How to Reset AI Personalization Settings in Windows?

Windows 11 is packed with AI features that learn from your behavior, your voice, your typing habits, and even what’s on your screen. While these features can feel helpful, many users have no idea how much data Windows is quietly collecting in the background. If you’ve ever felt like your PC knows too much about you, you’re not imagining it.

Microsoft has built AI personalization deep into Windows 11 through tools like Copilot, Recall, the Advertising ID, speech recognition, inking data, and diagnostic feedback systems. These features work together to build a profile of how you use your device.

The good news? You can reset, clear, or disable most of these settings yourself, without needing any technical expertise.

This guide walks you through every major AI personalization setting in Windows, exactly where to find it, and exactly how to reset or turn it off.

In a Nutshell

• Windows 11 collects AI personalization data through multiple channels, including Copilot, Recall, Advertising ID, speech, inking and typing, and diagnostic feedback. Resetting one setting is not enough — you need to address each layer separately.
• Recall is one of the most invasive AI features in Windows 11. It takes periodic screenshots of your activity and uses AI to make that content searchable. You can delete all stored snapshots and disable the feature entirely from Settings > Privacy & Security > Recall & Snapshots.
• Your Advertising ID is a unique tracker that feeds personalized ads to apps across Windows. Turning it off stops apps from targeting you based on your behavior. You can reset or disable it from Settings > Privacy & Security > General.
• Copilot stores conversation history, memory data, and model training contributions tied to your Microsoft account. You can delete all Copilot activity history, turn off personalization, and disconnect third-party connectors directly through the Copilot privacy dashboard.
• Speech, inking, and typing personalization each build separate data profiles on your device. Turning them off clears your custom word lists and stops Windows from sending voice data to Microsoft’s cloud servers.
• Diagnostic and feedback data gives Microsoft a broad view of how you use your PC. Switching from “Optional” to “Required only” diagnostics significantly reduces the amount of behavioral data that leaves your device.

Why AI Personalization Settings Matter in Windows?

Windows 11 is Microsoft’s most AI-integrated operating system to date. Microsoft describes it as an “AI PC” platform, and that label is accurate. From the moment you boot up, features like Copilot, Recall, the Advertising ID, and cloud-backed speech recognition are either active or waiting to be activated.

AI personalization means the system is learning from your behavior to deliver experiences that feel more tailored to you. That includes personalized ads in apps, smarter autocomplete suggestions, voice commands that recognize your speech patterns, and a searchable history of your screen activity through Recall.

The problem is that most users never consented to this in a meaningful way. These settings are often turned on by default or buried deep in the Settings menu. Resetting your AI personalization settings is not about turning off useful technology. It is about making sure you decide what data Windows keeps, what it sends to Microsoft, and what gets used to train AI models you may never interact with again.

The steps in this guide apply primarily to Windows 11, which is the version where AI personalization is most deeply integrated. Some steps also apply to Windows 10, but the focus here is on helping Windows 11 users take control.

Understanding What Windows AI Personalization Collects

Before you can reset anything, it helps to understand what you’re dealing with. Windows 11 does not have a single “AI personalization” toggle. Instead, it spreads data collection across multiple independent systems, and each one needs to be addressed on its own.

The Advertising ID is a unique identifier assigned to your user account. Apps on your device can read this ID and use it to serve you ads that match your interests. Recall is an AI feature on Copilot+ PCs that periodically screenshots your screen and stores a searchable visual memory of your PC activity. Copilot personalization uses your chat history, connected accounts, and interaction data to shape Copilot’s responses. Speech recognition sends your voice to Microsoft’s cloud when online recognition is enabled. Inking and typing personalization builds a custom vocabulary from the words you type and write. Diagnostic and feedback data sends usage information about your device behavior to Microsoft servers.

Each of these systems stores different types of data and requires different steps to reset. This is why a single guide covering all of them is so valuable. Let’s go through each one systematically.

How to Reset the Advertising ID in Windows?

The Advertising ID is one of the most straightforward things to reset in Windows. It works like a tracking cookie for apps — it lets developers and ad networks identify you across different apps on your device and deliver targeted advertising.

Turning off the Advertising ID does not mean you will see fewer ads. It means the ads you see will not be based on your personal usage data. If you turn it back on later, Windows will issue a fresh Advertising ID, effectively resetting the profile associated with you.

