5 Windows 11 settings I immediately change on any new PC

Table of Contents

Summary

Every time I set up a new desktop or laptop, I change a handful of Windows settings to improve my experience and protect my privacy.
Changing your default apps is essential, especially if you plan on using a different web browser like Firefox or Chrome. Adjusting your notification settings can help reduce the number of notifications you get.
Removing Copilot from your PC is a must if you never plan on using it, and so is getting rid of the annoying News Widget. If you want to protect your privacy, there are several important settings you should change.

Whenever I perform a clean installation of

Windows 11
on my desktop or set up a new laptop, the first thing I tackle is adjusting the Windows settings that hinder my productivity, privacy, and overall enjoyment of the OS.

Don’t get me wrong, Windows 11 has some

excellent features
right out of the box. However, certain default settings and features can be exceptionally annoying and detract from the user experience,

with Copilot
and the standard notification settings being key examples. All these settings can be easily adjusted — you don’t need to download a third-party app or modify any registry settings — and are accessible to any Windows user.

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5

Change your default browser

You can change other app defaults as well

Pocket-lint / Microsoft

By default, when you boot up Windows 11 for the first time, Microsoft sets Edge as your default browser. While I appreciate Microsoft’s changes over the years to Edge, it’s still not as good as Chrome or other popular browsers like Firefox. One of the first things I do on any new PC after setting it up is instantly download Chrome to replace Edge.

To change your default browser, head to Apps > Default Apps > Google Chrome (or whatever your browser of choice is) and click Set default. With this enabled, you’ll be redirected to your new default browser instead of Edge whenever you click on a link. In the same default apps menu, you can also change other default apps for Windows 11, such as your media player for video files, which I always switch to VLC media player instead of the default Windows Media Player.

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4

Reduce the amount of notifications you receive

I don’t need notifications for tips Microsoft

Pocket-lint / Microsoft

Windows 11 can send a lot of notifications that quickly become overwhelming or distracting when you first start using it. If you find yourself receiving too many notifications, whether from apps or what Microsoft refers to as “Tips,” you can reduce them to stay more focused and declutter your notification center.

To do this, go to Settings > Notifications. You can then adjust which apps send you notifications. You can sort them by recently used, giving you an idea of which apps you use the most and might want to keep notifications enabled for. The main apps I keep enabled are Outlook, Slack, and Discord, essentially anything communications-related.

Near the bottom of the notifications page, you’ll find Additional settings. When you click that, you’ll see three options for Windows that I recommend turning off, one of which provides “tips and suggestions when using Windows” that I find irritating. My philosophy for Windows is, if I need to find something out, I’ll look it up, otherwise I don’t need Windows constantly recommending me things to do.

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3

Say goodbye to Copilot

Sorry Microsoft, I don’t need it

Pocket-lint / Microsoft

Microsoft is playing a big part in the AI revolution with Copilot, its AI chatbot. With Windows 11, Microsoft has placed Copilot front and center in the taskbar for users to experience. If you’re not interested in AI or don’t want it getting in the way, you can get rid of it.

If you want to remove your Copilot from your taskbar, simply right-click the icon and unpin it. If you want to go a step further and say goodbye to Copilot entirely, you can uninstall the app by going to Settings > Apps > Copilot. Then click the three dots next to Copilot and select Uninstall. There is a separate Copilot for Microsoft 365 apps, so this won’t affect your ability to use it in programs like Word or Excel if you want to use it there.

If you have a PC with a dedicated Copilot key on the keyboard, you can also rebind it to something else. To do so, download the Microsoft PowerToys app from the Windows Store. When you open PowerToys, go to the Keyboard Manager submenu, then select Remap a key to change the Copilot key to something else.

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You can also reposition the Start button back to the left

Pocket-lint / Microsoft

Copilot isn’t the only thing glued to your taskbar when you first boot up Windows; the News Widget is also there. When you hover over the widget or click on it, it brings up a panel with news, weather, and advertisements from MSN. I have never once opened this widget on purpose, nor do I ever plan to, and it feels more like bloatware than anything useful. If I want to see the news or the weather, I’ll check my phone or look it up.

Luckily, if you’d prefer to see the News Widget gone too, it’s straightforward to get rid of. To do so, head to Settings > Personalization > Taskbar and turn off Widgets to disable it. It will then disappear from your taskbar for good. If you’d prefer to keep the News Widget around just to see the weather in your taskbar, but not have it open when you simply hover over it, you can change that by opening the News Widget and going to Settings > Open Widgets board on hover and toggling it off.

Additionally, if you’d prefer to move your start button back to the left corner, like it was on Windows 10 and many past versions of Windows, you can do that under Settings > Personalization > Taskbar > Taskbar alignment and choose Left.

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1

Adjust privacy settings

Control how Microsoft uses your data

Pocket-lint / Microsoft

Whenever I set up a new laptop or perform a fresh installation of Windows 11, my first instinct is to adjust my privacy settings. This gives me control over how and when Microsoft accesses my personal data. I am particularly opposed to targeted advertising, especially in Windows, which is why I focus on adjusting the settings to stop apps from using my advertising ID. You can do this too by going to Settings > Privacy & Security > General and disabling the option that allows apps to show personalized ads using your advertising ID.

The next privacy setting I change is diagnostic data. While sending limited diagnostic data to Microsoft is required to keep your device updated and secure, you can choose to send optional diagnostic data, which includes “data about websites you browse, how you use apps and features, and enhanced error reporting,” as per Microsoft. I prefer not to send any optional diagnostic data to Microsoft at all. To do this yourself, head to Settings > Privacy & security > Diagnostics and feedback > Send optional Diagnostic Data, and turn it off.

Additionally, under Diagnostics & feedback, I disable Tailor experiences, which lets Microsoft use your diagnostic data to “enhance your product experiences with personalized tips, ads, and recommendations.” That’s a big no thanks for me, so I also turned that off. If you’re looking to improve the performance of your PC, then there are also settings you can disable to do just that.