Top 10 security settings for a secure Windows 10 Computer

Windows 10 is by far the most acknowledged Windows operating system. Microsoft rolls out updates frequently to ensure bugs are fixed and also the user experience is enhanced. Even as these updates are intended to improve the system performance and security, it is important for you to alter a few settings to improve system security along with retaining your privacy.

This article speaks about the 10 best security changes you can make to your Windows 10 computer, that are pretty much necessary to secure your personal information on the computer.

1. Secure your Windows computer by updating login password

When you purchase a new Windows computer or if you have reformatted the computer with a fresh copy of Windows, the system will allow the user to login automatically without having the need to provide a password. This can prove costly because, it gives opportunity for anyone to access information from your computer. To avoid such scenarios, follow the steps mentioned below to setup login password on your computer.

1. Click on Start button and select the Settings icon
2. Now choose the Account option, from the left column select Sign-in options
3. Under Password click on Add, provide the password you wish to have and click on Finish
4. This will ensure that the computer is password protected

2. Maximizing UAC (User Account Control)

The UAC is a feature that will restrict any applications to make changes to the computer. Therefore, by increasing the UAC, applications cannot make changes to the computer without the user’s consent. So, here is how you can maximize the UAC

1. In the Cortana search box type Change user account control and select the first result
2. Now move slider to Always notify me and click on OK
3. This feature will ensure that the computer asks for the user’s permission before making any changes

3. Updating antivirus

Computer viruses are getting stronger by each day. These viruses are capable of bringing down the computer performance, make changes to the computer or can even corrupt the data on the computer.

Therefore, by installing a trusted antivirus software you can have an eye on any malware from making changes to the computer. Note that the antivirus should also be updated on timely basis, to ensure maximum security on the computer.

4. Make sure your Windows is always updated

Windows updates are rolled out frequently to ensure that the computer performs flawlessly. Apart from enhancing the performance and user experience, these updates improve the security of the computer by increasing the virus protection or by fixing bugs in the software. In order to check and update your Windows computer here is what you need to do.

1. Go to settings and choose Update and Security
2. Select Windows Update option from the left column
3. Next click on Check for updates
4. After checking for the update, the Windows will notify any available updates
5. If any update is available, click on Download and install now to start installing the new system updates

5. Enable encryption using BitLocker

BitLocker is feature available on Windows to protect the data by encrypting them. This feature is highly useful as the encrypted data cannot be accessed that easily. Hence this will help in protecting your information by getting into the wrong hands. Follow the steps to enable BitLocker encryption on your computer.

1. Find the hard drive you want to encrypt under “This PC” in File Explorer
2. Right-click the target drive and choose “Turn on BitLocker”
3. Enter a secure password
4. Choose “How to Enable Your Recovery Key” which you’ll use to access your drive if you lose your password
5. Choose “Encrypt Entire Drive.” This option is more secure and encrypts files you marked for deletion
6. Click “Start Encrypting” to begin the encryption process

In case you have encountered a situation where in your encrypted data is lost due to hard drive failure or you might have forgotten the drive password, it is very difficult to get back your lost data. However, there is a way to recover encrypted data from failed hard drive using a data recovery tool.

Remo Recover Software is a professional data recovery tool that you can utilize to recover lost data from your computer.

6. Disable Ad Tracking

Every Windows user is assigned with an advertising ID that is intended to provide information about the user Microsoft Ad partners. This information can include logs of how frequently you use features and applications, system files etc. This can take away your privacy while using the computer. Hence, it is better to disable this Ad tracking to ensure privacy while using the computer. Follow the below mentioned steps to disable Ad tracking:

1. Go to Windows Settings and click on the Privacy icon
2. In the Privacy tab, click or tap the General menu option
3. Turn off Let apps use my advertising ID for experiences across apps
4. By doing so you will be able to disable Ad tracking successfully

7. Disable the location tracking

By turning on the location information, you will be providing the Windows the information about the exact location. Sometimes this information can be accessed by other people to track your location. There are chances that this information can be misused, causing trouble to the user. In order to disable location here is what you can do.

1. Navigate to Settings and click on Privacy icon
2. Now click on Location option from the left menu, toggle the Location for this device switch to Off to disable Location Services

8. Restrict the Application Access to Your Email

Emails are one of the best mediums for formal or official communication. If your email information gets to the hands of an untrusted person, then there are chances that your personal information could be leaked. Therefore, disabling the email access to an untrusted application can secure your privacy.

1. In windows Settings click on Privacy icon
2. Click on Email from the left menu, now toggle off the app access to emails. This will ensure that the application has no access to your emails
3. However, under the “Choose app that can access and send email” section, you can allow access to any specific applications that need email accessed

9. Create a restore point

In situations where the Windows computer is not performing up to the mark or system information is compromised, going back to a previous restore point will fix the issue. Additionally, creating a system restore point will be very useful in situations when, the computer is having issues due to any recent Windows update, changes made by a third-party application, or other system changes. In order to create a system, restore point follow the below instructions

1. Type Create a restore point in the Cortana search box
2. In the System Properties window, choose the C drive and click the Create button
3. Add a description to the system restore point and click Create to continue
4. System Restore Point Creating Process
5. The system restore point process will begin and you are required to wait for a few minutes
6. After completion of the process, you will receive a message stating that the restore point was created successfully
7. After all steps are finished, you can successfully create system restore point Windows 10

10. Turn off camera access on your computer

There a lot of cases scenarios where hackers have gained access to the camera even without the active light illuminated. This can prove very dangerous as the hackers can misuse this information. Hence, on a safer side it is better to have computer camera switched off. Here are the steps to disable camera access

1. Go to Windows Settings and click on the Privacy icon
2. From the left menu click on Camera and toggle the button to turn off the camera access any applications
3. To allow access to any specific applications that need camera access, under the “Choose app that can access and send email” select the application and toggle for camera access

Conclusion

Microsoft default settings will definitely help you to use the computer without any problems. Having the security of your computer increased will allow you to restrict any application to access personal information. Hopefully, the above-mentioned information has you a better understanding on why you have to tighten your Windows security. By following and implementing the above information you will able to improve security changes and secure information on your Windows 10.