How to Turn On or Off Collect Activity History for Timeline in Windows 10

Tedious workflows may sometimes require multiple days to complete, prompting individuals to spread their workload, efforts, or tasks over an extended timeframe. However, this may lead to instances when you need to resume a task exactly where you left off.

This is where Activity History in Windows is useful. In this blog, we discuss the necessary steps on how to Collect Activity History for Timeline in Windows and its importance.

How to turn on or off Activity History for Timeline in Windows 10

Using Windows settings

1. Open Settings:

• • Press Win + I to open the Settings window.
  • Click Privacy and select Activity History in the left pane.

2. Modify Activity History Settings:

• • To enable Activity History, check:
    • ☑️ Store my activity history on this device
    • ☑️ Send my activity history to Microsoft (if using a Microsoft account)
  • To turn off Activity History, uncheck both options.

3. Adjust sync settings (if using a Microsoft account):

• • Windows can sync Activity History across devices if signed in with a Microsoft account.
  • To prevent syncing, go to Settings > Accounts > Email & accounts and remove unnecessary accounts.

Using Group Policy Editor (For IT admins and advanced users)

1. Open Group Policy Editor:

• • Press Win + R, type gpedit.msc, and press Enter.

2. Navigate to Activity History Policies:

• • Go to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > System > OS Policies.

3. Modify Activity History Collection Settings:

• • Locate “Allow publishing of user activities” and “Allow upload of user activities” policies.
  • Double-click each policy and select Enabled (to allow) or Disabled (to prevent collection).

4. Apply Changes:

• • Click Apply > OK and restart your computer.

Using Registry Editor (advanced method)

⚠️Warning: Editing the Registry can affect system stability. Back up your registry before proceeding.

1. Open Registry Editor:

• • Press Win + R, type regedit, and press Enter.

2. Navigate to the Registry key:

• • Go to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\System

3. Modify or create DWORD entries:

• • To turn off the Activity History collection:
    • Right-click the right pane, select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value, and name it EnableActivityFeed.
    • Set its value to 0.
  • To enable Activity History collection, set the value to 1.

4. Restart your computer:

• • Close Registry Editor and restart your PC to apply the changes.

Understanding Activity History and Timeline in Windows 10

Microsoft introduced Activity History starting in Windows 10, particularly in Build 17040. The feature lets individuals see and manage their activities, including files opened, applications used, and browsing history. As of the moment, Activity History is used in these services:

• Cortana. The consumer-oriented personal assistant developed by Microsoft can use Activity History when permitted. Cortana utilizes the feature to allow users to resume activities across devices seamlessly.
• Microsoft Edge. Another service that uses Activity History is Microsoft’s flagship web browser, Edge. When enabled, Microsoft Edge collects data, such as the website you recently visited, to be included in your Activity History. This works unless you’re surfing the web using InPrivate sessions.
• Timeline. Microsoft introduced Timeline starting with Windows 10 build 17063. Timeline provides a structured timeline view within Windows 10, allowing individuals to resume activities from where they left off.

Given that this feature collects user activity logs and data, some may want to opt out of using the service. For this guide, we will focus on the procedures for managing the collection of Activity History for Timeline.

Benefits of Activity History for Timeline

Turning Activity History for Timeline on and off each has advantages.

Enabling Activity History for Timeline

• Workflow continuity: Keeping Activity History on for Timeline allows users to move their activities from one device to another seamlessly. This is useful for those using multiple Windows devices, saving them time and maximizing productivity whether they’re editing a document, going back to an app they were using, or doing other tasks.
• Activity logs: Activity History for Timeline is also beneficial for those who keep track of their activities within a device. Timeline keeps a chronological record of an individual’s activities, making it easier to locate and revisit recent files, apps, and websites without manually searching for them.

• Personalized recommendations: Enabling Activity History for Timeline allows Windows to learn an individual’s computer habits through their activities. This enables Windows to recommend tailored suggestions, such as frequently accessed files or apps, helping users optimize their workflow.

