually storing about its Windows 10 users? Here is a list of such data just to give you an idea:

1.Windows 10 has a built-in keyloggerwhich means Microsoft can record everything you type on the keyboard. Of course, this is not amalicious keyloggerbut nevertheless, the thought of Microsoft knowing what you’re typing is just scary.

2.Passwords —the company collects passwords, password hints, and similar security information you use to access your account. Bad news: somebody else knows your password 123456789 now.

3.Content from emails, files, chats, and so on. This could be the most annoying, privacy-breaking practice of all but all this is thoroughly explained inMicrosoft’s Privacy Statement:

We collect content of your files and communications when necessary to provide you with the services you use.

[…]Examples of this data include: the content of your documents, photos, music or video you upload to a Microsoft service such as OneDrive, as well as the content of your communications sent or received using Microsoft services such Outlook.com or Skype, including the:

4.Contacts and relationships:this is done if you use a Microsoft service to manage contacts or to communicate or interact with other people or organizations.

5.Location data viaGPS coordinates.

6.Usage datasuch as the items you purchase, the web pages you visit, and the search terms you enter, data about your device and the network you use to connect to their services, including IP address, and device identifiers (IMEI number for phones).

7.Payment data,like the payment instrument number and the security code associated with it.

8.Interests and favorites:the teams you follow in asports appor the favorite cities you add to aweather app.

The data collected can be divided into two categories: general, non-intrusive data, and highly intrusive personal data.

Luckily, there are dedicated apps that allow you to limit the kind of data Microsoft can collect about you.

What are the best privacy protector software for Windows 10?

Private Internet Access– Super-fast connection speeds

On the very top of our list is aVPNcreated by Kape Technologies the most efficient at what it does: protecting yourprivacy.

How? By providing state-of-the-art, multi-layered security with advanced privacy protection usingVPNtunneling.

Private Internet Access is extremely efficient at changing your IP address with a personally generated one. Your location will also change and you will get to choose one yourself.

Changing your location means that you will be able to access any content throughout the world without any restrictions.

This means that you will benefit from anonymous browsing. Your virtual IP address will make you untraceable, even location-wise.

Not even your Internet Service provider will be able to detect your activity or the fact that you use a VPN.

Here are some real advantages of usingPrivate Internet Access:

Private Internet Access

Incogni– Utterly automated process

Incogni is one of the most reliable software when it comes to protecting your digital identity from all kinds of malicious threats.

Data brokers typically collect your sensitive information in order to sell it to other parties, exposing your identity at danger.

As a result, Incogni handles this scenario by negotiating with data brokers and permanently erasing your data from their databases.

It is totally automatic, which means you will save a lot of time and work in keeping hackers, invasive profile shadows, and cyber-attacks like phishing or identity theft at bay.

Otherbest featuresof Incogni include:

Incogni

NordVPN – Threat Protection– Outstanding ad blocker

Nord VPN -Threat Protection is a newly popular feature of NordVPN source for data privacy that has the capability to safeguard your digital activity.

You don’t actually need to connect to a VPN server to enjoy the performance of this feature, all you need to do is to enable it from the settings tab.

Once Threat Protection is enabled, you can browse the internet safely and securely, as all intrusive ads, trackers, or malicious URLs will be blocked instantly.

Alongside this feature, you have included a bulletproof internet connection, high-end confidentiality, or unlimited bandwidth to be completely free online.

Otherkey featuresof NordVPN include:

More so, choosing NordVPN implies a very simplistic experience of securing your data, while also offering the most efficient service of all.

NordVPN – Threat Protection

DeleteMe– Priceless service

DeleteMe is a program that comes in handy when you want to keep your privacy intact and safe from data brokers.

Data brokers are companies that collect your personal information such as name, address, email, photos, social media, and other details to incorporate profiles or listings with them, which puts your identity in danger.

