Windows 10: Some privacy settings grayed out

SSonic70 · 17 Aug 2015

Hi guys, I've been using Windows 10 for a few weeks now and I was looking to get Cortana to work. However, Cortana tells me that I need to allow it to access contacts. I clicked settings and I saw that all the settings were on, but were grayed out.

Windows 10: Some privacy settings grayed out-windows-10-settings-2.png

When I take a look at some of the other settings, some are also grayed out and some are not. When I go to the general tab, I get this:

Windows 10: Some privacy settings grayed out-windows-10-settings-1.png

Sometimes if I look through the privacy settings, the settings app just crashes for no reason without warning and I'm left confused and unable to enable Cortana.

I hope I've given enough info that can be used to solve my problem. Any help is appreciated, thanks! :)

hiphopper · 17 Aug 2015

Are you on a corporate domain with settings managed by group policy manager?

bro67 · 17 Aug 2015

For the OP. You would need to have an App or program with contacts in it. Otherwise, it will always be grayed out, if there is nothing associated in Default programs or contacts do not exist.

bro67 · 17 Aug 2015

hiphopper said:

Are you on a corporate domain with settings managed by group policy manager?

Has nothing to do with the OP issue. If you do not have an app or program with contacts in it. You will get a grayed out setting.

icpwolverine · 17 Aug 2015

mine was the same way some settings were greyed out but I uninstalled the factory hp stuff that didn't work so I reinstalled the hp stuff then went thru the settings on those programs and then uninstalled again .. got rid of the greyed out stuff so I could manage them myself

SSonic70 · 18 Aug 2015

hiphopper said:

Are you on a corporate domain with settings managed by group policy manager?

I'm not on a corporate domain. This is my home computer, which I'm the administrator of.

bro67 said:

For the OP. You would need to have an App or program with contacts in it. Otherwise, it will always be grayed out, if there is nothing associated in Default programs or contacts do not exist.

I find that odd because I got Cortana to work a few weeks ago without needing any further setup, but only now does it asks me to turn on the ability for apps to use my contacts.

sgage · 18 Aug 2015

SSonic70 said:

I'm not on a corporate domain. This is my home computer, which I'm the administrator of.

I find that odd because I got Cortana to work a few weeks ago without needing any further setup, but only now does it asks me to turn on the ability for apps to use my contacts.

Under Settings/Privacy/Feedback&Diagnostics, did you set 'send service data to Microsoft' to basic (vs. full)? When I set it to 'basic' I had the exact same symptoms as you. When I set it back to 'full', all was good again...

fracking4oil · 18 Aug 2015

That's not how you enable Cortana anyway...

Click on Cortana -> Notebook -> Settings

Windows 10: Some privacy settings grayed out-capture.jpg

leaninonlife · 12 Feb 2016

fracking4oil said:

That's not how you enable Cortana anyway...

Click on Cortana -> Notebook -> Settings

You DO enable Cortana via the method you are pointing out here in the image, HOWEVER... when you enable Cortana it asks you to "pickup where you left off" and enable the privacy settings for contacts and takes you straight to the settings page where the items are greyed out.

Was this ever actually resolved? If it requires apps to function, why is Cortana trying to get me to turn it on repeatedly? All it wants to do is enable the ability to see the contacts. Not app specific permissions.

Am I crazy? I have been having this issue for a week now trying to resolve it and finally stumbled across this age old thread. I figured I would revive it to try and get an explanation.

I am also unable to change my Diagnostic Usage Data from Basic to Full. ALSO..... I am not a part of an Organization. I am using my personal microsoft account on Windows 10 Pro 64-bit. Freshly installed I might add. (I did a refresh to resolve missing Windows Store application containers.)

dalchina · 13 Feb 2016

Hello, this error message is misleading. There are several possible causes. Here's something I picked up and put together last year:

It is quite common. For example, simply changing Privacy settings may mean you see it.

Have a look through the attached which I've gathered from various sources and threads and my own experience. It may help you.. on the other hand, as we're all on a learning curve, you may have encountered a different cause.
Some settings are managed by your organization.doc

Sometimes, related to this, you may find that some Settings e.g. Privacy, Feedback & Diagnostics, or Location (see e.g. the Location tile in the Action Centre) may not not available (tile greyed out).

And sometimes Cortana is disabled and displays a similar message.

Steps to fix 'Some settings are managed by your organization' in Windows 10

This message may appear at the top of some Settings dialogues, typically Privacy dialogues. There are several possible causes and fixes.

The message is misleading in that it is not necessarily some 3rd party or group policy that is responsible. It can arise simply because you, the user, have altered some Settings. As such it is not necessarily the case that you need take any action.

Case 1. Privacy settings
You may have chosen to make changes here e.g. with the intention of restricting information transmitted from your PC.

You can remove the message and reset the settings as follows:
Download and install
O&O Shutup (freeware)
OO ShutUp10: download free antispy tool for Windows 10
Click Actions, Undo all changes.
Check to see if the message has gone.

Case 2. Using the Diagnostic and usage data setting
Go to Settings and navigate the dialogues as follows:
"Settings" -> "Privacy" -> "Feedback & diagnostics" -> "Diagnostics and usage data".

If this is set to "Basic", change it to "Enhanced" or higher.

Hopefully the message "Some settings are managed by your organization" disappears.

Note: Sometimes this option is greyed out.

OR

Case 3. Telemetry, using the Group Policy Editor
Note: the Group Policy Editor is not available in Windows 10 Home.

https://www.itechtics.com/enable-gpe...ndows-10-home/
- claims to enable the Group Policy Editor in Win 10 Home.

Make sure you have administrator rights and follow the steps below:

Step 1: Launch a Run dialogue by pressing the Windows key and R simultaneously.
Type in gpedit.msc and click OK or Enter.
Step 2: In the Group Policy Editor go to
Computer Configuration/Administrative Templates/Windows Components/Data Collection and Preview Builds.
Step 3: Find the Allow Telemetry item and double-click it to edit the policies.
Step 4: Change the setting to Enabled.
Change the drop-down menu entry to 3-Full and click Apply.
Step 5: Now open the item again and change its Setting to Not configured and hit the Save button.

The message should no longer stop you from accessing various system settings in Windows 10.

Case 4: Disable Telemetry, using the Registry Editor, + disable 2 services
http://winaero.com/blog/how-to-disab...in-windows-10/

This relates to
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\DataCollection
And disabling these services:
Diagnostics Tracking Service
dmwappushsvc

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
This as a .reg file may help:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\DataCollection]
"AllowTelemetry"=dword:00000001