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Disable app access to personal information

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Works with Windows 10 and 11Works with Windows Vista, XP, 7, 8, 10, 11, and Windows Server 2008 or newer.
  • Windows onlyThis script improves your privacy on Windows
  • Multiple actionsThis page belongs to a category, containing some changes with similar goal.
  • Impact: Minimum

    System Functionality / Data Loss Risk: Low

    This action improves privacy with minimal impact when you run the recommended script.

  • Batch (batchfile)These changes use Windows system commands to update your settings.
  • 32 scripts
  • 4 categories
  • Administrator rights requiredThis script requires privilege access to do the system changes
  • Fully reversible

    You can fully restore this action (revert back to the original behavior) using this website.

    The restore/revert methods provided here can help you fix issues.

Overview​

This category enhances your privacy by restricting app access to sensitive personal data. These scripts enable you to enforce the principle of least privilege ensuring that apps only have access to the information absolutely necessary for their legitimate function, thereby minimizing potential data misuse.

It specifically targets UWP (Universal Windows Platform) apps. These apps can be both native system apps 1 and third-party apps 2. They are typically available through the Microsoft Store 1 2. These scripts only affect UWP apps, not desktop applications outside the UWP ecosystem.

By disabling default app access to personal information and requiring explicit user permission, these scripts protect your security and privacy.

Caution

Disabling app access may affect the functionality of certain Microsoft Store, third-party, and system applications.

Safe for General Use
This script has Normal protection level option. This is recommended for all users to improve without any noticeable impact on the system functionality.
Sources
PrivacyLearn.com maintains strict sourcing standards for accuracy, integrity and up-to-date content. Our content relies on authoritative sources including vendor documentation, industry standards, and verified research. Learn more about our verification process and quality standards in our editorial standards page.

Apply Now​

Choose one of two ways to apply:

Download script​

Download and run the script directly
  • No app needed
  • Offline usage
  • Easy-to-apply
  • Free
  • Open-source

Normal — Everyday Privacy (Enterprise-Grade)​

  • Recommended for all
  • Safe for daily use
  • No impact on system stability

Read more about Normal and other protection levels

Help

How to apply or restore "Disable app access to personal information" using script​

  • ≈ 2 min to complete
  • Tools: Web Browser
  • Difficulty: Simple
  • ≈ 6 instructions
  1. 1

    Choose protection

    Choose one of the options with different impact levels:

    • Normal

      Some safe changes minimal system impact.

    • High

      Some potentially impactful changes with moderate system impact.

    • Maximum

      Some impactful changes with high system impact.
  2. 2

    Download

    Download the script file by clicking on the   Apply protection  button above.
    Use   Undo protection button above to restore changes.
  3. 3

    Keep the file

    If warned by your browser, keep the file.
  4. 4

    Open

    Open the downloaded file.
  5. 5

    Exit

    Once it's done, press any key to exit the window.
  6. 6

    Restart

    Restart your computer for all changes to take effect.

Apply with privacy.sexy​

Guided, automated application with safety checks
  • Recommended for most users
  • Includes safety checks
  • Shows the code
  • Free
  • Open-source
  • Popular
  • Offline/Online usage
Open privacy.sexy
Help

How to apply or restore "Disable app access to personal information" using privacy.sexy​

  • ≈ 3 min to complete
  • Tools: privacy.sexy
  • Difficulty: Simple
  • ≈ 4 instructions
privacy.sexy is free and open-source application that lets securely apply this action easily with more advanced options.
  1. 1

    Open or download

    Open or download the desktop application
  2. 2

    Choose script

    1. Search for the category name: Disable app access to personal information
    2. Check the category by clicking on the checkbox of the category.

    Applying Normal to limit the impact.

  3. 3

    Run

    Click on ▶️ Run button at the bottom of the page.

    This button only appears on desktop version (recommended). On browser, use 💾 Save button.

Explore This Guide​

  • 32 Privacy settings
  • 4 Main categories
    • These settings are organized into 4 main categories for easy navigation.
    • Each main category contains subcategories, helping you find specific settings you might want to adjust.
  • 4 Total categories

Choose what to protect based on your needs:

Click any option to learn more about what it does.

Each change can be applied and reversed individually.

  • Some settings and commands may require technical knowledge to apply correctly.
  • Most users find the Normal protection above sufficient.

Disable app access to your files

This category limits the access of Windows apps to various user-specific folders and other file systems. It enhances privacy by restricting apps from accessing and manipulating files without explicit user permission.

Disable app access to phone

This category contains scripts that restrict app access to phone-related functionalities. They protect your privacy and security by ensuring communication details remain private and are accessible only when necessary.

Disable app access to Bluetooth devices

This category enhances user privacy by blocking unauthorized access to Bluetooth devices through Windows apps. It restricts Bluetooth connections, preventing apps from initiating unwanted communication or data exchange.

