Software of the Week: DoNotSpy11
This is the first in what I hope will be a weekly series of my favorite pieces of software for Windows, Synology DSM, or iOS/iPadOS (I don't have an Android phone so I don't discover new software for that OS often, sadly).
First up is DoNotSpy11, by pXc Coding out of Germany.
Details:
Purpose: Customize the behavior of Microsoft Windows OS, specifically settings related to privacy, advertising, analytics, and default app nagging
OS Supported: Windows 10, 11
Installer Size: 2.1 MB
Country of Origin: Germany
Languages Supported: EN, DE, FR
License: Freeware (basic version) / $5-20 USD (pro version with additional features geared toward IT professionals managing multiple computers)
Download Link: https://pxc-coding.com/donotspy11/
My laptop can't upgrade to Windows 11 due to hardware requirements, and I have to say I am kind of relieved. It feels like every other week I'm reading about Microsoft putting ads in the file Explorer or Start Menu, or burying settings in odd places to make it hard to disable new "features" in Edge. Between that and how much they nag you to go back to Edge as your default browser (and how they're shoving AI into everything), I'm perfectly happy to stick with Windows 10. But even that sends a lot of tracking/analytics data back home to Microsoft.
Enter DoNotSpy11. This app consolidates all of the privacy/advertising/Edge/default app nagging settings into one simple list of checkboxes, and even adds some settings that are normally only accessible through arcane magic like registry edits or Group Policy Objects.
The list is color-coded into 3 levels of "safety": blue for settings that you should almost always be able to apply without issue, orange for things you should double check first, and red for things that are generally not recommended for most people. Clicking a setting gives you a plain-text overview of what it does so you can make the final decision for yourself.
The list of options can be overwhelming at first, but I'll post screenshots of my settings below that you can use as starters if you'd like. The definitions available in the righthand sidebar go a long way toward making it easy to customize the options to fit your taste/level of comfort.
Happy tweaking!
My settings:
