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Disable Microsoft Office telemetry agent

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Works with Windows 10 and 11Works with Windows Vista, XP, 7, 8, 10, 11, and Windows Server 2008 or newer.
  • Single actionThis page belongs to a script, containing basic changes to achieve a task.
  • Windows onlyThis script improves your privacy on Windows
  • Impact: MinimumSystem Functionality Loss Risk: Low
    This action improves privacy with minimal impact when you run the recommended script.
  • Batch (batchfile)These changes use Windows system commands to update your settings.
  • Fully reversible

    You can fully restore this action (revert back to the original behavior) using this website.

    The restore/revert methods provided here can help you fix issues.

Overview​

This script disables the scheduled tasks associated with the Office telemetry agent.

The Office Telemetry Agent, introduced in Office 2013, collects and uploads a variety of data for monitoring purposes 1. This data includes runtime logs, properties of Office documents, and other insights from Office applications 1 2. Notably, it can upload file names, paths, and document titles in their original format 1. The data is stored locally before being uploaded to a shared folder (at %LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Telemetry) 3. This poses privacy risks as it may contain personal or confidential information.

The OfficeTelemetryAgentLogOn scheduled task, collects data for the Office Telemetry Dashboard 1. This task activates upon user login to an Office client and continues to scan and collect data during the session 1. The types of data collected encompass file names of recently accessed Office documents 2 3, names of add-ins and solutions interacting with Office 3, and system information including user and computer names 2.

Disabling these tasks is recommended for enhancing privacy. The script effectively prevents privacy risks associated with telemetry data collection by disabling the related scheduled tasks. It prevents the collection and upload of potentially sensitive information, thereby protecting users from exposure of personal or internal process-related details.

Overview of default task statuses​

\Microsoft\Office\OfficeTelemetryAgentFallBack (tested on Office version 2208):

OS VersionDefault status
Windows 10 22H2🟡 N/A (missing)
Windows 11 22H2🟡 N/A (missing)

\Microsoft\Office\OfficeTelemetryAgentFallBack2016 (tested on Office version 2208):

OS VersionDefault status
Windows 10 22H2🟢 Ready
Windows 11 22H2🟢 Ready

\Microsoft\Office\OfficeTelemetryAgentLogOn (tested on Office version 2208):

OS VersionDefault status
Windows 10 22H2🟡 N/A (missing)
Windows 11 22H2🟡 N/A (missing)

\Microsoft\Office\OfficeTelemetryAgentLogOn2016 (tested on Office version 2208):

OS VersionDefault status
Windows 10 22H2🟢 Ready
Windows 11 22H2🟢 Ready
Safe for General Use
All actions in this script is recommended for all users. This is recommended for all users to improve without any noticeable impact on the system functionality.
Sources
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Help

How to apply or restore "Disable Microsoft Office telemetry agent" using script​

  • ≈ 2 min to complete
  • Tools: Web Browser
  • Difficulty: Simple
  • ≈ 5 instructions
  1. 1

    Download

    Download the script file by clicking on the   Apply protection  button above.
    Use   Undo protection button above to restore changes.
  2. 2

    Keep the file

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  3. 3

    Open

    Open the downloaded file.
  4. 4

    Exit

    Once it's done, press any key to exit the window.
  5. 5

    Restart

    Restart your computer for all changes to take effect.

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How to apply or restore "Disable Microsoft Office telemetry agent" using privacy.sexy​

  • ≈ 3 min to complete
  • Tools: privacy.sexy
  • Difficulty: Simple
  • ≈ 4 instructions
privacy.sexy is free and open-source application that lets securely apply this action easily with more advanced options.
  1. 1

    Open or download

    Open or download the desktop application
  2. 2

    Choose script

    1. Search for the script name: Disable Microsoft Office telemetry agent
    2. Check the script by clicking on the checkbox.
  3. 3

    Run

    Click on ▶️ Run button at the bottom of the page.

    This button only appears on desktop version (recommended). On browser, use 💾 Save button.

