How to Remove Annoying Ads Disguised As “suggestions” in Windows 10

In an ideal world, every new Windows 10 PC – or every new installation of Windows 10 – would be free of pesky apps and other malware that few people need. (Sorry, Candy Crush Saga.) It also won’t have annoying ads. While that doesn’t mean Microsoft is dropping big banners for Coke or something in your OS, it’s frustrating to see him shilling beyond his browser edges in the Start menu.

At least, this is something that some people are seeing now, more than ever. If you’re a Firefox user, for example, you’ve probably seen this little callout in the Windows 10 Start menu:

This is not a new Microsoft practice. Well, specific ads, yes, but Microsoft adding annoying “suggestions” to your Start menu, as the company calls them, has been a deal for Windows 10 for a while now. However, it’s not hard to disable those ads permanently.

To disable these silly suggestions, open the Windows 10 Settings menu. From there click on Personalization and then click on Start in the left sidebar. Find the following setting and turn it off: “Show suggestions from time to time in the Start menu.”

If you want to stick with the old school, you can also use an open source application like OpenShell to further customize the look of your Start menu (presumably preventing any annoying ads from appearing).

And while you’re in the Settings app, tap on Lock Screen . If you are not already using an image or slideshow as a background, select it, and then uncheck “Get fun facts, tips, and more from Windows and Cortana on the lock screen.” In other words, you don’t want to be bombarded with offer spam or ads.

Finally, go back to the main settings screen and click on ” System” . From there, click on Notifications & Actions on the left sidebar. Since Windows can sometimes send small spam and / or advertise Microsoft products to you through notifications, you need to deselect the “Get tips, tricks and suggestions when using Windows” checkbox to eliminate this from your digital life.

It’s annoying that you have to do this, but disabling Microsoft ads should now be one of the first things you do when you see a fresh version of Windows 10. I’m not sure why Microsoft can’t use these defaults. off because people were paying for the operating system that these “offers” appear on, but luckily this is a quick fix.

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