Windows 11 users Start Menu will soon have ADS. Here’s how to disable them
From Netflix to Amazon Prime, more and more online services are now starting to fill up with annoying promotions.
But now Windows users can’t even open their Internet browser before seeing ads.
Microsoft will soon start placing ads in the Windows 11 Start Menu with the addition of ‘recommended’ apps.
On social media, Windows users are outraged by the decision to include ads in the operating system they have already paid £119.99 ($139) for.
Fortunately, there is an easy way to disable annoying ads with a simple change to the device settings.
Windows 11 will now include ads for ‘recommended’ apps in the Start Menu, luckily there’s an easy way to disable these. This image shows how a promoted ad for ‘Opera Browser’ has been included
Windows users have expressed their frustrations on social media, complaining that it’s ‘crazy’ to get ads in an operating system they’ve already paid for
This change is part of update KB5036980 released this week for Windows.
While the update is currently optional, it will soon be rolling out to all Windows devices in the coming weeks.
However, if you choose to install or receive the new update as soon as it is rolled out, the ads can be easily disabled.
To do this, simply open ‘Settings’ from the Start Menu and navigate to the ‘Personalization’ section.
Here, select ‘Start’ and enable the option ‘Show recommendations for tips, app promotions and more’.
Once this is disabled, ads in the suggested menu will be permanently disabled.
Microsoft says the ads are intended to allow users to find “some of the great apps available.”
In the update notes, the company writes: ‘Some Microsoft Store apps will appear in the Recommended section of the Start menu.
“These apps come from a small group of curated developers.”
But what may confuse some users is that they appear in a section of the Start Menu that previously showed apps that have already been downloaded – recently added or frequently used.
Windows 11 will now include ads for ‘recommended’ apps in the Start Menu, luckily there’s an easy way to disable these. This image shows how recommended apps are presented
Social media users have said they would be furious if their operating system started containing ads
Others said the inclusion of ads was one of the reasons they “hated” Windows operating systems
Windows users have already taken to social media to express their frustrations with the update.
One commenter on
“I’d throw away my laptop if my operating system showed me ads!” added another.
While one commenter said the change was “reason 1,836,387 why I hate ramen.”
Microsoft claims that the ads are intended to help users discover useful apps for Windows
Some Windows users claim that the change is a good reason to switch to other operating systems such as Linux
In addition to adding ads, this update also includes some changes to other Windows features.
Widgets in the taskbar and lock screen are getting an update to make them more reliable and support ‘more images’ – although no more details are given on what this means.
Microsoft only started testing this feature two weeks ago when it told beta test users that it was “now testing out recommendations to help you discover great apps from the Microsoft Store under Recommended in the Start menu.”
Microsoft wrote at the time: “As a reminder, we regularly try new experiences and concepts with Windows Insiders that may never be released to get feedback.”
However, the feedback Microsoft received in that short time appears to have been enough for the company to roll out the feature more widely.
The company has experimented with including ads in its operating system in the past.
Windows 10 in particular included promotional spots in the lock screen and start menu.
Microsoft also briefly added ads to Windows 11’s File Explorer before disabling the feature, saying the test was “not intended to be published externally.”
Microsoft has been contacted for comment.