The effect of DeleteMe in this context consists of experts reviewing your request for personal information removal and automatically deleting your mentioned details from numerous databases.

It offers a detailed report of the removal process and will continue to delete your data every three months, guaranteeing that your identity will remain safe and secure.

Otherbest featuresof DeleteMe include:

DeleteMe

ESET HOME Security Premium– Anti-theft feature

ESET HOME Security Premium is another powerful tool that protects online visibility and keeps you apart from cyber attacks.

This software runs as an antivirus and secures your PC system from potential risky malware or suspicious activity.

In other words, it can protect your digital presence and traces efficiently by providing anti-tracking services.

With ESET HOME Security Premium, you are covered with multilayered antivirus protection, a strong password manager, multi-platform protection, an anti-theft option, anti-phishing, and webcam defense.

Morekey featuresof ESET HOME Security Premium include:

Hence assuring powerful anti-ransomware with this antivirus is a smart move, considering the protection needs of your Windows 10 PC.

More exactly, you can use password management tools to block any threat while browsing and keep your sensitive data hidden.

ESET HOME Security Premium

Guardio– Scan scheduling option

It should come as no surprise that most cybersecurity attackers are hosted by the web, which is why a browser security tool can make a world of a difference.

Guardio is a browser extension that acts as an antivirus but on the web. This means that attackers are blocked from the get-go before they get a chance to reach your PC.

Although it’s not software in the classical sense, Guardio proves to be a very helpful prevention tool. The web is full of unsecured websites that can lead to malware infections, phishing attacks, and data leaks.

If your browser is compromised, chances are that all accounts you access from it will suffer as well. Hackers may access your browsing history, cookies, bank information, email, and even personal documents.

Guardio uses cloud-based technologies to protect you against these concerning risks. It detects malicious scripts and websites, removes suspicious browser extensions, and is able to detect data breaches.

Not only that, but this tool can identify phishing attacks and not allow you to provide your private information to suspicious emails or web pages.

Otherkey featuresof Guardio include:

Guardio is a great addition to your security system. It’s available for Chrome, Firefox, and Edge and it can work well side by side with your antivirus for unbreakable security.

Guardio

Windows 10 Privacy Tool– Automatic restore points

This premium software comes with a 10-day free trial period, then you will have to pay if you want to keep it. Given its plethora of options, the price is just fair.

It blocks or removes more than 37 tracking services, disables the keylogger, and disables Cortana to prevent background collection and transmission of data recorded with your microphone and webcam.

It also lets you uninstall a series of non-removable Microsoft apps among many other things. Plus, it has a very easy-to-use interface.

It is fair to say this is one of the best Windows privacy protection software out there and comes with a price tag that reinforces this idea.

Otherkey featuresof Windows 10 Privacy Protector include:

Quality always comes with a price tag and we guarantee thatPrivacyProtector for Windows 11 will not let you down.

Windows 11 Privacy Tool

Gilisoft Privacy Protector– Secure file shredder

GiliSoftPrivacyProtector is designed as a very powerful privacy software thatencrypts sensitive fileson your computer in order to keep them safe from unauthorized users.

Just get ready to invest a little effort to get it up and running and you won’t regret it. You’ll get the chance to clear your browsing history or even the entire Windows history, along with any third-party software traces.

Thisprivacy softwarewill not only ensure your files are read-only or invisible, but it provides a secondary layer of security for your documents, photos, videos, or audio files.

They remain private and no hackers ormalicious softwarecan reach them.

Otherkey featuresof Gilisoft Privacy Protector include:

This combination of effective protection and a variety of features makes GilisoftPrivacyProtector an ideal privacy utility you can download today.

GiliSoft Privacy Protector

O&OShutUp10– Portable version

This free software receives constant updates in order to provide the best privacy protection experience. With O&OShutUp10 you decide what data are collected digitally.

New features are added constantly. It comes in a portable version, there is no installation required.

With a lively interface, it allows you to choose what data-collecting apps you want to disable.

