How To Change Your Privacy Settings for a Safer Online Experience

If you haven’t checked your privacy settings, you could be exposing more data than you would like. Here’s how to update your settings across operating systems and devices to stay safe.
We receive compensation from the products and services mentioned in this story, but the opinions are the author's own. Compensation may impact where offers appear. We have not included all available products or offers. Learn more about how we make money and our editorial policies.

Your personal information is like financial currency, and everyone is after it. In fact, hundreds of data brokers aggregate our personal details from publicly shared records, social media, and more. We'll teach you all of our tips to use your privacy settings to your advantage, plus offer recommendations for the best online privacy tools

Read on to learn what privacy settings you may want to change to limit accessibility and how you can do it.

4.9
Privacy Protection
DeleteMe
  • Removes your data from the web to avoid scams, spam and stalkers
  • 100+ million successful opt-out removals
  • Provides continued removals every three months
Learn More

In this article
Google
Android
Windows 10
Windows 11
iPhone
macOS
Siri
Online safety tools
FAQs
Bottom line

How to change Google privacy settings

If you aren’t familiar with the privacy settings you can change in your Google account, you may be surprised to learn what gets saved. Fortunately, in most cases, you can control how much data you allow Google to track.

You can update your settings to stop tracking web searches and app activity, and you can delete your search history. You can also delete cookies in your Chrome web browser, which may fix formatting or page loading issues.

Another setting that you may forget to adjust is your location history. When this setting is left turned on, anywhere you travel with your device can get shared with Google.

If you want to change your Google privacy settings and delete any saved data, you can do so by following some simple steps.

Update your social media privacy settings too

Make sure your Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, and other online data is locked down. Here's how to change your social media privacy settings.

How to change what data Google saves

If you’re suddenly thinking about all the searches you’ve made in the past few days, you may not want Google saving the information. Our internet use should be as safe and private as our homes.

Maybe you don't want Google saving your YouTube history. Would you be okay with your voice activity and location getting saved by Google? How about personalized ads from your recent web browsing? If none of these sound like pieces of data you want to share, you can make some updates to delete that data.

You can use the Google Activity Controls and the Google Data & Privacy center for these updates.

  1. Go to the Google Activity Controls page.
  2. Make sure the boxes next to Include voice and audio activity and Include Chrome history and activity from sites, apps, and devices that use Google services are unchecked.
  3. Scroll down to YouTube History. You can stop sharing your YouTube history by clicking on the Turn off button.
  4. Under the YouTube Subsettings, you can also uncheck the boxes for Include the YouTube videos you watch and Include your searches on YouTube.
  5. On this same page, you can also click the Turn off Location history button and Web & App Activity button. Be sure to check your Ad personalization settings as well (this opens a new page).
  6. Now go to the Google Data & Privacy page.
  7. Scroll through the settings and click Pause on anything you don’t want Google to track.

Manage Google Activity Controls
Manage Google Activity Controls

Manage Google Data & Privacy
Manage Google Data & Privacy

Double-check all your settings As a recommendation, you may want to turn off all tracking settings and pause all privacy options for optimal security. If you don't want your data tracked, going through all these settings is the best way to prevent it.

How to find and delete your saved Google activity

When you want to adjust your activity data settings, you can make changes at any time by going to the Google Activity Controls or Data & Privacy settings. Here, you can set your data up to auto-delete if you don’t want to worry about checking your history often or just want to simplify the process.

You can see what activity data Google saves and what you want to turn off with a few simple steps.

  1. Go to your Google Activity Controls page. This page displays how Google is automatically set to save your browsing data, app activity, location, and more.
  2. Check the bottom of each section to see all the activity Google saved and delete it.
  3. Review the selections in each section and decide if you want any of the settings changed.
  4. Go to the Google Data & Privacy center. Here, you’ll see a list of settings that displays what you have paused and settings that are still active.
  5. Remember to check each section carefully and pause anything you don’t want tracked.

Auto-delete your Google activity 

When you want to set your Google activity to auto-delete, you can go the Data & privacy section of your Google Account:

Under the History settings, click on Web & App Activity, Location History, and YouTube History, then click Auto-delete. Click Next, then Confirm.

How to change your privacy settings on Android

If you use an Android device, you should find the same Google privacy options above. Depending on the make and model of your device, you may have additional privacy settings and permissions to configure.

For example, with a Samsung Galaxy S10, you can update the following privacy settings:

A screenshot of the Android OS for a Samsung Galaxy S10 cell phone in dark mode. It shows the Privacy settings available for change.

  • Customization Service: Personalizes ads based on your interests, location, and app usage data.
  • Send diagnostic data: Sends information about bugs or errors you experience while using your device. (You'll need to uncheck the two options under this setting to disable it.)

A screenshot of the Android OS on a Samsung Galaxy S10 cell phone in dark mode. The Send diagnostic data window is open, showing the agreement options unchecked to disable diagnostic data from being sent.

  • Android personalization service: Customizes content based on your app usage.
  • Android System Intelligence: Device learning that makes suggestions based on the people, apps, and content you interact with.
  • Autofill service from Google: Automatically fills online forms with your information, such as name, address, and credit card number.

