Skip to main content

Microsoft details privacy enhancements set for the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update

The Fall Creators Update for Windows 10 is scheduled to drop next month, offering up a new Photos app, a newly refined design aesthetic, a face-lift for the Edge web browser, and lots more. Now, Microsoft has detailed some of the privacy enhancements set to be introduced to its flagship operating system.

The company is making some changes to the setup process to ensure that users are able to fine-tune their privacy settings right from the outset, according to a blog post published September 13. A privacy statement will be available during the procedure, and a page on the privacy settings screen entitled “Learn More” will feature easy access to the various topics covered in the statement.

Recommended Videos

The update will also add more granular control over what aspects of a device’s functionality individual apps can access. Windows 10 already asks for the user’s permission when software or services want to use location data, but now similar prompts have been put in place for the camera, microphone, contacts, and calendar, as well as some other items.

These new prompts will only apply to apps installed after the release of the Fall Creators Update, but permissions for existing apps can be found in the Privacy section of the Settings menu.

In response to a request from business customers, Microsoft is also introducing the option to significantly limit the amount of diagnostic data shared with the company. It will now be possible to reduce the information that’s beamed back to the company down to the minimum of what’s required for Windows Analytics, a service that provides insights into the cost of deploying and maintaining Windows 10.

The Creators Update for Windows 10 — which launched in April — also made privacy a big priority, offering up more information on what data was being collected, as well as options that allowed users to share less information about their system. It’s great to see Microsoft continue to expand these privacy options, and further pursue its transparency efforts.

The Fall Creators Update for Windows 10 is expected to start rolling out on October 17, and will be a free download for anyone currently running the Creators Update on their device.

Brad Jones
Brad is an English-born writer currently splitting his time between Edinburgh and Pennsylvania. You can find him on Twitter…
Microsoft could make account-free Windows 11 installs a thing of the past
Windows 11 logo on a laptop.

The offline Windows 11 install looks like it could officially be a thing of the past. 

Microsoft is officially shutting the door on local accounts during Windows 11 setup, confirming that all new installations, Home and Pro alike, will now require a Microsoft account. 

Read more
Microsoft is working on something new, but it’s probably not Windows 12
The Surface Pro 11 on a white table in front of a window.

Microsoft appears to be working on a new major update, but if you're hoping for Windows 12, I wouldn't hold my breath. The company has confirmed that it's testing new content via the Insider program in the Dev Channel, and those changes might lead to a patch that's set to be released later this year. However, we're most likely looking at the successor to the current 24H2 build -- namely Windows 11 25H2 -- and not a whole new operating system.

This was first spotted by Windows Central. The publication cites its own sources as it claims that Microsoft is backporting some platform changes to offer better support for Qualcomm's upcoming Snapdragon X2 chip. Those changes will allow devices that house that chip to run Germanium-based Windows 11. Germanium refers to the platform release that the current Windows 11 build is built on, and it looks like the upcoming 25H2 build might also be based on Germanium -- but nothing is fully clear at this point.

Read more
5 OneNote for Windows 10 replacements worth using in 2025
Windows 11 and Windows 10 operating system logos are displayed on laptop screens.

In an update to its support document, Microsoft plans to reduce the performance of its legacy OneNote app in an attempt to encourage users to use the Windows 11 OneNote app. Windows Latest first spotted the support document, which mentions how Microsoft is transferring features from the legacy (OneNote for Windows 10) app to the latest version.

Microsoft has removed the older version of OneNote from the Microsoft Store, but the software giant promised that the legacy app would not be replaced. You will still have complete control over the app, and Microsoft will not force you to switch. However, the Windows 10 end-of-support date is approaching, and as a result, the OneNote syncing will get slower.

Read more