More so, another attribute that helps the user to protect confidential data are related to security settings, location control, or simply privacy protection.

As you may know, Microsoft requires sensitive personal data like addresses in order to deliver efficient services to users.

Otherkey featuresof O&O ShutUp10 include:

Hence with such antispy software, it’s very simple to control which data you want other applications to track about yourself.

O&O ShutUp10

Ashampoo Antispy for Windows 10– Webcam protection controls

This free software lets you configure security settings, disable location services, and prevent Windows 10 from sending diagnostics and usage data to protect your privacy.

The user interface is very simplistic featuring a list of privacy settings and a short description for each. You can enable privacy settings individually or all at once.

You can use Ashampoo Antispy to fully cover your data circulation within Windows 10 services and applications.

For instance, if you want to use a personal assistant like Cortana while organizing your activity, you clearly need control over personal data.

Otherkey featuresof Ashampoo Antispy include:

Hence it is recommended to carefully disable reporting actions for intrusive services that may use sensitive data, and you can perform it with one click thanks to this software.

⇒Get Ashampoo Antispy

SODAT Privacy Protection Tool for Windows 10– Diagnostic tracking

This protection tool was launched on September 14, 2015, and has been constantly updated ever since. The developers added new languages and features to protect both users and data.

SODAT uses a combination of the most powerful encryption, access control, and user-behavior monitoring tools currently available.

It does not require installation, you download it and the tool will do its magic right away. It’s a reliable portable solution, you can easily add it to removable media and use it whenever needed.

The tool has an easy UI that can be easily configured by any user. You can select which tracking functions you want to disable.

This includes Cortana, and Bing in the start menu, your webcam, microphone, and many more.

This protection toolfeatures:

This application is compatible with all Windows operating systems starting with Windows 8.1 and higher. It supports both 32-bit and 64-bit systems.

⇒Get SODAT Privacy Protection Tool for Windows

Destroy Windows Spying– Optimized algorithms

This is the most popular Windows 10 privacy software with more than 250K downloads.  With optimized and elaborated algorithms, it runs smoothly on your OS.

The software lets you choose whether you want to enable or disable updates, hides your IP address, and removes spying apps and METRO applications.

It also gives you the possibility to uninstall native Windows apps such as Solitaire, OneDrive, and Calendar and clean host files.

The app allows users to customize a few features and is rather suited for beginners since they can simply launch it without settings specific parameters.

Therefore, you can choose this solution if you’re searching for an efficient antispy protector. You thus assure data privacy and eliminate all services that track your persona.

This app is also able to remove Office 2016 telemetry and other similar inbuilt trackers that collect data about your activity.

Otherkey featuresof Destroy Windows Spying include:

It is important to mention that as of late this app has not gotten any updates and it may not be as relibale and secure as it used to be. It may also not work on newer, upgraded versions of Windows 10.

⇒Get Destroy Windows Spying

DoNotSpy10– Simple UI

DoNotSpy 10 offers a straightforward solution in terms of online privacy. The most surprising fact about this software is the long list of privacy features it supports.

It disables automatic system updates, biometrics, the Lock Screen Camera function, location, OneDrive, Cortana, web search, application access to certain computer functions (camera, calendar, microphone), and others.

With its new features, Windows 11 needs data from users in order to perform good service in return. Upgraded versions of Windows 10 have similar requirements as well.

Otherkey featuresof DoNotSpy10 include:

This tool can practically help the user to choose what personal data are allowed to be tracked by different services, or even Microsoft.

Chances are your antivirus might block this software from downloading, so you need to turn it off during installation.

⇒Get DoNotSpy10

Spybot Anti-Beacon– Browser telemetry block

This free software is developed by a volunteer team that has been working in the internet security industry for many years. It is a standalone tool and is very simple to use.

All you have to do is click on the Immunize button and the app disables all tracking features Microsoft included in the operating system.

