What the Windows advertising ID does, and how to turn it off
What the Windows advertising ID tracks, how to turn it off or reset it, and what tracking it does not stop.
Tap a step number as you finish it.
Windows quietly creates an advertising ID for every person who uses a PC. Apps and ad networks use it to link your activity between apps and target ads at you.
Turning it off takes a few seconds, but it does less than many guides suggest. This article explains what the ID is, how apps use it, and how to turn it off or reset it.
You will also learn how to switch it off for every account on a PC, what to do if the switch is locked, and which kinds of tracking it cannot stop.
Version note
Checked on: Windows 11 version and build will be added here once the real screenshots are captured. Settings can move between updates.
What the advertising ID is
According to Microsoft's documentation, the advertising ID is a unique identifier that Windows creates for each user on each device. Every app that one person uses on that PC sees the same ID.
The ID belongs to the device rather than your Microsoft account. That means it does not follow you to another computer, even if you sign in with the same account.
Microsoft's privacy statement describes how it is used. Microsoft, outside app makers and ad networks can all draw on it for targeted ads and personalized features, much as websites rely on cookies.
When the feature is turned off, apps that ask for the ID receive an empty value. When you turn it back on, Windows creates a completely new ID, and the old one is never reused.
Microsoft also notes that the ID can be reset during Windows upgrades. That is worth remembering, because a major update is a good moment to check this setting again.
How apps use it
Think of the advertising ID as a name tag that Windows hands to every participating app. Without it, each app only knows what you do inside that one app.
With it, an advertising network that works with several apps can recognize that the same person is using all of them and combine what it learns.
Microsoft's documentation says the ID helps provide more relevant advertising by understanding which apps you use and how you use them.
A network could notice that you use a fitness app and a recipe app, then show ads based on both.
Because the ID is created per user and per device, a few things follow:
- Each account on a shared PC has its own advertising ID.
- Your laptop and your desktop have different IDs, even with the same Microsoft account.
- Turning the setting off on one PC does not change it on your other PCs.
How to turn off the advertising ID in Windows 11
- Open Settings with the shortcut Win + I.
- Head to Privacy and security.
- Open the General page.
- Set Let apps show me personalized ads by using my advertising ID to Off.Off
Did these steps work for you?
On newer versions of Windows 11
Microsoft has moved this switch to the Recommendations and offers page in the same Privacy and security section. If you do not see it under General, look there, or search Settings for advertising ID.
No restart needed
It works instantly, with no restart required.
How to turn it off in Windows 10
- Open Settings.
- Select Privacy.
- Select General.
- Switch off the advertising ID option for apps.Off
Did these steps work for you?
On Windows 10
Microsoft notes that earlier versions of Windows 10 called this setting relevant ads. If your PC uses that name, it is the same switch.
How to reset your advertising ID instead
Reset instead of turning off
If you are happy to keep personalized ads but want apps to stop connecting your past activity to one ID, reset it. Microsoft confirms that Windows creates a new ID instead of reusing the old one.
- Flip the advertising ID toggle to Off.Off
- Give it a few seconds, then flip it back to On.On
Turn it off for every account on a PC
Because the setting belongs to each user, turning it off in your account does not turn it off for everyone else on the PC. Each person needs to change it in their own account.
There is one useful shortcut when you set up a new PC. Microsoft's documentation explains that if the advertising ID is turned off during the first setup, it stays off by default for any account added later.
Those later users have to turn it on themselves if they want it. If you are setting up a family PC, make this choice on the privacy screen during setup.
For IT administrators
Organizations can turn the advertising ID off for every PC they manage. Microsoft documents a Group Policy setting and a matching registry value.
The Group Policy setting is under Computer Configuration, then Administrative Templates, then System, then User Profiles. Set the policy called Turn off the advertising ID to Enabled.
The registry equivalent is a REG_DWORD value named DisabledByGroupPolicy, set to 1, under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\AdvertisingInfo.
Microsoft's documentation also lists a REG_DWORD value named Enabled, set to 0, under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\AdvertisingInfo.
