Hi, Msalton1.
I understand and appreciate your privacy concern. The unfortunate reality is, it is with us and will only grow with time.
Personally, in your situation, I would upgrade to the latest version of Windows 10. It will be fully supported until October 14, 2025. Then you can make a decision on Win 11.
In my opinion, you are currently at more risk running an unsupported OS, than you would be with an upgrade.
There are a few things you can do, afterward.
#1/ Use a good AV of your choosing. I use Windows Security and Malwarebytes Premium. Keep them updated.
#2/ Harden your browser of choice. Take the time to go through all the setting, and set it as strict as possible. Ex. Don't allow it to save passwords or form information, just to mention a couple obvious things.
#3/ You can not stop Microsoft from gathering some necessary information, but you can set it to the bare minimum. Read up on it, and take your time.
#4/ Consider InPrivate browsing mode, what isn't saved, can't be harvested.
#5/ Lastly, also consider a private Search Engine. I personally use
Startpage.
I'm confident there are a ton of other things you will think to do. But again, I encourage you to leave Win 7, and update to 10. When/if you decide to, keep it updated. Mind where and what you surf, and you will be as good as can be, considering.
I wish you the very best!
One last thing I might add, is I avoid cloud storage. EX. OneDrive. Although good for some (not dissing anyone who uses it), it's just not for me. Reason being, I have no idea who else may have access to it. Much like using a VPN... somewhere, someone may see/store info, in spite of all the guarantees.