Other privacy and security settings on your Android device may include ad settings, browsing history, Google search, and Google location history.

How to change your Microsoft Windows privacy settings

If you use Microsoft products, you can update your privacy settings to turn off data collection.

You may want to adjust your speech recognition data tracking as well. Microsoft’s speech features listen to your voice input to collect voice data, which includes details about your voice. And when the Windows Voice activation setting is on, your device listens for certain keywords. If the device hears the keyword, it will continue to listen for your voice.

You can also update your app activity regarding which applications launch and how often they are accessed. The software you use can get tracked, and some users would prefer that, for their privacy, Microsoft not have that data.

Changing your Microsoft privacy settings is a breeze if you know the correct steps to follow.

Your online browsing behavior in Microsoft Edge can be tracked with cookies

Learn how to remove cookies, clear cache, and delete browsing history in the Microsoft Edge browser.

How to change your Windows 10 privacy settings

Microsoft saves your data and uses it to give you a more personalized experience. It also uses your data for marketing purposes and to show you ads for things you might like based on your saved history. If you’re not interested in that experience, you can update your preferences to change what data Microsoft saves.

  1. Go to your Settings by clicking on the Start menu.
  2. Click on Privacy.
  3. You'll see a page with links to various privacy settings.
  4. You can choose which privacy settings you want to adjust. We recommend clearing your Activity history and Location data. 
  5. You can choose to update additional settings, like Speech and Advertising data.

A screenshot of the Windows 10 Start menu and the Settings option highlighted.

A screenshot of the Windows 10 settings window with Privacy selected and the option to change different privacy settings.

How to change your Windows 11 privacy settings

You can alter the information you share with Microsoft in Windows 11 just like you can with Windows 10. The steps are very similar, and you will be able to update your privacy settings as you wish.

  1. Click the Start menu button. (It looks like a blue windowpane and is located to the left of the search bar. You can also press the Windows shortcut on your keyboard.)
  2. Navigate to Settings and click the gray cog.
  3. Navigate to Privacy & security
  4. As with Windows 10, you will see a list of privacy options you can update to reflect what you want Microsoft to save and track.
  5. We recommend updating permissions for Activity history and Search permissions first. 

Windows 11 privacy and security settings

Change your privacy settings for Xbox, Microsoft Office, Skype, and more 

You can access your privacy settings and change multiple Microsoft apps and devices by signing into your Microsoft account. Simply use the link to the Microsoft account privacy controls page to make changes.

How to change your Apple privacy settings

Apple collects your personal information depending on how you interact with its products. That could be connecting to their services like the App Store or contacting customer support for help with your device. 

Your personal information and payment selection are data that can be tracked and saved. Sometimes, even your social media interactions may get tracked.

Sometimes, Apple will ask you to share information from your devices for analytics purposes.

That data includes your operating system, performance, and hardware specs. Although none of the data collected identifies you personally, if you don’t want to share that information, you can turn it off on your Apple device.

If you decide that you don’t want Apple tracking your ad history, you can disable this setting on your iPhone or Macbook with a few easy steps.

How to disable ad tracking and data sharing on iPhone

Disable ad tracking on iPhone

  1. Tap the Settings app on your iPhone. Find and choose the Screen Time tab.
  2. Select Content & Privacy Restrictions.
  3. Toggle on Content & Privacy Restrictions and block the ad tracking on your iPhone.

iOS click Content and Privacy Restrictions

iOS select which settings to allow in Content and Privacy Restrictions

Turn off data sharing on iPhone

  1. Tap the Settings app on your iPhone.
  2. Navigate to Privacy & Security.
  3. Tap Analytics & Improvements. Choose whether to turn off Share iPhone Analytics.

iOS Privacy and Security settings

iOS select Analytics & Improvements to manage data sharing

iOS manage data sharing and tracking

How to disable ad tracking and data sharing on macOS

Disable ad tracking on macOS

  1. Go to your System Preferences under the Apple logo at the top of your Mac device.
  2. Click Security & Privacy, then choose the Privacy tab.
  3. Make sure Apple Advertising is highlighted on the left of the screen.
  4. Remove the checkmark for Personalized Ads.

A screenshot of the macOS Security & Privacy settings with the Privacy tab selected and in dark mode. Two red arrows point to the highlighted Apple Advertising option and the unchecked Personalized Ads option.

Turn off data sharing on macOS

  1. Go to the Apple logo and choose System Preferences.
  2. Select the Security & Privacy option.
  3. From there, you will see the Security & Privacy menu. If you see a lock at the bottom left of the screen, click it to make any changes.
  4. Go to Analytics & Improvements and deselect Share Mac Analytics and Share with App Developers

How to turn off Siri

If you have an iPhone, you may have used Siri to make life a little simpler by voicing commands or asking Siri for instructions to a destination.

Many people enjoy the convenience of using Siri’s functionality, but some people don’t want Siri turned on because they don’t find it useful. 

When you ask Siri a question, you may not get an answer, or you might get an answer about how Siri found an article on the web for you. And if you use Siri for voice-activated texting, you still need to check for typos because it can end up making no sense at all.

