Your computer may contain more private information than almost any other device you own. Tax documents, family photos, work files, passwords, private messages, and years of personal data can all sit behind the same login.
For most people, that computer runs Windows or macOS. Both operating systems collect information about how they work, and both connect to large cloud ecosystems. The difference is how much data they collect, where that data can go, and how much control you have over it.
So if privacy is the priority, which is the better operating system?
Windows collects more information by default
Windows sends Microsoft diagnostic data about your computer, including information about its hardware, settings, and whether it is working properly. Microsoft also offers optional diagnostic data, which can include information about app activity, connected devices, and, in some circumstances, browsing activity. Windows also assigns users a unique advertising ID that Microsoft apps can use for personalized advertising.
Then there is Recall. Available on Copilot+ PCs, the feature can create searchable snapshots of activity on your computer. While enabled by default upon release, Recall is now an opt-in feature and Microsoft says the snapshots are encrypted and stored locally.
The privacy concern remains easy to understand. If Recall is enabled, your computer can retain a searchable record of what has appeared on its screen. Signal(nieuw venster) was concerned enough about this that, in 2025, it added Windows screen-security controls to help prevent Recall from capturing Signal chats.
Microsoft’s current controls give Windows users more choice than the original version of Recall did, but the feature still illustrates a broader issue: Windows can collect information about how you use your computer, and some of that collection is built into the operating system.
Macs collect data through Apple’s ecosystem
Apple collects diagnostic and usage information too. On a Mac, you can turn off sharing of Mac analytics and control several other privacy settings.
The bigger question is what happens once the Mac is connected to your Apple Account. A single computer can be tied to iCloud, Photos, Messages, Safari, Maps, Siri, Apple Pay, an iPhone, and years of personal information.
Apple has also had its own privacy issues. In 2019, a whistleblower revealed that contractors were reviewing a sample of Siri recordings to help evaluate the assistant. Some recordings were reportedly captured when Siri was activated accidentally, and the material could contain highly sensitive conversations. Apple confirmed the contractor program, suspended it after the report, and apologized.
That history does not make macOS inherently private. It does, however, show why the privacy of a computer cannot be judged by the operating system alone. The services connected to it are equally as important.
Your cloud account can change the privacy equation
Microsoft’s ecosystem includes Windows, Edge, Bing, Outlook, OneDrive, Microsoft 365, Xbox, and Copilot. Once you use those services together, more of your digital life can end up associated with the same company.
A document stored in OneDrive sits on Microsoft’s servers. Outlook gives Microsoft your email. A signed-in Edge browser can sync browsing information, while Copilot adds another cloud service to the mix.
Apple works in much the same way. iCloud can connect your Mac to photos, messages, backups, documents, browsing information, and other services. Apple also operates an advertising business, although it says its advertising platform does not track users across other companies’ apps and websites and does not share personally identifiable information with third parties for their marketing.
Government access is another consideration. Microsoft reported(nieuw venster) 27,412 law-enforcement requests for consumer data worldwide in the second half of 2025. About 61% resulted in non-content disclosures and about 5% in content disclosures.
Apple received 15,780 U.S. account requests during the second half of 2024 and provided data in 82% of those requests, according to Apple’s transparency report(nieuw venster).
Those figures do not mean Microsoft or Apple gives governments unrestricted access to customer data. Both companies say they require a valid legal process. That said, once your information is stored in a company’s cloud, that company may receive legally valid demands for it.
Can you see and delete your data?
Both operating systems give you some tools to see what information is associated with you.
Windows has a Privacy Dashboard(nieuw venster) and a Diagnostic Data Viewer. You can delete diagnostic data associated with a device and turn off optional diagnostic collection. Required diagnostic data, however, cannot be completely disabled on a normal consumer installation.
Apple provides a Data & Privacy portal(nieuw venster) where you can request a copy of information associated with your Apple Account. You can also delete the account and its associated data, although doing that becomes a major decision if you have spent years inside Apple’s ecosystem.
There is also information that stays on the computer itself. Both Windows and macOS support full-disk encryption. Windows uses BitLocker or Device Encryption, while Macs use FileVault.
The difference is what happens to the recovery key. When Windows Device Encryption is enabled with a Microsoft account, the recovery key can be backed up to that account. That makes recovery easier if you are locked out, but it also means the key can exist in Microsoft’s cloud.
Which computer takes less work to make private?
Making a Windows PC more private requires checking a long list of settings. Start with the advertising ID, optional diagnostics, personalized offers, and permissions for location, camera, microphone, speech recognition, typing, search, and background apps.
Then look at OneDrive and Edge, review which apps can access account information, check the Microsoft Privacy Dashboard and Diagnostic Data Viewer, and verify your encryption settings and recovery-key location. If you have a Copilot+ PC, check Recall and delete any existing snapshots if you do not want them.
Mac users have their own checklist. Turn off Mac analytics and app-developer sharing, review Siri and Dictation settings, personalized ads, location, camera, microphone, Screen Recording, Full Disk Access, and Accessibility permissions. Check background apps, iCloud syncing, Safari, connected Apple devices, and FileVault. You can also request your Apple data to see what the company has associated with your account.
Neither checklist is especially difficult. The difference is how much you have to think about before the system reaches a reasonably private configuration.
What about Linux?
If privacy is your absolute priority, neither Windows nor macOS is the end of the conversation. Linux gives you a different starting point because it does not come with the same Microsoft or Apple ecosystem attached.
That does not make Linux bulletproof. In 2024, a backdoor was discovered in widely used Linux software before it could become a much larger security problem. Privacy and security are related, but they are not the same thing.
So which is better for privacy?
Neither Windows nor macOS are privacy-first operating systems. Both companies collect information, both operate large cloud ecosystems, and both can receive government demands for customer data.
Windows has some additional disadvantages. It includes an advertising identifier, requires diagnostic data that users cannot completely disable, and is tied to a large advertising and cloud business. Recall also gives Windows the ability to preserve a much more detailed record of activity when enabled.
Apple is far from perfect. Its ecosystem can contain years of personal information, issues with Siri recordings, and it responds to valid government requests for customer data.
But when the two are compared on how much information they collect, where that information goes, how much control users have over it, and how much work is required to tighten the settings, macOS comes out ahead.
If privacy is the deciding factor between a Windows PC and a Mac, the Mac is the better choice.
