Digital Markets Act

Microsoft Enables Automatic Windows 11 Settings Backup on Entra Devices by Default

Microsoft is changing the default behavior of Windows Settings backup on managed business devices joined to Microsoft Entra ID. Starting with the next feature update of Windows 11, the backup of user settings, personalization preferences, and Microsoft Store apps will activate automatically on Entra-joined or hybrid-joined devices. Administrators retain control only through explicitly configured Group Policy or Intune settings, while devices in the European Union remain exempt under the Digital Markets Act. The backup runs silently every eight days and stores data in the organization's tenant, but does not include personal files or classic desktop applications. Recovery remains disabled by default and requires a separate policy. Organizations outside the EU must review the change against their data protection requirements before the update deploys.