Smart App control and Send optional Diagnostic Data

Diagnostic Data / “Send optional diagnostic data”

Smart App Control (SAC) has a specific dependency on optional diagnostic data only for enabling it in some scenarios:

• Smart App Control is only available on clean installs of Windows 11.
• One of the reasons SAC can be turned off or unavailable is:
  • “You have optional diagnostic data in Windows turned off. If you want to turn Smart App Control on, you'll need to reset this PC, or reinstall Windows, and select Send optional diagnostic data during the setup process.”
• Once SAC is already enabled and running, the documentation only states that optional diagnostic data is used by Microsoft to improve products and diagnostics; it does not state that SAC stops functioning if optional diagnostic data is later turned off. The documented requirement is specifically about being able to turn SAC on.

So:

• To turn SAC on in the first place on affected devices, Send optional diagnostic data must be enabled during setup (or after a reset/reinstall where that option is chosen).
• SAC itself is described as working alongside other security features and is not documented as requiring optional diagnostic data to remain on for basic protection, but if optional diagnostic data is off and SAC is not already enabled, the supported way to get SAC is to reset/reinstall and choose Send optional diagnostic data.

Version requirement (SecurityHealth folder / 10.0.29554.1001)

The provided documentation for Smart App Control lists the following requirements:

• Windows 11, version 22572 or higher.
• A clean Windows install (resetting the device counts as a clean install).

There is no mention in the documentation of a specific SecurityHealth folder version such as 10.0.29554.1001 being mandatory for SAC to be “fully active.” The documented gating factors are OS version, clean install, region availability, and the evaluation/enforcement state, not a particular SecurityHealth component version.

Missing “Diagnostics & feedback” on 25H2 and using the Registry

The documentation explains what diagnostic data is, and how to view it or configure it via:

• Windows 11: Start > Settings > Privacy & security > Diagnostics & feedback.

However, it does not provide any guidance or support statement about:

• The “Diagnostics & feedback” page being missing on some builds.
• Enabling or changing diagnostic data settings via the Registry as a supported workaround.

The only supported path described is through the Settings UI. There is no documented recommendation here to modify the Registry to surface or change these settings, so using the Registry for this purpose is not covered or endorsed in the provided material.

References:

• Smart App Control Frequently Asked Questions
• App & browser control in the Windows Security App
• Smart App Control overview
• Diagnostics, feedback, and privacy in Windows
• Windows 11, version 26H1 required diagnostic data events and fields