How to Completely Disable ‘Windows Error Reporting’ in Windows 11 to Improve Privacy

Whenever an application crashes in Windows 11, the screen freezes for a moment, and a small dialog box appears stating, “Windows is checking for a solution to the problem.” Behind the scenes, the Windows Error Reporting (WER) service is actively collecting a massive memory dump of the crashed application and transmitting it directly to Microsoft’s telemetry servers.

While Microsoft uses this data to fix bugs, this process is a massive privacy risk. If your web browser or password manager crashes, the memory dump sent to Microsoft could theoretically contain unencrypted passwords, personal emails, or sensitive financial data that happened to be in the RAM at the exact millisecond of the crash.

Furthermore, WER wastes valuable CPU cycles and network bandwidth. If you want to protect your privacy and stop Windows from constantly phoning home every time an application fails, you can completely disable the Error Reporting service using the Registry Editor.

Step 1: Open the Registry Editor

1. Press the Windows Key + R to open the Run dialog box.
2. Type regedit and press Enter.
3. Click Yes when the User Account Control prompt appears.

Step 2: Navigate to the Error Reporting Key

1. In the left-hand navigation pane, drill down through the following exact path:
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > SOFTWARE > Microsoft > Windows > Windows Error Reporting
2. Click directly on the Windows Error Reporting folder so it is highlighted in gray.

Step 3: Create the Disabled Parameter

By default, the master kill switch does not exist in the registry. You must create it manually.

1. Look at the main right-hand pane. Right-click anywhere in the empty white space.
2. Select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value.
3. A new entry will appear. Name it exactly Disabled (with a capital D) and press Enter.

Step 4: Activate the Kill Switch

1. Double-click on your newly created Disabled entry.
2. A small Edit window will pop up. In the Value data text box, change the number from 0 to 1.
3. Click OK.

The Result

You can now safely close the Registry Editor. You do not need to reboot; the change takes effect instantly.

From this moment forward, the Windows Error Reporting service is completely paralyzed. If a video game or a heavy application crashes, it will simply close instantly and drop you back to the desktop. Windows will no longer freeze the screen to generate a memory dump, and it will permanently stop transmitting your private RAM data to Microsoft’s telemetry servers, resulting in a cleaner, faster, and far more private operating system.