Windows Privacy Automator

April 4, 2026 · View on GitHub

A high-performance desktop utility built with WinUI 3 and .NET 10 to automate the hardening of Windows 11 privacy and diagnostic settings. This project demonstrates modern C# architecture, asynchronous UI automation, and the Page Object Model (POM) design pattern.

https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/b691f9c6-bf0c-4ffc-bc79-280c0413d8c3

🚀 Technical Highlights

  • Modern Stack: Leverages WinUI 3 (Windows App SDK) for a native Windows 11 Fluent Design interface.
  • Reliable Automation: Utilizes FlaUI (UIA3) for programmatic interaction with the Windows UI Automation (UIA) tree, prioritizing AutomationIDs and UIA Patterns over brittle coordinate-based clicks.
  • MVVM Architecture: Implemented using the CommunityToolkit.Mvvm, utilizing Source Generators for boilerplate-free property notification and command binding.
  • Multi-Threaded Execution: Automation logic runs on a background thread via Task.Run to prevent UI hang, with thread-safe logging marshaled back to the UI thread via DispatcherQueue.
  • Defensive Programming: Implements Smart Retries and Anchor Elements to handle the asynchronous rendering and UI virtualization common in modern UWP/WinUI applications.

🛠 Tech Stack

  • Language: C# 12 / .NET 10
  • UI Framework: WinUI 3 (Unpackaged / Self-Contained)
  • Automation Framework: FlaUI.UIA3
  • Design Pattern: MVVM (Model-View-ViewModel) + Page Object Model (POM)

📁 Project Structure

  • /Services: Contains the Page Objects and automation infrastructure.
  • /ViewModels: Manages application state, command logic, and UI-thread marshaling.
  • /Models: Defines structured data types for execution logging and status reporting.
  • /Views: XAML definitions and code-behind for the Fluent UI.

🚀 Getting Started

Prerequisites

  • Windows 11 (Standard display scaling at 100% recommended for GUI automation).
  • No external runtimes required (Self-contained build).

Running the App

  1. Download the latest release .exe.
  2. Launch WindowsPrivacyAutomator.exe.
    • Note: As a self-contained single-file app, the first launch may take several seconds to extract the runtime to a temporary directory. Subsequent launches are near-instant.
  3. Click Run Optimization and observe the real-time execution log.

🧠 Architectural Decisions

  • Why FlaUI? FlaUI provides a managed wrapper around the UIA COM interfaces, offering better performance and more intuitive access to Invoke, Toggle, and Selection patterns compared to legacy libraries.
  • Why Unpackaged? The app is deployed as an unpackaged, self-contained executable to ensure "zero-dependency" execution on target workstations without requiring MSIX sideloading or the Windows App SDK runtime to be pre-installed.
  • Programmatic Toggling: Whenever possible, the tool uses the Toggle Pattern (iface_toggle.Toggle()) rather than simulated mouse clicks to ensure 100% reliability regardless of window focus or screen resolution.