Disable app voice activation

This category safeguards against unauthorized app activation via voice commands. It includes measures to disable voice activation for apps, ensuring that apps cannot be triggered by voice and start listening without explicit user permission. This protects your security against potential eavesdropping or accidental triggering of applications.

Disable app access to location

This script prevents Windows apps from accessing your location. It restricts access to location-specific network information and sensors, enhancing your privacy and security. This script configures: Windows policy ("LetAppsAccessLocation") • Privacy settings user interface ("BFA794E4-F964-4FDB-90F6-51056BFE4B44", "location") • Location Services ("E6AD100E-5F4E-44CD-BE0F-2265D88D14F5", "lfsvc")

Disable app access to account information, name, and picture

This script prevents Windows apps from accessing account information. This includes your name and picture. By limiting this access, the script enhances your privacy by protecting against potential misuse of personal details by apps. This script configures: Windows policy ("LetAppsAccessAccountInfo") • Privacy settings user interface ("C1D23ACC-752B-43E5-8448-8D0E519CD6D6", "userAccountInformation")

Disable app access to motion activity

This script prevents Windows apps from accessing motion data. By running this script, you improve your privacy by preventing apps from automatically tracking physical movements without permission. This script configures: Windows policy ("LetAppsAccessMotion"). • Privacy settings user interface ("activity").

Disable app access to trusted devices

This script prevents Windows apps from accessing trusted devices. It restricts apps from automatically connecting to or controlling trusted devices without your permission, enhancing privacy protection. This script configures: Windows policy ("LetAppsAccessTrustedDevices")

Disable app access to unpaired wireless devices

This script prevents Windows apps from communicating with unpaired wireless devices. It prevents automatic sharing and synchronization of information with devices that aren't paired. For example, these devices can be gaming consoles (e.g., Xbox One), phones, TVs, tablets. By preventing apps from sending or receiving data from such devices, this script protects your security and privacy. This script configures: Windows policy ("LetAppsSyncWithDevices") • Privacy settings user interface (`LooselyC...

Disable app access to camera

This script prevents Windows apps from accessing the camera. By disabling access, it ensures that no app can use the camera to capture photos or videos without explicit user permission, thereby protecting privacy. This script configures: Windows policy ("LetAppsAccessCamera") • Privacy settings user interface ("E5323777-F976-4f5b-9B55-B94699C46E44", "webcam")

Disable app access to microphone (breaks Sound Recorder)

This script prevents Windows apps from accessing the microphone. It enhances privacy by preventing apps from recording audio, which may include sensitive conversations. This script configures: Windows policy ("LetAppsAccessMicrophone") • Privacy settings user interface ("2EEF81BE-33FA-4800-9670-1CD474972C3F", "microphone")

Disable app access to information about other apps

This script prevents Windows apps from accessing diagnostic information about other apps. This includes details like user names, package information, memory usage, and account names for any running UWP apps. This script configures: Windows policy ("LetAppsGetDiagnosticInfo") • Privacy settings user interface ("2297E4E2-5DBE-466D-A12B-0F8286F0D9CA", "appDiagnostics")

Disable app access to your contacts

This script prevents Windows apps from accessing your contact list. Your contact list may include sensitive details synced from various networks. This script improves privacy by safeguarding personal and sensitive details in your contact list by restrictings applications from automatically accessing it. This script configures: Windows policy ("LetAppsAccessContacts") • Privacy settings user interface ("7D7E8402-7C54-4821-A34E-AEEFD62DED93", "contacts")

Disable app access to notifications

This script prevents Windows apps from accessing notifications. It enhances privacy by ensuring that apps cannot access or manage notifications without explicit user permission. Notifications can contain personal or sensitive information. This script configures: Windows policy ("LetAppsAccessNotifications") • Privacy settings user interface ("52079E78-A92B-413F-B213-E8FE35712E72", "userNotificationListener")

Disable app access to calendar

This script prevents Windows apps from accessing the calendar data. This includes information about appointments from your synced network accounts. It protects personal schedule by preventing apps from automatically creating, reading or writing to calendars without explicit user permission. This script configures: Windows policy ("LetAppsAccessCalendar") • Privacy settings user interface ("D89823BA-7180-4B81-B50C-7E471E6121A3", "appointments")

Disable app access to email

This script prevents Windows apps from accessing email. It protects your privacy by blocking apps from automatically reading, sending, organizing emails without your permission. This script configures: Windows policy ("LetAppsAccessEmail") • Privacy settings user interface ("9231CB4C-BF57-4AF3-8C55-FDA7BFCC04C5", "email")

Disable app access to tasks

This script prevents Windows apps from accessing task data. These task items may be stored by Exchange ActiveSync (EAS) connections and other provider apps. This script protects your privacy by preventing unauthorized access without your permission to your task information. This script configures: Windows policy ("LetAppsAccessTasks") • Privacy settings user interface ("E390DF20-07DF-446D-B962-F5C953062741", "userDataTasks")

