Microsoft Wants to Show You Ads in the Windows 11 Start Menu
You expect to see ads everywhere on the Internet, but ads on your operating system are less common, although not as rare as they used to be. Recently, Windows 11 Pro and Home users reported seeing ads in the operating system’s Start menu, with ads for “recommended” apps and websites appearing below the list of installed apps.
This isn’t such a surprising move considering the company also places ads on the Windows 11 lock screen, and when you open the Settings app you’ll see a huge Office 365 ad if you’re not a subscriber. Microsoft is even promoting Bing ads in Google Chrome.
For now, the Start menu change is only visible in the latest preview builds available to Windows 11 Insiders . So, it’s possible that it might not make it to the consumer build of Windows 11 if the reaction to it is negative enough (and loud enough).
Images published in reports from Windows Central and other sources appear to show ads and accompanying descriptions for apps like 1Password. They appear alongside other recommended apps and documents that Microsoft adds to the Start menu.
How to disable ads in the Start menu in Windows 11
Luckily, it looks like you’ll have the option to turn off these ads if Microsoft ends up keeping them, as Windows Insiders have also spotted a new option under Settings > Personalization > Start that allows you to turn off Show recommendations , tips, app advertising and much more.”
This is just one of Microsoft’s recent efforts to introduce advertising into its operating system, a change that many have opposed for years. Windows is not a cheap operating system, and having to deal with ads on an operating system that you paid a significant amount of change for is not a good option. And just because you can turn them off now doesn’t mean you can always do so.