How To Disable Hardware and Usage Data collection by the Engine?

Development Programming & Scripting C++
, ,
1

In Section 13 of the UE 4 EULA (Game-Engine-Technologie von Unreal - Unreal Engine) it states that it is possible to disable the Engine’s Hardware and Usage Data reporting feature.

Where in the source code can I find that feature to be able to disable it?

Thanks!

2

Sure, this is easy. You can open EngineAnalytics.cpp, search for ‘bShouldInitAnalytics’, then set the variable to false and compile the editor. Alternatively, you can delete the UE4-AnalyticsET.dll file from disk before you run. You have access to all of the editor’s analytics code, so you are fully able to inspect the events that are sent. This data is actually really helpful to us.

–Mike

3

Thanks for the quick reply. It’s super helpful.

Normally I wouldn’t have any issue with the analytics, but my studio is working on a children’s game and there’s some concern about COPPA laws and data gathering. I just wanted to ask about it so that if we have to, we can disable it.

4

Where is that data/what is the file i sent and how see/open that ?

In the versions before the 4.7-4.8 this give me a crash after change the bool but now looks like works fine.

5

There should be a way to disable this in the .ini files so we don’t have to recompile the editor.

6

For packaged games I think you can disable it in packaging settings -> End user settings? I may be wrong on this.

7

Tracing through all the UE 4.25.3 source code the default for this flag is only enabled in the editor and can can be disabled by Editor Settings> Privacy - Usage Data> “Don’t Send”

9

If you find that you are crashing and cannot get to that setting in-engine, an alternative is to go to the following file:

Engine\Saved\Config\WindowsEditor\EditorSettings.ini

and add the following:

[/Script/UnrealEd.AnalyticsPrivacySettings]
bSendUsageData=False

10

How do I turn this off on a Mac?