Disabling Activity History for Timeline

• Enhanced privacy: Disabling Activity History for Timeline is recommended for those who are cautious about their data being collected. Turning off Activity History may give a person peace of mind, knowing the risk of threat actors accessing their data t is reduced.
• Control over data: Disabling the feature also gives users more control over their data, making it available only on their devices. This lets them keep their activities, data, and browsing habits private.
• System usage reduction: Collecting and syncing Activity History may consume processing power and storage. Turning off the feature for Timeline may reduce resource consumption, leading to improved system performance, particularly on older or resource-limited devices.

Privacy considerations and data management

If you decide to turn Activity History for Timeline off for privacy reasons, you should first consider how Microsoft uses your data.

How Microsoft uses Activity History data

• Personalization of suggestions and recent activities: Activity History can provide users with relevant recommendations, such as which apps they may use next, what websites they need to visit, or what documents they may have to work on. This streamlines workflow by organizing past activities in a structured timeline.
• Cross-device syncing: Having a Microsoft account enhances Activity History by synching logs across Windows devices, making it easier for users to start their workflow from one device and continue to another. This is useful, especially for those who use switch devices as part of their workflow.
• Performance diagnostics: Data collected through Activity History can be used for performance analysis and error detection. These tasks include identifying bugs, logging crashes, and more. The data collection for performance analysis can then be used to solve and troubleshoot bottlenecks efficiently.

How to delete previously collected Activity History

Existing Activity History logs can be removed if needed. Here’s how:

Using Windows Settings

1. Open Activity History settings:

• • Press Win + I to open Settings.
  • Navigate to Privacy > Activity History.

2. Clear stored activity history:

• • Click Clear Activity History under “Clear activity history for this account.”
  • Confirm the action when prompted.

Using the Microsoft Privacy Dashboard

1. Open the Microsoft Privacy Dashboard:

• • Visit the Microsoft Privacy Dashboard and sign in with your Microsoft account.

2. Delete synced Activity History:

• • Locate Activity History in the privacy settings.
  • Click Clear to remove stored activity data from the cloud.

Managing Activity History across multiple devices

Remember that Activity History is account-specific. This means that each user account on a Windows device has its own configurable Activity History settings. Users can review synchronization settings on all devices by navigating to Settings > Privacy > Activity History. From this setting, you can ensure data collection preferences align with your system preferences and requirements.

Troubleshooting common issues

Activity History not saving or updating

1. Ensure “Store my activity history on this device” is enabled:

• • Go to Settings > Privacy > Activity History and confirm the option is checked.

2. Check Windows Search Service status:

• • Press Win + R, type services.msc, and press Enter.
  • Locate Windows Search, ensure it’s running, and set the Startup Type to Automatic (Delayed Start).

Settings grayed out or unavailable

1. Check Group Policy settings (if managed by an organization):

• • Press Win + R, type gpedit.msc, and press Enter.
  • Navigate to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > System > OS Policies.
  • Ensure “Allow publishing of user activities” is set to Enabled or Not Configured.

2. Modify the Registry (if necessary):

• • Press Win + R, type regedit, and press Enter.
  • Navigate to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\System.

• • Look for PublishUserActivities and set its value to 1.

Timeline not displaying past activities

1. Verify that Activity History is enabled:

• • Go to Settings > Privacy > Activity History and ensure all necessary options are turned on.

2. Ensure Windows Search service is properly configured:

• • Open Services (services.msc), locate Windows Search, and then make sure it’s set to Automatic (Delayed Start).
  • Restart the service if necessary.

Managing Activity History for Timeline

Activity History is a complementary feature of Windows for Timeline, helping users keep track of their activities and resume them at a later time. However, when caution for privacy comes into play, some may opt out of this feature. Since enabling or disabling Activity History for Timeline depends on your system requirements and preference, understanding the advantages and drawbacks of the feature should help you make an informed decision.