🕵️ Complete Privacy Settings
Choose Your Mode
This guide includes two paths: Safe Defaults (recommended for most people) and Maximum Lockdown (more secure, more breakage risk). Pick what matches your threat level.
đź’ˇ What This Guide Covers
We focus on the privacy settings that most often reduce real-world risk: telemetry reduction, location access, and high-risk permissions like Screen Recording and Full Disk Access.
Safe Defaults (Start Here)
Goal: Reduce telemetry and permission abuse with minimal breakage. This is the best default for most users.
Quick Checklist (5-minute version)
Visual summary diagram
Use this map to understand which categories to review first.
1 Disable personalized ads
Privacy & Security → Apple Advertising → disable Personalized Ads
2 Disable analytics sharing
Privacy & Security → Analytics & Improvements → turn off sharing toggles
3 Audit high-risk permissions
Microphone • Camera • Screen Recording • Full Disk Access
Step-by-step (Safe Defaults)
0 How macOS permissions work (high level)
This diagram shows the basic flow: app request → macOS prompt → your allow/deny decision → system enforcement.
1 Apple Advertising
- Disable Personalized Ads
- Tradeoff: usually none
2 Analytics & Improvements
- Turn off analytics sharing toggles
- Tradeoff: minimal
3 Location Services
- Keep Location Services ON, but restrict apps that don’t need it
- Keep it for tools you rely on (maps, emergency use, etc.)
⚠️ High-risk Permissions
Screen Recording and Full Disk Access are two of the most sensitive categories. Keep these lists as small as possible.
4 Microphone + Camera
- Remove anything unexpected
- Keep only what you actively use
5 Screen Recording + Full Disk Access
- Only allow trusted tools you intentionally installed
- If unsure: disable and re-enable only if needed
âś… Verification
Restart your Mac and re-check: Personalized Ads disabled, analytics sharing disabled, and only expected apps have high-risk permissions.
Maximum Lockdown (More Secure)
Goal: Default-deny privacy posture for higher-risk users. Expect more breakage and friction.
⚠️ Expect Breakage
This mode can break continuity features and some app workflows until you selectively re-enable the minimum required permissions.
Lockdown Philosophy
1 Default deny
- Turn off what you don’t actively need
- Re-enable only when required and only for trusted apps
1 (Optional) Turn on Lockdown Mode
- Privacy & Security → Lockdown Mode
- Only enable if you understand the tradeoffs
Advertising + Telemetry
2 Disable personalized ads
- Apple Advertising: disable Personalized Ads
Analytics & Improvements
3 Disable all analytics sharing
- Turn off every sharing toggle
Location Services
Orange Zone: Location Tradeoffs
Disabling Location Services entirely can break maps, time zone automation, and some security features. Consider “aggressively restrict apps” instead of fully disabling.
4 Aggressively restrict location
- Disable for almost all apps
- Keep only critical ones (your call)
Permission Categories (Default Deny)
5 Reduce permissions broadly
- Microphone • Camera
- Contacts • Calendars • Reminders • Photos
- Bluetooth • Local Network
🚨 Red Zone: High-Risk Permissions
Screen Recording, Accessibility, and Full Disk Access should be as close to empty as possible. Treat these like admin credentials.
6 Keep high-risk lists minimal
- Remove anything you don’t explicitly trust
- Re-enable only when required
âś… Verification & Maintenance
Restart your Mac. Over the next day, only re-enable permissions when something truly requires it. Re-audit monthly.
