Privacy tool DoNotSpy11 update adds Windows 11 version 23H2 support
DoNotSpy is a long-standing privacy tool for Windows. The latest update adds support for the Windows 11 2023 Update, aka Windows 11 version 23H2.
Our first review of DoNotSpy dates back a while. Back then, it was called DoNotSpy78 and DoNotSpy10. The number indicates the supported operating system. DoNotSpy11 is the latest iteration of the privacy tool. It works under Windows 11 and 10, and is regularly updated with new features.
O&O ShutUp10++ was updated recently as well to include support for the 2023 Windows 11 update.
DoNotSpy11 1.2
DoNotSpy11 version 1.2.0.0 is the latest version of the tool. The main new feature of the release is support for the 2023 Update for Windows 11 and Moment 4. Existing users may select Help > Check for updates to find out if they run the latest version.
DoNotSpy11 is compatible with Windows 10 and 11 devices, but the majority of changes are available for Windows 11 only. Microsoft more or less stopped pushing feature updates and new features to its Windows 10 operating system. While some features continue to be pushed to Windows 10 by Microsoft, many of the major changes are Windows 11 exclusive.
The new release includes a number of new tweaks. These give you options to manage new features such as Windows Copilot or account-related notifications in the Start Menu. Many of these options can be turned off manually as well. You may consult our guide to disabling Windows Copilot here.
As far as changes are concerned, several add new tweaks for Microsoft Edge, the default web browser. You can use them to disable text predictions, the new related matches feature in Find on Page, which sends data to Microsoft, or compose for writing on the web.
The main advantage of DoNotSpy11, and related tools, is that they make these tweaks a lot easier to apply. DoNotSpy use color coding to indicate safe tweaks. These should have no impact on the stability of the system or functionality. Orange and red tweaks may require a bit of reading or are not recommended for most use cases.
You can check out the full list of improvements and changes on the official website.
Closing Words
DoNotSpy11 is a useful privacy tool for Windows 10 and 11. It is updated regularly to include tweaks for new features and changes that Microsoft makes, and is easy to use. Like O&O ShutUp10++, DoNotSpy11 suggests to create a system restore point before making changes. This is recommended, as it adds another option to roll back changes made earlier.
Now You: which tweaking tools do you use?
Windows Privacy Dashboard (WPD) and O&O Shutup have been my go-to programs for ~2 years now and seem to cover the majority of issues with ads, pop-ups, data collection, and other unnecessary Windows services. The defaults in both programs have been very good about disabling junk without interfering with usage.
I haven’t tested the DoNotSpy program mentioned here.
I used to like WPD, but the latest releases of both WPD and the crazymax blocklist it uses are May 2022. A lot has happened to the Win OS since then.
I’ve used O+O and had issues with it, don’t intend to go there again. Haven’t tried DoNotSpy, and wish it was a portable app.