30.08.2026
2 min
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Microsoft uses this feature to improve typing and handwriting tools. However, users who want greater privacy can disable it in Windows settings.
The “Inking and Typing Personalization” feature allows Microsoft to collect samples of typed and handwritten content from Windows devices. This is stated in the company’s own documentation. The collected data is used to improve language-based features, including autocorrect, spelling, word recommendations, and handwriting recognition.
The little-known telemetry setting was highlighted by XDA Developers. The publication noted that users who do not want to share this information can disable it with a single toggle. The feature has existed since the days of Windows 10.
Microsoft insists that the feature is not a keylogger. According to the company, it does not record passwords, emails, or other sensitive information, nor does it capture every keystroke in real time.
However, XDA Developers notes that Microsoft’s promise to anonymize the information does not eliminate the risk that arises once the data leaves the user’s device and reaches the company’s servers.
“The moment your data leaves your computer, it carries a risk of being compromised,” XDA Developers said.
Despite the growing integration of artificial intelligence into Windows, Microsoft does not say that this information is used to train chatbots such as Copilot. The company only states that it uses the data to improve its handwriting and typing technologies.
Microsoft says it does not receive a continuous record of everything a user types. The collected data is divided into small samples, after which information that could link it to the original author is removed. This includes unique identifiers, sequencing information, email addresses, and numerical values.
“When Microsoft collects inking and typing diagnostic data, it is divided into small samples and processed to remove unique identifiers, sequencing information, and other data, such as email addresses and numeric values, which could be used to reconstruct the original content or associate the input to you,” Microsoft’s support page states.
Windows 11 users who want to stop this data collection can open “Settings,” go to “Privacy & security,” select “Diagnostics & feedback,” and then turn off “Improve inking and typing.” In Windows 10, the equivalent setting can be found under “Settings” → “Privacy” → “Diagnostics & feedback.”
Disabling this feature will not stop all diagnostic data that Windows sends to Microsoft. However, the system will no longer collect handwriting and typing samples through this specific setting. Users will also lose the custom dictionary created by the system.
Microsoft says that the feature is optional and is not activated automatically. However, users choose whether to enable or disable it during the initial Windows setup process. This means the feature can be activated without users fully understanding its purpose or what data it collects.
As XDA Developers points out, “these settings shouldn’t even be enabled by default.” The publication adds that most users are unaware that fragments of what they type, even in the form of separate samples, may leave their computers.
Microsoft’s device-tracking practices sparked a wave of criticism after it was revealed earlier this year that the FBI had arrested hacker Peter Stokes by tracking him through a persistent Windows GDID identifier. Although telemetry may have helped law enforcement catch a cybercriminal, the case deepened distrust of Microsoft’s data collection practices on social media.
“Glad a cybercriminal got put away, but another good reason to switch to Linux,” one Reddit user wrote.
Last month, it was also revealed that Microsoft Paint and Photos secretly add a hidden identifier to AI-generated images that is linked to the user’s Microsoft account. Even images created locally on a person’s computer can be traced back to that specific user.