Run commands​

Copy and run commands manually Requires technical knowledge
Apply changes
:: Disable scheduled task(s): `\Microsoft\Office\OfficeTelemetryAgentFallBack`
PowerShell -ExecutionPolicy Unrestricted -Command "$taskPathPattern='\Microsoft\Office\'; $taskNamePattern='OfficeTelemetryAgentFallBack'; Write-Output "^""Disabling tasks matching pattern `"^""$taskNamePattern`"^""."^""; $tasks = @(Get-ScheduledTask -TaskPath $taskPathPattern -TaskName $taskNamePattern -ErrorAction Ignore); if (-Not $tasks) { Write-Output "^""Skipping, no tasks matching pattern `"^""$taskNamePattern`"^"" found, no action needed."^""; exit 0; }; $operationFailed = $false; foreach ($task in $tasks) { $taskName = $task.TaskName; if ($task.State -eq [Microsoft.PowerShell.Cmdletization.GeneratedTypes.ScheduledTask.StateEnum]::Disabled) { Write-Output "^""Skipping, task `"^""$taskName`"^"" is already disabled, no action needed."^""; continue; }; try { $task | Disable-ScheduledTask -ErrorAction Stop | Out-Null; Write-Output "^""Successfully disabled task `"^""$taskName`"^""."^""; } catch { Write-Error "^""Failed to disable task `"^""$taskName`"^"": $($_.Exception.Message)"^""; $operationFailed = $true; }; }; if ($operationFailed) { Write-Output 'Failed to disable some tasks. Check error messages above.'; exit 1; }"
:: Disable scheduled task(s): `\Microsoft\Office\OfficeTelemetryAgentFallBack2016`
PowerShell -ExecutionPolicy Unrestricted -Command "$taskPathPattern='\Microsoft\Office\'; $taskNamePattern='OfficeTelemetryAgentFallBack2016'; Write-Output "^""Disabling tasks matching pattern `"^""$taskNamePattern`"^""."^""; $tasks = @(Get-ScheduledTask -TaskPath $taskPathPattern -TaskName $taskNamePattern -ErrorAction Ignore); if (-Not $tasks) { Write-Output "^""Skipping, no tasks matching pattern `"^""$taskNamePattern`"^"" found, no action needed."^""; exit 0; }; $operationFailed = $false; foreach ($task in $tasks) { $taskName = $task.TaskName; if ($task.State -eq [Microsoft.PowerShell.Cmdletization.GeneratedTypes.ScheduledTask.StateEnum]::Disabled) { Write-Output "^""Skipping, task `"^""$taskName`"^"" is already disabled, no action needed."^""; continue; }; try { $task | Disable-ScheduledTask -ErrorAction Stop | Out-Null; Write-Output "^""Successfully disabled task `"^""$taskName`"^""."^""; } catch { Write-Error "^""Failed to disable task `"^""$taskName`"^"": $($_.Exception.Message)"^""; $operationFailed = $true; }; }; if ($operationFailed) { Write-Output 'Failed to disable some tasks. Check error messages above.'; exit 1; }"
:: Disable scheduled task(s): `\Microsoft\Office\OfficeTelemetryAgentLogOn`
PowerShell -ExecutionPolicy Unrestricted -Command "$taskPathPattern='\Microsoft\Office\'; $taskNamePattern='OfficeTelemetryAgentLogOn'; Write-Output "^""Disabling tasks matching pattern `"^""$taskNamePattern`"^""."^""; $tasks = @(Get-ScheduledTask -TaskPath $taskPathPattern -TaskName $taskNamePattern -ErrorAction Ignore); if (-Not $tasks) { Write-Output "^""Skipping, no tasks matching pattern `"^""$taskNamePattern`"^"" found, no action needed."^""; exit 0; }; $operationFailed = $false; foreach ($task in $tasks) { $taskName = $task.TaskName; if ($task.State -eq [Microsoft.PowerShell.Cmdletization.GeneratedTypes.ScheduledTask.StateEnum]::Disabled) { Write-Output "^""Skipping, task `"^""$taskName`"^"" is already disabled, no action needed."^""; continue; }; try { $task | Disable-ScheduledTask -ErrorAction Stop | Out-Null; Write-Output "^""Successfully disabled task `"^""$taskName`"^""."^""; } catch { Write-Error "^""Failed to disable task `"^""$taskName`"^"": $($_.Exception.Message)"^""; $operationFailed = $true; }; }; if ($operationFailed) { Write-Output 'Failed to disable some tasks. Check error messages above.'; exit 1; }"
:: Disable scheduled task(s): `\Microsoft\Office\OfficeTelemetryAgentLogOn2016`
PowerShell -ExecutionPolicy Unrestricted -Command "$taskPathPattern='\Microsoft\Office\'; $taskNamePattern='OfficeTelemetryAgentLogOn2016'; Write-Output "^""Disabling tasks matching pattern `"^""$taskNamePattern`"^""."^""; $tasks = @(Get-ScheduledTask -TaskPath $taskPathPattern -TaskName $taskNamePattern -ErrorAction Ignore); if (-Not $tasks) { Write-Output "^""Skipping, no tasks matching pattern `"^""$taskNamePattern`"^"" found, no action needed."^""; exit 0; }; $operationFailed = $false; foreach ($task in $tasks) { $taskName = $task.TaskName; if ($task.State -eq [Microsoft.PowerShell.Cmdletization.GeneratedTypes.ScheduledTask.StateEnum]::Disabled) { Write-Output "^""Skipping, task `"^""$taskName`"^"" is already disabled, no action needed."^""; continue; }; try { $task | Disable-ScheduledTask -ErrorAction Stop | Out-Null; Write-Output "^""Successfully disabled task `"^""$taskName`"^""."^""; } catch { Write-Error "^""Failed to disable task `"^""$taskName`"^"": $($_.Exception.Message)"^""; $operationFailed = $true; }; }; if ($operationFailed) { Write-Output 'Failed to disable some tasks. Check error messages above.'; exit 1; }"
Help

