The Windows 10 operating system has a lot of capabilities.  Some of them are not as easy to know about or see to the everyday user, but once you delve a little deeper into all the settings you can adjust and tricks you can use, you will see just how much it can do.  It has a lot more than meets the eye at first use.  It is very customizable to your needs.  You can change settings to add more convenience or more privacy.  There are also many quick shortcut features that make it very efficient.  Today I will highlight some of the features and how you can use them to customize it to your needs.

• Set the WiFI Sense to settings that work for you

While Wi-Fi Sense is convenient and allows you to connect quickly and easily to the Internet, for some people they are concerned about its security implications.  To adjust how the WIFI sense is set up you can go to your start menu.  Then click Settings, then click Network & Internet and then click Wi-Fi, from there you will click the Manage Wi-Fi Settings link.  Turn off the connections to your software and to hotspots etc.  You will also want to ask Windows 10 to Forget any Wi-Fi networks you had signed into in the past.  Your laptop or device is now more secure!

• Privacy Settings

In relation to protecting your security you can also set your privacy settings in a way to limit what the various applications and programs can use.  To set it up in a way that works for you go to your start menu then click Settings and from there click Privacy.  Once you are in there you will see lots of privacy options.

• For example you can turn off the ability for apps to use your advertising ID to know information about you across apps.
• You can Click on location and turn off the ability for Windows 10 to know your location. Here you can also Clear your history of locations in your device.
• When you click on Camera you can turn off the ability for any apps to use your camera or you can individually turn them off.
• You can click on Microphone and from there you can choose to turn on or off your microphone for all applications or you can go in and individually allow the microphone only for certain apps.
• Under Speech, Inking and Typing you can turn off the setting so Windows and Cortana cannot get to know your voice and writing. This feature allows them to make better suggestions for you by using your contacts, calendar events, and speech and handwriting patterns along with Typing history.
• By clicking on Account info you can stop letting apps access your name, picture and other account information. Under Contacts you can choose the apps that can access your contacts.
• Click on Calendar and you can control what apps can access your calendar.
• When you click on Call History you can turn off Windows ability to access your call history. You can also turn off individual apps.
• By clicking on Email you can turn off apps ability to access and send email (If you want to use the email client for Windows do not do this!). You can also choose apps individually on this setting.
  • You can adjust the settings on Messaging as well, turning off all together or selecting specific apps to turn on and off.
  • There are also settings for Radios, Other devices, Feedback and Diagnostics and Background apps that you can adjust and limit their abilities.

It is important that to remember that the more you restrict Windows 10 ability to know the less functional and user friendly it will be.  So way the pros and cons of your privacy needs and customize it for you.  Keep an eye out for more posts on helpful hints at using Windows 10.