Microsoft flips Windows Backup to on by default unless you're in the EU

Microsoft is enabling Windows Backup for Organizations by default in Windows 11 26H2 everywhere except the EU, meaning businesses elsewhere with sovereignty and privacy concerns will be forced opt out instead. Now dubbed "Windows settings backup and restore," the service backs up a device's settings and a list of installed Microsoft Store apps, which can then be restored to a new device. Microsoft gave a use case for the technology: "Imagine a lost laptop, a hardware refresh, or an unexpected reset. These are some of the moments when your users need backup most. And that's rarely when anyone wants to discover that backup was never turned on." However, some organizations might not want it on. Perhaps those with strict privacy or data sovereignty requirements, or those regulated by the EU Digital Markets Act (DMA), for whom the default-on behavior won't apply. Windows 11 25H2 and earlier are also excluded, as is any device with a backup policy that explicitly disables the setting. Everything else running Windows 11 26H1 will get switched on after a feature update, and the same applies to 26H2, currently with Windows Insiders in the Experimental channel. Administrators might reasonably be wary of this being opt-out rather than opt-in. Backups are useful, but Microsoft is clear that this is not a comprehensive backup solution, calling it only "one step in a broader Windows resiliency effort." The implications still need consideration. An opt-out setting that quietly ships settings data off-device is exactly the sort of thing that adds to administrators' workloads rather than lightening them. Microsoft's recommendation is to leave things as they are. "Eligible devices with the backup policy in a Not Configured state under Windows settings backup and restore will enable backup automatically at general availability of Windows 11, version 26H2." Anyone who doesn't want that must explicitly disable the policy, which "always takes precedence over the default," Microsoft added. Before crediting Microsoft for making this feature default to on, consider its stated objectives for Windows Backup for Organizations: to "Help organizations accelerate PC refresh cycle or the transition to Windows 11 or deploying AI-powered PCs," and to "Allow organizations to transition to a cloud-first approach for managing devices and user settings." ®