If you would like to disable Siri, it only takes a few steps.

Turn off Siri on iPhone

  1. Go to Settings on your iPhone.
  2. Go to Siri.
  3. Make sure the Talk to Siri is toggled off.

If you’ve used Siri and want to delete the history, you can access it from the same Settings menu option.

Delete Siri history on iPhone

  1. From Siri, go to Siri & Dictation History.
  2. Click on Delete Siri & Dictation History.

Turn off Siri on macOS

  1. From your Macbook, go to the Apple logo and choose System Preferences.
  2. Select Siri, then Delete Siri & Dictation History.

A screenshot of the Mac options for Siri in dark mode. Two red arrows point to the unchecked box for Enable Ask Siri and the grayed out option to Delete Siri & Dictation History.

Online safety tools

If you’ve adjusted all of your privacy settings and want some additional ways to protect your information online, you can use ad blockers, VPNs, or data removal services to protect yourself. Some cybersecurity suites, like Surfshark One and Aura, include all three services and more. 

  • DeleteMe: DeleteMe scans data-sharing sites for your information and helps remove your personal details. DeleteMe also offers masking tools, which hide info like your phone number and credit card number so data brokers can’t snag them. | Read Our DeleteMe Review

    4.9
    Privacy Protection
    DeleteMe
    • Removes your data from the web to avoid scams, spam and stalkers
    • 100+ million successful opt-out removals
    • Provides continued removals every three months
    Learn More

  • Incogni: Incogni works to remove your personal data from brokerage sites, which helps prevent fraud, targeting, and spam. If you get a lot of robocalls or want better protection from scams, Incogni’s personal data removal service can make it harder for scammers to contact you. Incogni data removal service can also be bundled with Surfshark's VPN, antivirus, and ad blocker as part of a Surshark One+ subscription. | Read Our Incogni Review

    4.8
    All-In-One
    Surfshark One
    • Blocks ads and pop-ups, including cookie consent requests, while browsing
    • Can also browse ad-free without a digital footprint with the Surfshark Search engine
    • All-in-one app includes VPN, antivirus scans, alternative ID creation, malware protection, and more on unlimited devices
    Learn More

  • NordVPN: Most of us use public Wi-Fi these days, but it’s a security risk to use an unprotected network. NordVPN encrypts your web browsing so that advertisers and trackers can’t access it undetected. Nord Security's top-rated VPN also includes advanced web protection and ad blocking with Threat Protection. | Read Our NordVPN Review

    5.0
    VPN
    NordVPN
    • #1 rated VPN with over 7,000 ultra-secure, high-speed servers in 118 countries
    • Reliably unblock popular streaming services like Netflix with a single click
    • Excellent all-in-one security product with antivirus, ad blocker, password manager, and more
    Learn More

  • Aura: As part of its AI-powered cybersecurity suite, Aura offers identity theft protection services, ID theft insurance, data removal, credit monitoring, antivirus software, an ad blocker, a password manager, and a basic VPN. With the family plan, there's the option to add parental controls for complete online protection. | Read Our Aura Review

    4.8
    Identity Protection
    Aura Identity Theft
    • #1 rated ID theft protection service with a full suite of monitoring tools
    • Includes up to $1 million in ID theft insurance for up to five adults
    • Protect your children with robust parental controls and gaming alerts
    Learn More

FAQs

How do I stop Google from sharing my searches?

You can stop Google from sharing your searches by going to myactivity.google.com and turning off Web & App Activity.

What privacy settings should I use for Microsoft?

You should turn off the following Microsoft privacy settings if you want to keep your personal information and searches private:

  • Let apps use my advertising ID for experience across apps
  • Location
  • Let apps use my camera
  • Let apps use my microphone

Also, disable the Speech and Inking & typing personalization settings. 

The Communicate with unpaired devices (or Synced devices) setting in the Other devices tab should also be turned off, as it leaves a potential entry point for hackers who are within wireless range of the device.

Additionally, since a VPN encrypts data, security-minded users purchase a subscription to one for an extra layer of privacy.

What privacy settings should I have on my iPhone?

If you would rather Apple not track your data, you want to turn off:

  • Location tracking
  • iPhone analytics
  • Ad tracking

Bottom line

When you reset your phone or computer, your privacy settings may go to their original default settings, and you want to be sure you set them back to your preferences. Most devices come with multiple privacy options, but customizing them gives you the ability to choose how and if your data gets shared.

If you’ve made all the privacy setting changes we’ve gone over and still feel you want a little more data security, you can use tools like VPNs and ad blockers. To remove your personal data from the internet and improve your online privacy, consider one of the best data removal services.

4.9
Editorial Rating
Learn More
On DeleteMe's website
Privacy Protection
DeleteMe
Get 20% off with code PARTNER20
  • Removes your data from the web to avoid scams, spam and stalkers
  • 100+ million successful opt-out removals
  • Provides continued removals every three months
Author Details
Patti Croft is a seasoned writer specializing in technology, with three years of experience. With a B.S. in Computer Science and a background as a technical analyst and security specialist, she covers a range of topics like data security and parental control software.