Windows · Privacy & Security

Review App Permissions by Category

App Permissions organizes privacy controls by capability rather than by app, letting you see at a glance which installed apps can access location, contacts, calendar, file system, and a dozen other data types. Instead of checking each app individually, you pick a permission type and review every app that has requested it.

How to open App Permissions

  1. Open Settings → Privacy & Security → App permissions.
  2. Select a specific permission category, like Location or Contacts.
  3. Review which apps currently have access.
  4. Toggle individual apps or the entire category on or off as needed.

What you should know

  • Select a permission category (Location, Contacts, Calendar, etc.) to see every app that has requested it.
  • Toggle access on or off per app within that category, or turn the entire category off system-wide.
  • Some categories, like File system access, list apps that can read your entire user profile if granted broad access.
  • Desktop apps installed outside the Microsoft Store aren't always listed here, since traditional Win32 apps can bypass this permission model.

This page only reliably governs Microsoft Store apps and modern UWP apps — traditional desktop software installed the old-fashioned way can often access these same resources without appearing in this list at all.

Why it matters

Organizing permissions by capability instead of by app makes it realistic to answer a specific question like 'which apps can see my location right now' in a few seconds instead of checking every installed app one by one. This view is especially useful for catching an app that quietly requested broad access during setup and that you'd otherwise never think to check individually. Because new apps request permissions the first time they need them, revisiting this page periodically catches access grants that have accumulated since you last looked.

Best practices

  • Review the Location and Microphone categories most often, since they're the most sensitive to accidental oversharing.
  • Turn off an entire category system-wide if no app you use genuinely needs it, rather than managing dozens of individual app toggles.
  • Recheck this list a few weeks after installing several new apps, since permission grants accumulate quietly over time.
  • Remember that this page doesn't fully cover traditional desktop apps, so pair it with general caution about what you install rather than relying on it as a complete picture.

Common problems and fixes

An app that clearly uses your location isn't listed under the Location category.
It may be a traditional Win32 desktop app that accesses location through a different mechanism outside this Store-app-oriented permission model, so check that app's own in-app privacy settings instead.
Turning off a permission category breaks a feature you actually wanted.
Re-enable the category and instead disable access for only the specific apps you're concerned about, rather than blocking the entire category.
A newly installed app isn't requesting permission for something it clearly needs.
Some apps request permissions the first time that specific feature is used rather than at install time, so try using the relevant feature once and check back here afterward.

Tips and tricks

  • Start with categories you consider most sensitive, like Location and Camera, rather than trying to review all of them in one sitting.
  • Use this view right after a big app-installation spree, like setting up a new PC, to catch anything that over-requested access.

Frequently asked questions

What's the difference between this page and the individual permission pages like Camera or Microphone settings?

They show the same underlying data — App Permissions is a category-first index that links out to the same dedicated pages, like Camera or Microphone, that also exist as standalone settings.

Does denying a permission here uninstall or disable the app?

No, it only blocks that specific capability; the app remains fully installed and functional except for the feature that relied on the blocked permission.

Why do some categories list far more apps than others?

Broadly useful permissions like notifications or file system access tend to be requested by many more apps than narrower ones like radios or call history, which only apps with a genuine specific need request.

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