Disable app access to radios

This script prevents Windows apps from controlling radios, improving privacy by preventing unauthorized use or toggling of these components. This script ensures that apps cannot toggle device radios such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth without your explicit consent. This script configures: Windows policy ("LetAppsAccessRadios") • Privacy settings user interface ("A8804298-2D5F-42E3-9531-9C8C39EB29CE", "radios")

Disable app access to physical movement

This script prevents Windows apps from accessing spatial perception data. This includes movement of the user's head, hands, motion controllers, and other tracked objects, as well as nearby surfaces. This data may be accessed while the apps are running in the background. This script enhances privacy by preventing apps from accessing body-related data automatically , without explicit user permission. This script configures: Windows policy ("LetAppsAccessBackgroundSpatialPerception") • Privacy sett...

Disable app access to eye tracking

This script prevents Windows apps from accessing the eye tracker. This script improves privacy by blocking apps from tracking users' eye automatically without explicit user instruction. This script configures: Windows policy ("LetAppsAccessGazeInput") • Privacy settings user interface ("gazeInput")

Disable app access to human presence

This script prevents Windows apps from accessing presence sensing. Presence data includes information on user presence and engagement. This data could potentially be used to infer user behavior or activities. This script improves privacy by blocking apps from Presence Sensors on the device without explicit user instruction. This script configures: Windows policy ("LetAppsAccessHumanPresence") • Privacy settings user interface ("humanPresence")

Disable app access to screen capture

This script restricts Windows apps from taking screenshots of the user's screen. This script improves privacy by blocking apps from taking screenshots programmatically, and without showing a screenshot border, without explicit user instruction. This script configures: Windows policy ("LetAppsAccessGraphicsCaptureProgrammatic", "LetAppsAccessGraphicsCaptureWithoutBorder") • Privacy settings user interface ("graphicsCaptureProgrammatic", "graphicsCaptureWithoutBorder")

Disable app access to input devices

This script prevents apps from accessing Human Interface Device (HID) capabilities. HIDs include a wide range of devices such as keyboards, mice, and other input devices that can communicate directly with the system. By restricting access, the script ensures that applications cannot intercept or record input data from these devices, thereby safeguarding user interactions. This script configures: Privacy settings user interface ("humanInterfaceDevice")

Similar Guides​

Wider Goal​

The guide below includes this guide to achieve a wider goal.

See other more general settings that includes this one as one of its actions.

These plans combine multiple privacy settings, including this one, for stronger protection.

Disable OS data collection — to reduce data exposure leveraging important data privacy safeguard on Windows. What follows is, this guidance provides instructions t...

— Disable OS data collection

Same Goal​

Other guides in Disable OS data collection 

See settings that are in the same category as this guide.

Using other actions in the same category may help you achieve your goal better.

See all 26 guides
Disable Customer Experience Improvement Program
Disable Application Experience data collection
Disable Application Compatibility Framework
Disable Windows telemetry and data collection
Disable connectivity checks
Disable Windows Update data collection
Disable location access
Disable Windows search data collection
Disable targeted advertisements and marketing
Disable biometrics (breaks fingerprinting/facial login)
Disable Windows Insider Program
Disable cloud sync
Disable Recall
Disable cloud-based speech recognition
Opt out of Windows privacy consent
Disable Windows feedback collection
Disable text and handwriting data collection
Disable device sensors
Disable Wi-Fi Sense
Disable app launch tracking (hides most-used apps)
Disable Website Access of Language List
Disable automatic map downloads
Disable game screen recording
Disable internet access for Windows DRM
Disable typing feedback (sends typing data)
Disable Activity Feed feature

About the Creators​

These people have authored this documentation and written its scripts:

  • Avatar of undergroundwires. The creator of PrivacyLearn and privacy.sexy. Black and white portrait showing a person wearing a polka dot tie and suit jacket, reflecting the professional expertise behind the privacy protection tools.
    • Certified security professional
    • 7+ years experience securing banks
    • Open-source developer since 2005
    • EU advisor, Public Speaker, Moderator
    • Hundreds across the globe
    • Testers, reviewers, developers
    • Companies, military agencies
    • Community since 2017
About Us

Reviewed By​

This guide has undergone comprehensive auditing and peer review:

  • Expert review by undergroundwires​

    • Verified technical accuracy and editorial standards
    • Assessed system impact and user privacy risks

  • Public review by large community​

    • Privacy enthusiasts and professionals peer-reviewed
    • Millions of end-users tested across different environments

History​

We continually monitor our guides, their impact and all other privacy options. We update our guides when new information becomes available. On every update, we publicly store who made the change, what has been changed, why the change was made and when the change was made.

Review Change History Our Change Process