How to Review and Manage App Permissions in Windows 11

Learn how to audit and control individual app permissions in Windows 11 to protect your privacy and system resources.

1. Open the Windows Settings app. Press the Windows key on your keyboard to open the Start menu. Select the Settings icon or press the Windows key + I to launch the application directly.
2. Access the Privacy & security menu. From the left-hand navigation pane in the Settings window, select Privacy & security. This menu houses all individual hardware and data access controls for installed software.
3. Locate App permissions. Scroll down to the App permissions section. This list displays categories such as Location, Camera, Microphone, and Contacts. Each category represents a specific hardware or data set.
4. Review individual hardware access. Click on a specific category, such as Microphone. You will see a list of applications that have requested access to that resource.
5. Manage global and application-level settings. Ensure the master toggle at the top of the category is set to On if you wish to allow any apps to access the feature. If the master toggle is Off, all applications are restricted from using that resource regardless of individual settings.