Here are the steps to reset your Advertising ID:

1. Press Win + I to open the Settings app.
2. Click on Privacy & Security in the left sidebar.
3. Click on General under Windows permissions.
4. Find the toggle labeled Let apps show me personalized ads by using my advertising ID.
5. Turn this toggle Off to stop apps from reading your ID.
6. To reset the ID entirely, turn it back On once and then Off again. This generates a new Advertising ID, clearing the old profile.

While you are in this section, also review these additional toggles in the General settings panel. Turn off Let websites show me locally relevant content by accessing my language list, turn off Let Windows improve Start and search results by tracking app launches, and turn off Show me suggested content in the Settings app. Each of these feeds data into Windows’ personalization engine, so disabling them together has a stronger effect.

How to Disable and Reset Recall AI Snapshots?

Recall is one of the most talked-about AI features Microsoft has introduced in recent years. It runs on Copilot+ PCs and takes periodic screenshots of your screen activity. These snapshots are stored locally on your device and made searchable using AI, so you can theoretically “go back” and find anything you saw on your screen.

The privacy concern is significant. Everything you do on your PC — bank account details, medical information, private messages, login pages — could potentially be captured in a Recall snapshot. While Recall stores data locally rather than sending it to Microsoft servers, the idea of a searchable visual log of your entire computer activity makes many users uncomfortable.

Here is how to stop Recall from saving new snapshots and delete everything it has already stored:

1. Press Win + I to open Settings.
2. Go to Privacy & Security.
3. Scroll down and click on Recall & Snapshots.
4. Toggle Save snapshots to Off. This immediately stops Recall from capturing new screenshots.
5. To delete stored snapshots, expand the Delete snapshots section.
6. Select Delete all to remove every snapshot Recall has saved.
7. To delete snapshots from a specific time period only, use the dropdown menu to choose from the past hour, 24 hours, 7 days, or 30 days, then click Delete snapshots.

Note that you will need to confirm these changes using your Windows Hello credentials (fingerprint, PIN, or facial recognition). This is a security measure Microsoft put in place to prevent unauthorized deletion or changes. Once deleted, those snapshots cannot be recovered, so make sure you are ready before you confirm.

You can also set a maximum storage duration. Under Maximum storage duration, you can configure Recall to automatically delete snapshots after 30, 60, 90, or 180 days, so it never accumulates more than you are comfortable with.

How to Reset Copilot Personalization Data?

Copilot is Microsoft’s AI assistant and it is deeply embedded in Windows 11. It remembers your conversations, connects to your Microsoft account, and can even link to third-party services like Google Drive and Gmail through its Connectors feature. All of this builds a personal data profile that Copilot uses to shape its responses.

Resetting Copilot personalization means deleting its memory, clearing your conversation history, and turning off model training contributions. Here is how to do it step by step.

First, open the Copilot app on your Windows 11 device or visit copilot.microsoft.com in your browser. Sign in with your Microsoft account.

1. Click on your profile photo or name in the top right corner.
2. Select Privacy from the dropdown menu.
3. Toggle off Model training on text to stop your interactions from being used to improve Copilot’s AI models.
4. Toggle off Model training on voice if you use voice input with Copilot.
5. Toggle off Personalization and memory to stop Copilot from remembering details about you across sessions.
6. Click Delete memory to immediately clear everything Copilot currently remembers about you.
7. Click Export or delete history. This opens a browser page where you can select Delete all activity history for these categories: Copilot app activity history, Copilot in Microsoft 365 apps, and Copilot in Windows apps.

After clearing your history, go back to your Copilot profile settings and click on Connectors. Review all connected services and toggle off everything that is linked, including OneDrive, Outlook, Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Calendar. These connections allow Copilot to pull data from multiple platforms, so disconnecting them significantly reduces the amount of personal information it can access.

How to Hide and Limit Copilot in Windows 11?

Even after resetting Copilot’s personalization data, the icon and feature remain active on your taskbar by default. You can limit its visibility and reduce its footprint on your system without needing to fully uninstall it.

For personal accounts, complete removal of Copilot is not possible through the standard Settings menu. However, you can hide its visual presence and disable its key features across apps.

1. Press Win + I to open Settings.
2. Go to Personalization and click on Taskbar.
3. Find the Copilot toggle and switch it Off. This removes the Copilot button from your taskbar.

