Since its release in 2015, Windows 10 has gotten a bad rap for supposedly gathering too much personal information from its users. Whether you believe Microsoft's operating system is invasive or you just want to pull out all the stops to keep your personal information safe, here are some Windows 10 settings you can tweak to protect your privacy.

Windows 10’s Cortana can be helpful with various tasks — from displaying accurate and personalized ads according to your online searches to spamming word suggestions based on your most common keystrokes. But this operating system may feel intrusive.

Advertisers are able to target their consumers more effectively thanks to social media. But did you know that your operating system might also be giving away information about your online searches to advertising agencies? Learn more about Windows 10's not-so-private settings and how these can be fixed.

Windows 10 is undoubtedly Microsoft’s most accepted operating system since Windows XP. But that doesn’t make it faultless, many users have been complaining about the intrusive privacy settings the operating system enables by default. To reclaim your privacy, follow these tips on turning off its intrusive settings

Turn personalized advertising off

For those unaware, Windows 10 assigns each user an ‘advertising ID’ which it uses to personalize your ad experience based on your recent browser history.