O&O ShutUp10: Take Control of Windows Privacy
O&O ShutUp10 – The antispy tool for Windows 10 and 11
O&O ShutUp10 is a free, portable tool that gives Windows 10 and 11 users granular control over privacy settings. It consolidates all relevant options into a simple interface, with recommendations for safe disabling. The tool addresses Microsoft's telemetry and convenience features that may transmit more data than users prefer. A Premium version adds automatic monitoring and restoration of settings after updates.
Some services log all your keystrokes, share your Wi-Fi access data with your Facebook contacts, or connect your computer to a public and potentially unsecured network without asking.
- eahm
https://schneegans.de/windows/unattend-generator made all those tools obsolete and useless for the most part, "debloating" after it's installed is always bad business.
https://wpd.app works well too for extra telemetry and https://github.com/builtbybel/privatezilla still works with Windows 11 but again autounattend.xml works magic.
- pentagrama
Open-source alternatives that offer similar functionality:
- WinScript: https://winscript.cc/
- Winhance: https://winhance.net/
I find O&O ShutUp10 easier to use and understand.
- vivzkestrel
- imagine a version of windows made from the ground up with 0 spyware, 0 adware, 0 bloatware
- 100% minimal designed for absolute performance coded ground up in rust
- backward compatibility by required drivers on the fly instead of bloating the OS with 30 yrs of support for all the. 456257963423512 hardware device types
- Its called "Windows Maximal" priced 4x the cost of Windows Home
- when are we getting this version of windows?
- afpx
No source code? No thanks but no thanks.
There also seems to be a lot of ‘privacy’ tools popping up on github lately. It’s a good time to be wary of any if you don’t trust the author 100%.
It’s like when HIV emerged in the 80s - the disco days of free love are over. Be wary of who you’re sleeping with, and always wear a condom.
- flaburgan
I removed my dual boot in 2009, so the last windows I used on a personal computer was Vista. I switched my close family (parents and even my grand mother) to Linux years ago, nevertheless I still am the tech-savyy go-to person for other people and I am completely disconnected from what's going on the Windows world. Is an antivirus still needed there? Are there some good tools that should always be installed on a computer?
The only thing I usually do is to put as many free software as I can (Firefox, Thunderbird, LibreOffice, VLC, Gimp...) But then what ?
- nilslindemann
You may also check out https://github.com/flick9000/winscript. It has a GUI, but generates a powershell script.
https://github.com/ramensoftware/windhawk is also worth mentioning, I use it to unfuck the Taskbar.
- celsoazevedo
This is more a decrapifier than an "anti-spy tool". Yes, it also lets you easily block things like microphone access and disable AI features, but it's not a firewall.
I started using it with Windows 10 because I could disable most of the crap Microsoft was using with a few clicks. When I reinstalled Windows 11, this was one of the first things I ran because of how much shit there's now (weather, news, recommended apps, ai, etc). I have almost everything disabled.
We can do the same by following some guides, setting up system policies and go to 20 different menus, but this does the same in 1 or 2 minutes.
Unfortunately, over the years, ShutUp10 has also suffered from some enshittification itself. Now there's a message tell you to buy the premium version, more branding, etc. I understand why, and considering it still does the job and still runs without having to install it, perhaps I shouldn't complain too much especially when it's free, but it used to be more "bare-bones"... something that I prefer on these tools.
- taspeotis
I'm always hesitant to trust these things after one of them turned off CRL checking because external connectivity = bad!!1