For Copilot inside individual apps like Notepad or Microsoft 365, you need to disable it separately within each application. In Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, or OneNote, go to File > Options > Copilot and uncheck the Enable Copilot box. If that option is not visible, go to File > Account > Account Privacy > Manage Settings > Connected experiences and uncheck Turn on experiences that analyze your content.

Enterprise users have more control and can fully remove Copilot by going to Settings > Apps > Installed apps, selecting Copilot, and clicking Uninstall. IT administrators can also remove it system-wide using a PowerShell command for organization-wide deployment control.

For Windows users who want to disable Copilot permanently through Group Policy, open the Group Policy Editor by pressing Win + R, typing gpedit.msc, and pressing Enter. Then go to User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Copilot and set Turn off Windows Copilot to Enabled.

How to Reset Speech Recognition and Voice Personalization?

Windows 11 supports two types of speech recognition: device-based and online. Device-based speech recognition processes your voice entirely on your PC and sends nothing to Microsoft. Online speech recognition sends your voice data to Microsoft’s cloud servers to improve accuracy.

If you have online speech recognition enabled, your voice is being transmitted to Microsoft every time you use it. Resetting your speech personalization involves turning off online recognition and managing voice clip contributions.

1. Press Win + I to open Settings.
2. Go to Privacy & Security.
3. Click on Speech.
4. Toggle Online speech recognition to Off. This stops Windows from sending your voice data to Microsoft’s cloud.

To manage voice clip contributions — which are optional recordings that help Microsoft train speech models — open voice typing by pressing Win + H, click the Settings gear icon, and follow the link to stop contributing voice clips.

You should also review your Voice Activation settings. Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Voice Activation. Here you can turn off Let apps access voice activation services entirely, or review which individual apps have permission to listen for voice keywords. Toggle off any apps that do not need voice activation to function.

Disabling online speech recognition does not eliminate useful voice tools. Features like Narrator still work because they use device-based recognition. The tradeoff is slightly less accurate voice dictation, but significantly better control over where your voice data goes.

How to Reset Inking and Typing Personalization?

Every time you type a word or write something using a stylus in Windows, the operating system may be adding it to a custom word list. This list is associated with your Microsoft account and can sync across devices. Windows uses it to improve autocomplete and inking accuracy for you specifically.

While this sounds helpful, it also means Windows is maintaining a detailed vocabulary profile tied to your account. Resetting this clears your custom word list and stops Windows from adding new words to it.

1. Press Win + I to open Settings.
2. Go to Privacy & Security.
3. Click on Inking & typing personalization.
4. Toggle off Custom inking and typing word list.

Turning this off immediately clears your existing word list. Your autocomplete and ink recognition will fall back to the system defaults, which means it may feel slightly less personalized at first. Over time, the standard dictionary handles most common words well.

This is a particularly important step for users who regularly type sensitive information — medical terms, legal language, financial jargon, or personal names — that they do not want stored in any kind of Microsoft-linked profile. The custom word list is small but persistent, and many users never realize it exists until they look for it.

How to Reset Diagnostic and Feedback Data?

Windows 11 collects two types of diagnostic data: Required and Optional. Required diagnostic data is the baseline information Microsoft collects from every Windows device. It covers basic device health and cannot be fully disabled for regular users. Optional diagnostic data, on the other hand, includes much more detailed behavioral information — how you use apps, which features you interact with, and browsing activity within Microsoft products.

The goal here is to switch from Optional to Required, which significantly reduces the behavioral data Microsoft receives from your device.

1. Press Win + I to open Settings.
2. Go to Privacy & Security.
3. Click on Diagnostics & feedback.
4. Under Diagnostic data, select Send required diagnostic data only. This turns off the optional layer.
5. Turn off Tailored experiences — this stops Microsoft from using your diagnostic data to offer personalized tips, ads, and recommendations.
6. Turn off Improve inking & typing recognition — this stops Windows from sending your inking and typing data to Microsoft through the diagnostics pipeline.
7. Scroll down and click Delete diagnostic data. This removes the diagnostic data Microsoft has already collected from your device from its servers.

You will see a confirmation message when the deletion request is processed. This does not guarantee immediate deletion from all Microsoft systems, but it submits the request through Microsoft’s official data deletion process.

