To disable Windows Error Reporting on Windows 10 or 11, open Registry Editor by pressing Windows + R, typing regedit, and pressing Enter. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Windows Error Reporting, create a new DWORD (32-bit) value named Disabled, set its value data to 1, then close Registry Editor and restart your PC.
Quick Steps:
- Press Windows + R, type
regedit, and press Enter - Navigate to
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Windows Error Reporting - Right-click on empty white space in the right pane and select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value
- Name the new value
Disabledand press Enter - Double-click the
Disabledvalue, set the value data to1, and click OK - Close Registry Editor and restart your PC
What Is Windows Error Reporting and Why Would You Disable It?
Windows Error Reporting (WER) is a built-in Windows service that automatically collects data whenever a program crashes or encounters an error and sends that information back to Microsoft. The idea is that Microsoft uses this data to identify bugs and improve Windows and software over time.
That sounds fine in theory, but not everyone is comfortable with their system sending crash data and diagnostic information to Microsoft in the background without much visibility into exactly what’s being sent. From my time doing computer repairs and setups for clients, this is one of those settings that comes up pretty often when people want more control over their privacy.
Disabling it also makes sense if you’re troubleshooting a system that keeps producing error pop-ups or you just want to reduce background activity. It won’t break anything — Windows will still run normally, programs will still crash if they’re going to crash, you just won’t have the reporting happening in the background.
How to Disable Windows Error Reporting via Registry Editor
Step 1: Open the Registry Editor
Press the Windows key + R together on your keyboard to open the Run dialog box. Type regedit into the box and press Enter. If a User Account Control prompt appears asking for permission, click Yes to allow it to open.
Step 2: Navigate to the Windows Error Reporting Key
In the Registry Editor, you need to get to this path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Windows Error Reporting. You can expand each folder in the left pane one by one, or you can click in the address bar at the top, paste the path directly, and press Enter to jump straight there. I always recommend copying paths from a reliable source to avoid typos — I’ve left the path in this post so you can copy it from here.
Step 3: Create the Disabled DWORD Value
Once you’re at the Windows Error Reporting key, right-click on the empty white space in the right-hand panel and select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value. A new entry will appear in the list ready for you to name it. Type Disabled exactly as shown and press Enter. The name is case-sensitive, so make sure the D is capitalized.
Step 4: Set the Value to 1
Double-click the Disabled value you just created to open the edit dialog. Change the value data from 0 to 1 and click OK. A value of 1 tells Windows to disable the error reporting service. If you ever want to re-enable it, just come back here and change it back to 0, or delete the entry entirely.
Step 5: Close Registry Editor and Restart
Close the Registry Editor and restart your PC for the change to take effect. After the restart, Windows Error Reporting will be disabled and will no longer collect or send crash reports to Microsoft in the background.
Want to Manage More Privacy Settings Without Touching the Registry?
If manually editing the registry isn’t really your thing, or you want to knock out a bunch of Windows privacy tweaks in one place, I built a free tool called Winhance that handles settings like this with simple toggles. It covers telemetry, privacy, and a lot more — and you can see exactly what each setting does before you change anything.
If you’re interested in similar registry-based tweaks, I also have a guide on how to disable automatic feedback sampling in Windows 10 and 11, which is another way Windows collects diagnostic data in the background. That one goes hand in hand with disabling error reporting if you want to reduce Microsoft’s data collection more broadly.
Common Issues & Solutions
Problem: The Windows Error Reporting key doesn’t exist in the registry
Solution: Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows and look for the Windows Error Reporting subfolder. If it’s not there, right-click the Windows folder, select New > Key, name it Windows Error Reporting, and then create the Disabled DWORD value inside it.
Problem: Registry Editor won’t open or access is denied
Solution: You need to be logged in as an administrator. Try right-clicking on the Registry Editor shortcut and selecting “Run as administrator,” or check that your user account has administrator privileges in Control Panel > User Accounts.
Problem: The change doesn’t seem to have taken effect
Solution: Make sure you restarted your PC after making the registry change. Registry edits usually only take full effect after a restart, not just a log-off.
FAQ
Does disabling Windows Error Reporting affect performance?
Not in any noticeable way for everyday use. Windows Error Reporting only kicks in when something crashes, so it’s not running constantly. That said, disabling it does eliminate any background activity related to queuing and uploading crash reports, which some users prefer.
Is it safe to edit the registry for this?
Yes, this is a straightforward and well-documented registry change. Just make sure you’re navigating to the correct path and naming the DWORD value exactly right. If you want extra peace of mind, you can back up your registry before making changes by going to File > Export in Registry Editor.
Can I re-enable Windows Error Reporting later?
Yes, easily. Just go back to the same registry path, double-click the Disabled value, and change it from 1 back to 0. Alternatively, you can right-click the value and select Delete to remove it entirely, which also restores the default behavior.
Does this work on both Windows 10 and Windows 11?
Yes. The registry path and the method are the same on both Windows 10 and Windows 11. I’ve used this approach on both and it works the same way across both versions.
Will disabling error reporting cause any problems?
No. Your programs and Windows itself will still work normally. The only difference is that when something crashes, the crash data won’t be collected and sent to Microsoft. You won’t notice any functional difference in day-to-day use.
