---
title: "Disable Windows activity history: PublishUserActivities and EnableActivityFeed"
description: "Activity history records which apps and files you open so Windows can show a timeline and sync it to your Microsoft account. What it changes and how to undo it."
url: https://frozentweaks.com/tweaks/disable-activity-history
author: Frost LIVE, Founder of Frozen Tweaks
published: 2026-10-08
updated: 2026-10-08
category: "Debloat"
source: Frozen Tweaks (https://frozentweaks.com)
---

# Disable Windows activity history: PublishUserActivities and EnableActivityFeed

**Short answer:** Activity history records which apps and files you open so Windows can show a timeline and sync it to your Microsoft account. These three policy values switch the recording, the feed and the upload off. In the registry it sets PublishUserActivities to 0 under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\System, and 2 more values.

## In the app

- Switch: Disable Activity History (Debloat, Free, Standard)
- Undo: Yes. Switching it off removes the policy and the two values the tweak wrote.
- Catalog row: https://frozentweaks.com/tweaks#t-1048

## What it does

Activity history records which apps and files you open so Windows can show a timeline and sync it to your Microsoft account. These three policy values switch the recording, the feed and the upload off.

In the app the switch is called "Disable Activity History", described there as: Blocks Timeline/activity logging to reduce background I/O.

## When it helps

- Privacy: Windows stops logging what you opened and stops sending it to your account.

## When it hurts

- 'Pick up where you left off' across devices no longer works.

## What it writes

Read from the app's source. "Switching it off" is what the app writes when you turn the tweak off again.

Registry values:

| Key | Value | With the tweak | Switching it off |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\System` | `PublishUserActivities` | `0` | Not set (the value is deleted; Windows decides) |
| `HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Privacy` | `ActivityFeedEnabled` | `0` | Not set (the value is deleted; Windows decides) |
| `HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Privacy` | `EnableActivityFeed` | `0` | Not set (the value is deleted; Windows decides) |

Source: Tweaks/activityoff.hpp in the app's source, app 2.0.0, checked 2026-10-08.

## The same change by hand

Run in a Command Prompt opened as administrator. Make a restore point first.

```bat
reg add "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\System" /v "PublishUserActivities" /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f
reg add "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Privacy" /v "ActivityFeedEnabled" /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f
reg add "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Privacy" /v "EnableActivityFeed" /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f
```

Put it back:

```bat
reg delete "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\System" /v "PublishUserActivities" /f
reg delete "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Privacy" /v "ActivityFeedEnabled" /f
reg delete "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Privacy" /v "EnableActivityFeed" /f
```

See what it is set to now:

```bat
reg query "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\System" /v "PublishUserActivities"
```

## How to undo it

Switch the tweak off in Frozen Tweaks. It deletes PublishUserActivities, ActivityFeedEnabled, EnableActivityFeed, so Windows uses its built-in behavior again.

## Verdict

A privacy setting. Do not expect a performance change.

## Questions

### What does the "Disable Activity History" tweak change in Windows?

In the registry it sets PublishUserActivities to 0 under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\System, and 2 more values. The full list is in the table on this page, read from the app's source.

### Is "Disable Activity History" safe to switch on?

A privacy setting. Do not expect a performance change. The main cost: 'Pick up where you left off' across devices no longer works.

### How do I undo it?

Switch the tweak off in Frozen Tweaks. Switching it off removes the policy and the two values the tweak wrote.

### Is "Disable Activity History" free in Frozen Tweaks?

Yes. It is one of the free tweaks, with no time limit.

## Related guides

- [Windows 11 Gaming Optimization: What Still Works in 2026](https://frozentweaks.com/guides/windows-11-gaming-optimization)
- [Low-End PC Gaming Optimization: Getting Playable Frame Rates](https://frozentweaks.com/guides/low-end-pc-gaming-optimization)

## More tweak explainers

- [Clipboard history and sync](https://frozentweaks.com/tweaks/disable-clipboard-history-sync)
- [Edge WebView2 auto-update](https://frozentweaks.com/tweaks/disable-webview2-auto-update)
- [DeviceAssociationBrokerSvc](https://frozentweaks.com/tweaks/disable-device-association-broker)

---
Written by Frost LIVE, founder of Frozen Tweaks. Canonical version: https://frozentweaks.com/tweaks/disable-activity-history