Regularly checking this section is a good habit. Windows updates sometimes reset optional diagnostic data back to “on” without clear notification, so it is worth checking after major Windows updates.

How to Disable AI Search Personalization and Bing Integration?

Windows 11’s Start menu search is powered partly by Bing AI, which means search results may include web results personalized to your query history and Microsoft account data. If you prefer your search to stay local, you can limit or disable this Bing integration.

To reduce search personalization:

1. Press Win + I to open Settings.
2. Go to Privacy & Security.
3. Click on Searching Windows.
4. Review the Find My Files setting and limit indexing if needed.
5. Scroll down and turn off Show search highlights to remove AI-curated content from your search panel.

To remove Bing results from the Start menu search entirely, you can use the Registry Editor. Press Win + R, type regedit, and press Enter. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Search. Right-click in the right panel, select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value, name it BingSearchEnabled, and set its value to 0. This disables Bing web results from appearing in your Windows search.

You should also visit Bing.com directly if you use it for web search. Go to Settings > Search > Personalization and turn off personalization to reduce tailored suggestions and AI-driven search nudges. Clear your Bing search history from your Microsoft account dashboard to reset any existing behavioral profile.

How to Reset Device Usage and Personalization Preferences?

During Windows 11 setup, Microsoft asks you to select how you plan to use your device — for gaming, creativity, business, education, and so on. This information is used to personalize your Start menu, app recommendations, and content suggestions across Windows.

If you selected options during setup that no longer reflect how you use your PC, or if you simply want to clear this data, you can reset your Device Usage preferences.

1. Press Win + I to open Settings.
2. Click on Personalization in the left sidebar.
3. Click on Device usage.
4. Uncheck all the boxes that are currently selected. This removes all your stated usage preferences and stops Windows from using them to personalize your experience.

You can also select new preferences here if you want a different personalization profile rather than a blank one. Unchecking everything is the cleanest reset because it stops Windows from using a categorized profile to push specific app recommendations, tips, and content toward you.

This is a quick step that takes less than a minute, but it removes a meaningful layer of behavioral targeting from your Windows experience. It is especially useful after buying a new PC or after inheriting a device from someone else.

How to Reset Gaming Copilot Personalization in Xbox Game Bar?

If you play games on your Windows PC, there is another AI system you may not have noticed: Gaming Copilot. This feature lives inside the Xbox Game Bar (Win + G) and is designed to provide AI-powered tips while you play. It takes screenshots of your gameplay to understand what is happening and offer contextual suggestions.

Gaming Copilot can use your text interactions for model training, which means your in-game chats, commands, and behavior can contribute to Microsoft’s AI training data.

To reset and limit Gaming Copilot:

1. Press Win + G to open the Xbox Game Bar.
2. Click on the Settings gear icon.
3. Go to Privacy settings.
4. Click on Gaming Copilot.
5. Toggle off Model training on text to stop your gaming interactions from being used for AI training.

Important note: As of the latest Windows 11 updates, there is currently no way to fully remove Gaming Copilot from the Xbox Game Bar. You cannot prevent it from using voice interactions for model training either. The safest approach is simply not to interact with Gaming Copilot at all if you are concerned about this type of data collection.

To reduce its visual presence, you can remove the Gaming Copilot widget from the Game Bar widget list by clicking the widget layout options in Game Bar settings and unpinning it from your default layout.

How to Manage Copilot Personalization in Microsoft Edge?

Microsoft Edge has its own layer of Copilot personalization that operates separately from the Windows-level settings. Edge’s built-in Copilot can learn from your browsing context, your visited pages, and your interaction patterns to deliver more relevant AI suggestions in the browser.

If you use Edge regularly, resetting its Copilot personalization is an important step that many guides overlook.

1. Open Microsoft Edge.
2. Click the three-dot menu (More) in the top right corner.
3. Go to Settings.
4. Click on Privacy, search, and services.
5. Scroll down and look for Copilot-related settings.
6. Turn off Allow Microsoft to use data from your browser history for personalizing Copilot if this option appears.
7. Alternatively, go to Settings > Appearance > Copilot and click on Privacy to toggle off personalized suggestions from Copilot in Edge.

You should also clear your Edge browsing history and cookies as part of this reset. Go to Settings > Privacy, search, and services > Clear browsing data and select All time as the time range. Check Browsing history, Cookies and other site data, and Cached images and files, then click Clear now.