If something goes wrong, you can quickly undo the changes by clicking the Undo button.

The mission stated by Spybot is to prevent Windows users from regarding their tracked data by powerful companies like Microsoft.

The tool has a simple and modern user interface. It works like a scanner that identifies privacy and tracks related vulnerabilities within your system.

It displays them in a list view of everything found and you can choose whether you want to update your settings or keep them as they are.

Otherkey featuresof Spybot Anti-Beacon include:

Thus you can use the features of this software and immunize your system from complex strategies to store confidential data on your Windows 10 PC.

⇒Get Spybot Anti-Beacon

Disable Window 10 Tracking– Stops credential share

Although this software offers only eight privacy settings, it still remains a very useful app. We recommend it to those Windows 10 users who are mainly interested in blocking various tracking apps.

If you want to also block Microsoft from collecting data via other means such as your laptop’s camera or your computer’s microphone, choose one of the privacy tools listed above.

This application is focused on the trackers that are built within the operating system.

These are for the most part harmless, in the sense that they do not impose risks as malware does, but if you want to keep your data more private, it’s best you remove them.

Key features of this app include:

The tool offers you the possibility to either delete or disable tracking services. By disabling them, you temporarily stop them and can turn them back on, whereas deleting them permanently removes tracking services.

⇒Download Disable Windows 10 Tracking

W10 Privacy– Easy to navigate

This app is one of the best privacy software available taking into account the number of issues it can fix. The program is developed by a German company and comes in English as well.

According to its developers, the primary focus is on Windows 10 settings and Windows 10 apps, especially on its Edge browser. The program will be expanded to Windows 8 in the future.

Moreover, if you get an alert from your Windows Defender or firewall regarding the activity of the software, that is because of changing various PC settings.

The explanation is simple and it’s because of adjusting certain settings in the registry or other system-relevant areas.

Other key features of W10 Privacy include:

Therefore, the virus topic is stated by the software developers as nonexistent, reassuring users that W10Privacy is completely secure for download.

⇒Get W10 Privacy

Windows Privacy Tweaker– Completely free

This software is very user-friendly, making it very easy for Windows 10 users to personalize their settings.

The app is developed by a French company, Phrozen, and is completely free to use. It is light so it can run on pretty much any machine.

If you want to activate your security settings, simply uncheck all the unsafe Red Fields to the safe Green Fields.

The latest update was rolled out in January 2016, with functionality related to Cortana, advertisements, and web search among many others.

Otherkey featuresof Windows Privacy Tweaker include:

The developers regularly roll out updates soon after Microsoft launches a new OS version or update, so your privacy will always be protected.

⇒Get Windows Privacy Tweaker

Windows 10 Privacy Guide

As surprising as this choice may seem, users can control the kind of data Microsoft collects on them by personalizing the privacy settings in Windows.

The pane provides quite a lot of options, and if you are not sure where to start, you can check our guide onhow to change Windows privacy settings.

You can select the options you want for several categories such as microphone, speech & typing, contact, calendar, messaging, account info, and other devices.

Unlike other privacy software that simply blocks updates, by manually personalizing the native privacy settings you choose how updates are delivered and installed.

No matter which Windows 10/11 privacy software you choose, remember that as annoying as Microsoft data collection practices might be, the company does not use it maliciously.

The information collected from all Windows 10/11 users helps the tech giant to improve its products. The choice is yours.

This article will also help you with the following 3 problems:

More about the topics:Private browsing,windows 10

Madalina Dinita

Networking & Security Specialist

Madalina has been a Windows fan ever since she got her hands on her first Windows XP computer.

She is interested in all things technology, especially emerging technologies – AI and DNA computing in particular.

Prior to joining the WindowsReport team, she worked in the corporate world for a number of years.

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Madalina Dinita

Networking & Security Specialist

Madalina is a Windows fan since forever, especially interested in AI, emerging technologies, privacy, and security.