Windows 10 is getting more and more privacy settings with every major update. You already know that Windows 10 allows you to prevent apps from accessing the camera, location, calendar, contacts and other personal information. We can manage privacy settings to by navigating to Settings app > Privacy.
With Windows 10 April 2018 Update (version 1803), Microsoft has introduced a new way to control how apps access your data. You can now prevent apps from accessing your data in documents, pictures and videos folders. That is, you can now see which apps can access documents, pictures and videos folders, and block them if you want to do so.
In short, you can now decide which apps (apps installed from Store only) can access files and folders in documents, pictures, and videos folders. If an app tries to access one of these folders, you will see a consent dialog with options to access or deny the request.
If you don’t want any apps to access documents, pictures and videos folders, you can stop all apps from accessing these folders under privacy settings. Here is how to configure the privacy settings in Windows 10 to stop apps or block certain apps from accessing files in documents, pictures, and videos folders.
Prevent apps from accessing your data in Windows 10
Step 1: Open the Settings app. Navigate to Privacy > Documents.
Step 2: Change the Allow apps to access documents library switch to the off position to prevent all apps from accessing the folder content.
If you want to prevent a specific app from accessing the library, scroll down the list to see which apps can access the library. Turn off apps that you don’t want to allow the access.
Step 3: Next, move to Privacy > Pictures. Turn off Allow apps to access pictures library option.
Step 4: Finally, move to Privacy > Videos. Turn off Allow apps to access videos library option.
If you want better security for your data, please turn on the built-in ransomware protection for your data.
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