How to Turn off Live Tiles in Windows 8.1

Introduced in Windows 8, live tiles are what happens when you combine an icon and notifications. Not only do they take you to the apps that matter most to you, they also show information by default. This is great because simply pressing the Start button on your device will immediately show you how many emails you have waiting or what the weather is like outside.

Unfortunately, live tiles can pose a bit of a security risk if you have something on your Windows 8 tablet, laptop, or notebook that you’d rather your friends or colleagues not see. Here’s how to turn off individual live tiles so that people who look at your Windows 8 device’s Start Screen see only what you want them to see.

You must have installed the Windows 8.1 update to use this tutorial. To check if you have it, go to the Windows Store and look for the title that says. If the banner is there, you need to install Windows 8.1 and then review this tutorial. Typically, the process takes about an hour.

Go to by pressing the Windows key on your keyboard or the Windows button on your tablet or 2 in 2 at the bottom of the screen.

Mouse users should use the live tile they want to turn off. Touch users should place their fingers on the tile they want to cover and hold it there. If you want to turn off multiple live tiles, tap or right-click on more live tiles.

At the bottom of your screen is an app bar with a few different options for what you want to do with that app. Simply tap or click Pin to remove Live Tile. From this point on, you’ll have to dive into your device’s full app list to open this app. Tap or click to close the live tile and hide your personal information.

Remember, Windows 8.1 does not have any notification center like you would find on your Android smartphone or iPhone. Therefore, it will only show a notification once. Turning off live tiles means you only have one opportunity to be notified of updates to your apps or new emails. You’ll have to dive into each app to find out how many emails you have or how many news you missed if you missed it.