Windows 11 privacy controls for inking and typing may require careful management

Separate privacy controls for Windows 11’s inking and typing features can cause confusion, requiring users to adjust multiple settings to protect their personal data while maintaining functionality.

Windows 11 can learn from what you type and write with a pen, but it does so through two separate privacy controls that are easy to confuse. One manages a local custom word list built from names, technical terms and other inputs you use repeatedly. The other governs whether typing and handwriting samples may be included in optional diagnostic data sent to Microsoft for product improvement.

According to Microsoft Support, the distinction matters because turning off one control does not automatically disable the other. The local word list is stored on the device and can help suggestions and handwriting recognition feel more personal. The sample-sharing setting is broader: it allows fragments of typing and inking input to be used as part of Microsoft’s improvement programme, although the company says the material is split up and stripped of identifying details.

For users who want tighter control, the first place to check is Settings, under Privacy & security and then Inking & typing personalisation. There, Windows offers the option to turn off the custom inking and typing word list. Microsoft’s own guidance indicates that switching this off clears the learned words from the device, while leaving standard typing, spell-check and ordinary keyboard input intact.

The second control sits under Privacy & security and then Diagnostics & feedback. Microsoft says the Improve inking and typing setting can be turned off directly, which stops Windows from adding typing and handwriting samples to optional diagnostic data. If Send optional diagnostic data is already disabled, the Improve inking and typing switch may appear greyed out because the broader diagnostics setting has already taken precedence.

That relationship is important. Microsoft Support explains that turning off optional diagnostic data also turns off Improve inking and typing, but it does not remove the locally stored word list. In practice, that means a user who wants both privacy and a clean slate may need to change two settings: one to stop sample sharing and one to clear the device’s personalised vocabulary.

Microsoft also includes a separate Tailored experiences control on the same diagnostics page. This does not govern typing or handwriting samples, but it uses diagnostic data to shape tips, suggestions and other personalised prompts. For privacy-conscious users, it is worth reviewing alongside the inking and typing settings, because the menu placement makes it easy to assume the switches are linked when they are not.

There are limits to what these changes do. They do not block required Windows telemetry, browser activity, Microsoft account data, website tracking or data collected by individual apps. They also may not be adjustable on a work or school device, where an administrator can manage the settings. Microsoft advises users to check whether the PC is connected to an organisation account if the controls are locked or a message says the setting is managed by the organisation.

For anyone who still wants local suggestions without sending samples to Microsoft, the best compromise is to keep the custom word list on and disable Improve inking and typing, or to turn off optional diagnostic data entirely if broader data reduction is the goal. If the device later seems more generic, the word list can be rebuilt simply by typing and writing as normal.