How to apply or restore "Disable Microsoft Office telemetry agent" using commands​

  • ≈ 2 min to complete
  • Tools: Command Prompt
  • Difficulty: Medium
  • ≈ 3 instructions
 View step-by-step guide with screenshots
  1. 1

    Open Command Prompt

    Open Command Prompt as Administrator.
  2. 2

    Copy code

    Copy the code:
    Copy Apply Code Copy Revert Code
  3. 3

    Paste & run

    Paste the commands into Command Prompt and press Enter to run.

    Some changes require a system restart to take effect

Similar Guides​

Wider Goal​

Guides below includes this guide to achieve a wider goal.See other more general settings that includes this one as one of its actions.
These plans combine multiple privacy settings, including this one, for stronger protection.
This category includes scripts that disable various telemetry and data collection features in Microsoft Office applications. Microsoft Office collects te...

— Disable Microsoft Office telemetry

Same Goal​

Other guides in Disable Microsoft Office telemetry See settings that are in the same category as this guide.
Using other actions in the same category may help you achieve your goal better.
Disable Microsoft Office logging
Disable Microsoft Office client telemetry
Disable user participation in Office Customer Experience Improvement Program (CEIP)
Disable Microsoft Office feedback
Disable "Microsoft Office Subscription Heartbeat" task

About the Creators​

These people have authored this documentation and written its scripts:

  • Avatar of undergroundwires. The creator of PrivacyLearn and privacy.sexy. Black and white portrait showing a person wearing a polka dot tie and suit jacket, reflecting the professional expertise behind the privacy protection tools.
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Reviewed By​

This guide has undergone comprehensive auditing and peer review:

  • Expert review by undergroundwires​

    • Verified technical accuracy and editorial standards
    • Assessed system impact and user privacy risks
    • Audited and verified using automated security tests

  • Public review by large community​

    • Privacy enthusiasts and professionals peer-reviewed
    • Millions of end-users tested across different environments
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History​

We continually monitor our guides, their impact and other potential privacy options. We update our guides when new information becomes available. On every update, we publicly store who made the change, what has been changed, why the change was made and when the change was made.

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