[Tip] Disallow Secret “Customer Experience Improvement Program” (CEIP) from Collecting Information in Windows

Did you know Windows operating system contains a hidden secret “Customer Experience Improvement Program (CEIP)” which collects information about your computer hardware and how you use Windows OS and sends the usage data to Microsoft without interrupting you?

The program also periodically downloads a file to collect information about problems you might have with Windows. In this way, the program helps Microsoft improve Windows.

You would be surprised when you’ll know that this program even counts how many times you have clicked on start menu, how many programs you have pinned to Taskbar, etc.

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Actually when you install Windows, it asks you to participate in Customer Experience Improvement Program.

If you allowed this program to collect information or don’t know whether the program is collecting information or not, here are ways to disallow it from collecting information:

METHOD 1: Disable CEIP Using Settings

1. Open Control Panel, click on “Action Center” icon and then click on “Change Action Center Settings” link.

OR

Open Start and type Customer Experience Improvement Program in search box.

OR

Open Control Panel and type Customer Experience Improvement Program in search box.

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It’ll show the option in search results. Click on it to launch CEIP Settings.

2. Now select “No, I don’t want to participate in the program” optionĀ  and click on “Save Changes” button.

Customer_Experience_Improvement_Program_Settings.png

That’s it. It’ll stop collecting your information.

METHOD 2: Disable CEIP Using Task Scheduler

You can also disable CEIP by deleting or disabling its routine task using Task Scheduler program. Follow these simple steps:

1. Press Win+R keys together to launch RUN dialog box, then type taskschd.msc in RUN box and press Enter.

2. It’ll open Task Scheduler program. Now go to following folders one by one:

Task Scheduler Library -> Microsoft -> Windows -> Application Experience

Task Scheduler Library -> Microsoft -> Windows -> Customer Experience Improvement Program

Both these folders contain various tasks related to CEIP which automatically run at certain intervals and allow CEIP to collect and send your usage data to Microsoft.

3. You just need to disable these tasks. Right-click on each task present in right-side pane of these folders and select Disable option. You can also select all tasks at once and then right-click and click on Disable option.

Disable_CEIP_Windows.png

That’s it. Now CEIP will no longer collect and send your usage data to Microsoft.

PS: You can allow this program to collect information if you want to help Microsoft in improving Windows OS.

Also Check:

[Tip] Disable “Customer Experience Improvement Program” (CEIP) in Windows Media Player

Published in: Troubleshooting Guides, Windows 10, Windows 7, Windows 8

About the author: Vishal Gupta (also known as VG) has been awarded with Microsoft MVP (Most Valuable Professional) award. He holds Masters degree in Computer Applications (MCA). He has written several tech articles for popular newspapers and magazines and has also appeared in tech shows on various TV channels.

Comments

NOTE: Older comments have been removed to reduce database overhead.

  1. If you follow the steps above and then look at schedule tasks then you might find that not all the tasks associated with CEIP get turned off.

    In my view Microsoft cannot be trusted else they would not go to such lengths to hide information in Index.dat files in supper hidden directories and within the windows registry in an encrypted format.

  2. Wow, Windows 7 hides this and has it on by default? Looks like Windows 7 is a bit worse than Vista in one way (since Vista *asks* you)

  3. @stop spying

    “In my view Microsoft cannot be trusted else they would not go to such lengths…”

    exactly.

  4. Excellente guide and help. My PC is great now.

    Thank you and kindest regards

  5. Great tip!

    Even my computer being in Portuguese, since I’m from Brazil I understood everything written in this article and I’ve applied on my computer.

    Thanks! It will be nicer if you guys translater all of this useful tips to other languages, not all people can understand what is written here.

    Greetings from Brazil,

    Alex.

  6. Thanks for the tips they are very helpful
    Isn’t it about time we all start using Linux or any alternative…?
    all of us helped Microsoft grow, let’s reverse it

  7. I wondered why my modem occasionally started sending packets right after computer boot. There was an every three days schedule for Microsoft’s benefit on my system. Thanks for clear and sensible answers to shoot Microsoft in both ears.

  8. wondering if a reg file can be made to choose

    No, I don’t want to participate in the program

    like in ” METHOD 1: Disable CEIP Using Settings ” but in a reg file

  9. Vishal, what about telemetry service. Should not we disable it as well. It is called “Connected User Experiences and Telemetry” in W-10 build 1607

  10. Thanks!

    There is actually a second entry (though I can’t tell if they are ‘connected’ – as in, if you disable the one mentioned above, it will disable the one below):

    ‘\Microsoft\Windows\Customer Experience Improvement Program’ – check both tasks and disable.

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