Should You Enable Full Diagnostic Data or Keep It on Basic in Windows 11

What “Basic” and “Full” Actually Mean Now

If you’re searching for “Basic” vs “Full,” you’re using terminology from older Windows 10 builds. Microsoft renamed these levels a few years ago, and Windows 11 still uses the new names: Required diagnostic data (what used to be called Basic) and Optional diagnostic data (what used to be called Full or Enhanced). The setting works the same way it always did — it’s just labeled differently, and that’s probably why you can’t find a “Full” option anywhere in Settings.

Required diagnostic data is the minimum Windows collects to keep your device secure, updated, and working properly. It includes things like your Windows version, device type, basic error and crash reports, and whether updates installed correctly. You can’t turn this off entirely on a consumer edition — it’s tied to how Windows Update 🔃 and security patching function.

Optional diagnostic data builds on top of that. It adds more detail about how you use apps and features, additional device health information, and more context around crashes so Microsoft’s engineers can reproduce and fix problems. This is the toggle that maps to what most people mean by “Full.”

Why the Option Might Look Different or Be Missing on Your PC

A few things affect whether you even see a choice here, and competitors covering this topic tend to skip past them:

• Managed devices show it greyed out. If your PC is joined to a work or school account, or managed through Intune or Group Policy, an administrator may have locked the diagnostic data level. You'll see the toggle but won't be able to change it, and Settings usually shows a note that "some settings are managed by your organization."
• Windows 11 Home vs Pro doesn't change what you see in Settings. Both editions offer the same Required/Optional toggle in the Settings app. Pro, Enterprise, and Education editions support Group Policy and registry-based management. Home doesn't have a built-in Group Policy editor, so registry edits are the only local override available.
• Windows Insider builds behave differently. If you're enrolled in the Windows Insider Program, Microsoft expects Optional diagnostic data to stay on, because Insider feedback and crash triage rely on that extra detail. Turning it off on an Insider build can mean your feedback reports get less useful, even though the toggle itself still works.

How to Check or Change Your Diagnostic Data Level

1. Open Settings by pressing Windows key + I. The Settings home page appears.

   

2. Click Privacy & security in the left-hand navigation. This opens a list of privacy-related categories.

   

3. Click Diagnostics & feedback under the "Windows permissions" section. You'll see a page explaining what diagnostic data Windows collects, along with a toggle for Send optional diagnostic data.

   

4. Turn the Send optional diagnostic data toggle on or off. Turning it on switches your PC to the Full/Optional level; turning it off drops you back to Required diagnostic data only. The change applies immediately — no restart needed.
5. If the toggle is greyed out, look for text underneath it saying the setting is managed by your organization. If you see that, contact your IT administrator — this isn't something you can override from your own account, even with a local administrator login.

While you're on this page, it's worth glancing at the related settings just below it — Improve inking and typing and Tailored experiences both feed off the diagnostic data you're sending, and turning off Optional diagnostic data can limit how well those features work.

How to Undo the Change

There's nothing to "undo" in the sense of a system change — you're just flipping the same toggle back. If you turn on Optional diagnostic data and later decide you don't want it, go back to Settings › Privacy & security › Diagnostics & feedback and turn Send optional diagnostic data back off. It takes effect right away, and no reboot or sign-out is required either way.

What Each Level Actually Sends

Required diagnostic data covers the basics: device and connection properties, OS build and version, app compatibility flags, and crash/error reports. It's lightweight enough for Microsoft to catch widespread bugs before they spread to more machines. It's designed to be lightweight and mostly technical — not tied to your browsing habits or file content.

Optional diagnostic data adds more usage detail on top — how you interact with apps and features, more detailed device health information, and richer crash context. Microsoft uses this to fix problems that don't show up clearly in the smaller Required dataset alone. It's still not the same as browsing history or file contents, but it does paint a more detailed picture of how you use your PC.

Should You Actually Turn On Full/Optional Diagnostic Data?

For most home users, no — there's little direct benefit, and Required diagnostic data already covers what keeps Windows Update and security patching working. Turn on Optional diagnostic data only if:

• You're working with Microsoft support on a specific issue and they've asked for more detailed diagnostic data to reproduce it.
• You're enrolled in the Windows Insider Program and want your feedback reports to include full context.
• You manage a fleet of devices and want richer telemetry to catch problems before users report them.

For most people, Required diagnostic data is the right call. It keeps your privacy footprint smaller without affecting how Windows updates or protects itself.

What to Do Next

If you're tightening up privacy settings on this PC, it's worth going through Tailored experiences and app permission pages right after this one — they sit in the same Privacy & security section and often get left on by default. If you manage several PCs and need consistent diagnostic data policy across all of them, that's a better job for Group Policy or Intune than toggling each machine by hand.