When Microsoft introduced Copilot in Windows 11, it promised an intelligent assistant built directly into the operating system — something that could answer questions, summarize emails, adjust system settings, or help you work faster.
Copilot appears in several places across Windows:
- The taskbar
- The search bar
- The sidebar assistant
It is deeply integrated into the system, and for many users, it genuinely makes tasks easier. But convenience often comes with a trade-off. And in this case, that trade-off is data.
Over the last few months, many users have been asking the same question:
“Exactly how much does Copilot see, collect, or send to Microsoft?”
In this article, we’re going to break down everything — what Copilot does, what gets logged, how diagnostic data works, where to find it, and how to lock your settings down for maximum privacy.
This is an important topic, so let’s take it step-by-step.
🧠 1. Understanding How Windows 11 Copilot Works
Before we adjust anything, it’s important to understand what Copilot actually does inside Windows. This gives us a clearer picture of why certain data leaves the device.
Copilot is not a simple offline program. It is a cloud-powered AI system that:
- Reads your prompts
- Interprets your actions
- Pulls information from Bing, Windows Search, and system APIs
- Generates answers using Microsoft’s cloud-based AI models
To perform these tasks, Copilot needs to access:
- What you type
- What you click
- What appears on your screen (in some cases)
- What apps you are using
- What files you’re interacting with
This behavior itself is not unusual for an AI assistant. But here’s where things get interesting.
🌐 2. The Cloud Connection: What Actually Leaves Your PC
This is where many users get surprised.
While Copilot interacts with your system locally, a part of the processing happens in Microsoft’s cloud servers. That means certain snippets of your activity may be transmitted temporarily for analysis.
Microsoft claims the data is anonymized and used for improving results — but even anonymized data is still your data.
Examples of what may be sent:
- Query text
- Context surrounding your actions
- System events relevant to your prompt
- Basic telemetry
Now, Copilot itself doesn’t keep a local folder with your conversations — because they are processed in the cloud. But your Windows diagnostic system logs everything around Copilot:
- App launches
- System events
- Input behavior
- Error logs
- Query scaffolding
This means Windows tracks what happens while Copilot is running, even if the conversations themselves aren’t saved.
Let’s move on to how you can view these logs yourself.
🗂️ 3. How to See What Windows Logs When Copilot Runs
Microsoft provides a built-in tool called Diagnostic Data Viewer (DDV). This local viewer allows you to explore the telemetry data Windows sends to Microsoft.
Before you start, you need to enable the ability to view this data.
Steps to enable diagnostic data viewing
Let’s walk through the process carefully, so nothing gets missed.
- Open Settings
- Navigate to Privacy & Security
- Click Diagnostics & Feedback
- Turn ON View diagnostic data
This tells Windows to begin storing diagnostic logs locally so that you can examine them.
Install Diagnostic Data Viewer
Once the toggle is enabled, Microsoft will prompt you to download the Diagnostic Data Viewer from the Microsoft Store.
You can also get it directly here:
🔗 https://apps.microsoft.com/store/detail/diagnostic-data-viewer/9N8WTRRSQ8T4
When you open it, you won’t find a folder labeled “Copilot.” But you will find:
- Telemetry around actions triggered by Copilot
- Web search interactions
- System-level logs
- Error reports
- App launch traces
These form the underlying scaffold that Copilot relies upon to function.
So far, we’ve looked at what gets logged. Now let’s talk about what you can actually do to reduce this data flow.
🔧 4. How to Reduce Copilot-Related Data Sharing in Windows 11
While Home and Pro editions of Windows don’t allow complete disabling of required diagnostic data, you can significantly minimize what Microsoft collects.
To do that, we’ll adjust several privacy settings across the system.
Let’s move step-by-step.
⚙️ Step 1: Turn Off Optional Diagnostic Data
This is the most important change because optional diagnostic data includes:
- App usage behavior
- Detailed system logs
- Websites you visit
- Interaction patterns
- Error details
Here’s how to disable it:
- Open Settings
- Go to Privacy & Security
- Tap Diagnostics & Feedback
- Turn off Send optional diagnostic data
After doing this, Windows will stop sending advanced telemetry and send only what Microsoft classifies as “required,” which we will discuss later.
🛑 Step 2: Disable Online Speech Recognition
Let’s move on to speech data — because voice inputs can be sensitive.
Copilot and Windows use speech recognition. Some of it is local, but when online speech recognition is enabled, audio data may be sent to Microsoft’s cloud.
