Can repair shops see my photos?
Yes. Anyone who can unlock your laptop or phone can open your photos, and a technician usually needs it unlocked to test the repair. Most never look, but some do: in a 2022 University of Guelph study, technicians looked at personal data in about half of the repairs observed and copied it in two, and repair staff have been charged in several countries for sharing customers' photos. You cannot tell afterwards from the device itself, because Windows does not keep a readable record of which files were opened. So reduce what is reachable before the repair (back up, sign out of cloud photo apps, give the shop a separate account), and keep a sealed record of the visit so you know what was touched.
What a technician can reach
With your password or an unlocked session: everything in your account, your photos, documents, browser and any app that stays signed in, including cloud photo libraries that sync to the device. With a separate account: much less, although an administrator can still reach other accounts' files.
With the drive removed or the storage soldered and the machine wiped: nothing, which is why some people remove the drive when the repair allows it.
What the evidence says
The University of Guelph study sent laptops with a simple fault to repair shops and logged what happened: personal folders and photos were opened in about half the repairs, and data was copied in two. Cases in the United States and India have followed repair staff accused of sharing customers' photos. These are not most shops, but they are enough that it is worth knowing for sure.
Before you hand it over
- 01
Back up
Copy your photos off the device and check the copy opens.
- 02
Sign out of cloud photo apps
Google Photos, iCloud, OneDrive: otherwise your whole library is one click away.
- 03
Give them a separate account
A new Windows account with its own password, removed when the laptop is back.
- 04
Record the visit
So that what was opened, copied or plugged in is written down while it happens.
Rashnova's Repair Mode is made for this moment: start it before the handover, and every file opened, program started and USB drive plugged in is written down and sealed, so it cannot be quietly removed. When the laptop comes back you get plain findings and a verdict. It never records your screen or what is inside your files. Free, for Windows 10 and 11.