Home users: skip this
Home users do not need either method. The switch in Settings does the same job for your own account, and editing the registry by mistake can cause problems that are hard to undo.
If the switch is greyed out
Locked by a policy
If you cannot change the setting, a policy is controlling it. On a work or school PC, your IT team has set it, and only they can change it.
Locked by a policy
On a personal PC, a policy may have been applied by a privacy or tweaking tool you installed. When the switch is locked, the advertising ID is usually already off, so check its position before trying to change anything.
What turning it off does not stop
This is where most guides fall short, and it matters more than the steps themselves.
Important
This switch covers the Windows advertising ID and nothing else. Microsoft's privacy statement is explicit that it does not apply to other methods of personalized advertising, such as cookies that websites use to show personalized ads.
In practice, that means:
- Websites can still track you through cookies in your browser, whatever this setting says.
- Apps can still show you ads. They simply cannot use this ID to personalize them.
- Advertising linked to accounts you sign in to is managed in that account's own privacy settings.
Advertising ID, cookies and account settings compared
Advertising ID
The advertising ID lives in Windows and is used by apps on that one PC. You control it in Windows Settings.
Cookies live in your web browser and are used by websites. Your browser's privacy settings are where you manage them.
Cookies live in your web browser and are used by websites. Your browser's privacy settings are where you manage them.
Account settings
Account-based personalization is linked to the account you sign in with and can follow you across devices. You control it in that account's privacy settings.
Deal with all three
Turning off one of these does not turn off the others. For real privacy gains, deal with all three.
Other Windows 11 privacy settings work the same way, with a single switch in Settings and a clear limit on what it covers.
Other Windows 11 privacy settings work the same way, with a single switch in Settings and a clear limit on what it covers.
Your phone has an advertising ID too
Windows is not the only system with an advertising ID. Google describes the Android advertising ID as a unique, user-resettable and user-deletable ID for advertising, provided by Google Play services.
Google also explains that since an update to Google Play services in late 2021, deleting your advertising ID in Android Settings removes it. Apps that ask for it then receive no ID.
- Open Settings on your Android phone.
- Search for Ads, or look under Privacy or Google.
- Tap Delete advertising ID, or Reset advertising ID if that is the only option.
Did these steps work for you?
On some phones
The Ads page sits under Google rather than Privacy, and the wording differs slightly. Searching Settings for ads is the fastest way to find it.
Android apps ask for many other kinds of access too, and our guide to Android app permissions explains each one.
Will you see fewer ads?
No. Switching off the advertising ID affects which ads appear, not the number of them. Ad-supported apps still show ads, just ones that know less about your habits.
Should you turn it off?
For most people, yes. The advertising ID exists for advertisers, and turning it off costs you nothing except ads that are less tailored. No Windows feature you depend on stops working.
The main reason to leave it on is if you genuinely prefer ads that match your interests. Even then, resetting the ID now and then limits how much history any single ID can collect.
Optional diagnostic data goes further than the advertising ID, because Microsoft says it can include the websites you browse and a snapshot of memory after a crash.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Windows advertising ID the same as my Microsoft account?
No. Microsoft's documentation says the ID belongs to a user on a specific device and does not roam with your account.
Does turning it off affect Microsoft Store apps or games?
Apps keep working normally. Apps that show ads simply receive no advertising ID.
Does it come back after a Windows update?
Microsoft notes that the ID can be reset during operating system upgrades. Give the setting a quick check after every big Windows update.
Does turning it off stop tracking in my web browser?
No. Websites use cookies and other methods that this setting does not control. Use your browser's privacy settings for that.
Does the setting affect Microsoft Edge?
According to Microsoft's support page, the setting covers Windows apps that read the Windows advertising identifier. Websites in any browser use cookies and other methods instead.
Can I see my advertising ID?
Windows does not show the ID in Settings. It is only available to apps that ask for it, and only while the setting is on.
From circuittimes.com/security/windows-advertising-id/
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