How to Turn Off Built-In AI Features on a Laptop

Before you start

Two kinds of setting are mixed together on every platform. AI features are the tools themselves: assistants, rewriters, summaries, snapshot search. Data sharing is the diagnostic and usage information the system sends to its maker, which can include details of what you do. Turning off one does not turn off the other, so this guide covers both. On a laptop managed by an employer or school, some switches will be greyed out because an administrator controls them; that is expected, and the organisation's policy applies. For context on which tools send text off the machine, see the guide to what leaves the laptop when you use AI writing tools.

Switch them off

1. 01

   Windows: stop screen snapshots

   On laptops that support it, Windows can save regular snapshots of the screen so you can search what you have seen. Microsoft's privacy page for the feature says snapshots are stored and analysed locally and are not sent to Microsoft, and that Windows asks permission before saving them. If you do not want them, open Settings, Privacy and security, Recall and snapshots, and turn off Save snapshots; you can delete existing ones on the same page. Microsoft also notes the feature can be removed entirely through Turn Windows features on or off.

2. 02

   Windows: reduce diagnostic data

   Open Settings, Privacy and security, Diagnostics and feedback. Turn off Send optional diagnostic data. Microsoft's diagnostics page says optional data can include websites you browse, device activity and crash memory that may contain parts of an open file. On the same page, turn off Tailored experiences, then under General turn off the advertising ID.

3. 03

   Windows: review assistant apps

   Open Settings, Apps, Installed apps and remove any assistant or AI app you do not use. Check the taskbar settings too, where an assistant button can be hidden.

4. 04

   Mac: turn off built-in AI

   Open System Settings and click Apple Intelligence and Siri. Apple's guide says the button next to the feature turns it off; Siri has its own switch on the same page. Apple's privacy page says some requests are processed on the Mac and more complex ones on its own servers, so turning it off stops both.

5. 05

   Mac: turn off analytics

   Open System Settings, Privacy and Security, Analytics and Improvements, and turn off sharing Mac analytics and the improvement options for Siri and dictation.

6. 06

   Chrome and ChromeOS: remove on-device models

   Open Chrome, then Settings, and find the AI section (labelled AI innovations on many versions). Turn off On-device AI. Google's help page says Chrome then deletes the downloaded model files and will not download them again while the setting is off, and warns that some AI features do not depend on those models and may still run. Check the other entries in the same section and turn off any you do not want.

7. 07

   Check browser extensions

   Open your browser's extensions page and remove writing or summarising helpers you no longer use. Extensions can read pages you visit whatever the system settings say.

What turning things off does not do

• It does not affect websites. An online document editor or chat service processes text on its own servers under its own settings.
• It does not remove hardware. An NPU stays in the laptop and still runs things such as camera effects you choose to use. The guide to what an NPU is and what it runs explains the split.
• It does not clean your files. Photos you share can still carry location and camera details; the guide to checking a photo's hidden metadata covers that.
• It does not stop you using AI deliberately. If you want an assistant that never touches a network, try running a writing assistant with no connection at all.

Keep the useful ones

Not every AI feature deserves switching off. Live captions on Windows and in Chrome process audio on the device and are genuinely useful for accessibility and for following recorded lectures. Noise suppression on calls runs locally. The goal is a laptop that does what you chose, not one with every feature removed. For more settings walkthroughs like this one, see all of our step-by-step laptop guides.

Common questions

Will turning off AI features slow my laptop down?

No. If anything, stopping background snapshots and model downloads frees a little storage and processing time.

Can I turn them back on later?

Yes. Every switch in this guide can be reversed from the same page. Chrome will download its models again when you re-enable the setting.

Why are some settings greyed out?

The laptop is managed by an organisation, or the feature is not available on your hardware or region.

Does required diagnostic data still go to the maker?

Yes. Windows always sends a minimum set needed for security and updates; you can only turn off the optional set.

Is it enough to use a private browsing window?

No. Private windows stop local history. They do not change operating system features or what a website does with your text.