Clearing Edge data does not remove your Bing search history, which is tied to your Microsoft account. To clear that, visit your Microsoft account’s privacy dashboard at account.microsoft.com, go to Privacy, and delete your search history from there.

How to Do a Full Privacy Reset Using Windows Settings?

If you want to go through all privacy settings in one organized session rather than hunting through individual menus, Windows 11 offers a reasonably logical Privacy & Security section that groups most of the key settings together.

Here is a recommended order to work through all privacy settings efficiently:

1. Press Win + I and go to Privacy & Security.
2. Start with General — disable the Advertising ID, app launch tracking, and suggested content.
3. Move to Speech — disable online speech recognition.
4. Go to Inking & typing personalization — disable the custom word list.
5. Open Diagnostics & feedback — set to Required only, disable tailored experiences, and delete existing diagnostic data.
6. Click on Voice activation — review and restrict app-level voice access.
7. Open Recall & Snapshots (on Copilot+ PCs) — turn off Save snapshots and delete all stored snapshots.
8. Go back to Personalization > Device usage — uncheck all usage categories.
9. Open Taskbar and toggle off Copilot.
10. Finally, open the Copilot app or web portal and clear conversation history, memory, and model training preferences.

Working through this list in order ensures you do not miss any major AI personalization system. The entire process takes about 15 to 20 minutes on most devices. After completing it, your Windows installation will have a much smaller AI personalization footprint, and your data will no longer be actively used to train or feed Microsoft’s AI systems in most areas.

Set a reminder to repeat this check every 3 to 6 months. Windows updates can sometimes re-enable optional settings, and new AI features may be added that require their own adjustments.

FAQs

What is AI personalization in Windows 11?

AI personalization in Windows 11 refers to a collection of features and settings that collect data about your behavior — your typing patterns, voice input, screen activity, app usage, and search history — to make your PC experience feel more customized. Tools like Copilot, Recall, the Advertising ID, speech recognition, and diagnostic data all contribute to this personalization layer. Microsoft uses this data to deliver targeted suggestions, ads, and AI-assisted features across Windows and connected services.

Does resetting AI personalization settings delete my files?

No. Resetting AI personalization settings does not delete your personal files, apps, or documents. It only clears the behavioral data Windows has collected about how you use your device. Things like Recall snapshots, Copilot conversation history, your custom typing word list, and diagnostic data are removed, but your photos, documents, and installed programs remain completely untouched.

Will disabling AI personalization make my PC slower?

In most cases, disabling AI personalization settings will not make your PC slower, and in some cases it may slightly improve performance. Features like Recall actively take screenshots and index them in the background, which uses storage space and processing power. Turning off optional diagnostic data, speech cloud processing, and Recall can free up system resources, particularly on lower-end machines.

Can I reset AI personalization settings on Windows 10?

Some steps apply to Windows 10 as well, particularly settings related to the Advertising ID, diagnostic data, and inking and typing personalization. However, features like Recall and the newer Copilot integrations are specific to Windows 11. In Windows 10, go to Settings > Privacy and work through each category — the layout is slightly different but the options are similar.

Does turning off the Advertising ID stop all ads in Windows apps?

Turning off the Advertising ID stops apps from using your personalized profile to target ads at you. However, it does not stop ads from appearing in apps entirely. You may still see ads, but they will be generic rather than based on your usage data. If you turn the Advertising ID back on later, Windows generates a fresh ID, which effectively resets the targeting profile from scratch.

How often should I check my AI personalization settings in Windows?

It is a good idea to check your AI personalization settings every 3 to 6 months. Major Windows updates can sometimes reset certain privacy preferences, re-enable optional diagnostic data, or introduce new AI features with their own personalization settings. Building a quick privacy settings review into your routine maintenance schedule helps you stay in control of your data over time.

Does deleting Recall snapshots permanently remove the data?

Yes. When you delete Recall snapshots through Settings > Privacy & Security > Recall & Snapshots > Delete all, the snapshots are removed from your local device storage permanently. Because Recall stores data locally rather than in the cloud, the deleted snapshots are gone from your device and are not backed up to Microsoft’s servers. You will need to confirm the deletion using your Windows Hello credentials before it processes.