You can restrict this by:
- Opening Settings
- Going to Privacy & Security
- Clicking Speech
- Turning OFF Online Speech Recognition
This ensures your voice inputs stay local to the device.
✍️ Step 3: Disable Typing & Inking Personalization
So far we’ve done a good job blocking major sources of extra data. Let’s now address something most people don’t even know exists — behavioral typing profiles.
Windows can build a local profile of your typing and inking habits:
- Your writing style
- Autocorrect behavior
- Typing patterns
- Handwriting data
Some of this can be analyzed to personalize suggestions, but it also means Windows builds a behavioral fingerprint.
To disable it:
- Open Settings
- Go to Privacy & Security
- Tap Inking & Typing Personalization
- Select Don’t personalize my typing and inking
This limits behavior-based data collection and keeps your writing habits private.
🛡️ Step 4: For Advanced Users — Disable Telemetry via Group Policy
If you’re using Windows 11 Pro or Enterprise, you get more control.
This step won’t break Copilot — it only prevents telemetry from being sent externally. Copilot itself will continue functioning.
Follow these instructions carefully:
- Press Win + R
- Type gpedit.msc and hit Enter
- Navigate to:
Computer Configuration → Administrative Templates → Windows Components → Data Collection and Preview Builds - Open Allow Diagnostic Data
- Set it to Enabled
- Select Diagnostic data off in the dropdown
- Click Apply → OK
This effectively disables all diagnostic data transmission except what Windows considers strictly essential for security updates.
📌 5. What You Cannot Disable (Required Diagnostic Data)
Microsoft mandates a base level of telemetry for:
- System updates
- Device health
- Security logs
- Crash diagnostics
This data cannot be turned off entirely on Windows 11 Home or Pro.
Only Enterprise editions allow deeper restriction.
So even after applying all the privacy steps above, a small amount of required data still goes to Microsoft’s servers. But the difference between “optional + required” vs. “required only” is massive — you reduce your footprint by more than 70%.
🧩 6. Does Disabling These Settings Break Copilot?
Many users worry about this, so let’s address it clearly.
Turning off telemetry settings does NOT disable Copilot.
Here’s what happens:
- Copilot still runs normally
- It still interprets your commands
- It still interacts with your system
- It still provides answers
The only difference is:
Windows stops sending extended behavioral data to Microsoft’s cloud.
Copilot may rely slightly more on local components and slightly less on cloud-based optional signals, but the assistant remains fully operational.
🔍 7. What About Copilot Conversations? Are They Stored?
Microsoft’s documentation states that:
- Copilot chats are processed in the cloud
- They are not stored locally
- Some temporary logs may remain on remote servers
- These logs are anonymized and retained for service improvement
Even though your conversations are not saved on your PC, system events around Copilot usage — such as app launches, system context, or diagnostic traces — are stored in the Diagnostic Data Viewer until you clear them manually.
💬 8. Frequently Asked Questions
Q1: Does disabling diagnostics stop Windows updates?
No. Required diagnostic data remains enabled to support updates and security patches.
Q2: Will Copilot lose features if I disable cloud-based logging?
Not really. You may see slightly less personalization, but all major features remain intact.
Q3: Is my screen literally being recorded?
No. Windows does not record your screen. However, certain actions (like interacting with apps while Copilot is active) are logged.
Q4: Can I stop Copilot from using the cloud?
Not completely. Copilot is designed to rely on cloud-based models. Local-only AI is planned for future versions but is not currently available.
Q5: Can I delete all diagnostic data?
Yes. Inside Diagnostic Data Viewer, there is a Delete button to clear local logs.
🧭 9. Final Thoughts
So far we’ve gone through a detailed journey — understanding how Copilot works, how Windows logs system activity, and how to reclaim control of your privacy.
Copilot is undeniably useful, but it operates within an ecosystem built around data analysis and telemetry. The good news is that Windows 11 gives you more control than it appears at first glance, and with the right settings, you can dramatically reduce the amount of information Microsoft collects.
You can still enjoy the convenience of Copilot — answering questions, summarizing content, adjusting settings — but without giving away unnecessary behavioral data.
If you care about digital privacy, the steps we’ve covered today are essential. Give yourself 10 minutes to apply them, and you’ll immediately reduce your data footprint while still enjoying the benefits of AI assistance.
⚠️ Disclaimer
Windows 11 Home and Pro editions do not allow complete disabling of required diagnostic data. The steps in this article minimize but do not eliminate all telemetry. Users should regularly review Microsoft’s privacy documentation and apply updates responsibly.
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