Microsoft is currently testing a change to the Windows 11 Settings app that will address recommended and promoted content (ads, for short). It’s an idea that, surprisingly, won’t freak you out.
Windows Latest Spotted that in preview builds of Windows 11 (specifically in the Beta and Canary channels), there is a new, dedicated “Recommendations & offers” page (which previously was simply titled “General,” under the “Privacy & security” section of the Settings app).
Thanks to a number of tweaks, the new page makes it easier to manage which ads and recommendations Microsoft shows you in Windows 11.
First, the descriptions of the different options to manage ads and recommendations in one way or another have been made clearer. That’s always good to see.
Second, we’ve introduced a new option on the revamped Recommendations & Offers page. (The other options are still the same, but it’s worth noting that only the descriptive text has changed and there have been minor tweaks to the panel’s layout.)
The new option is called Personalized offers, but it’s not actually new to Windows 11. It’s just been moved from the Diagnostics page in Settings and given a new name (it was previously called Tailored experiences).
By turning Personalized experiences on or off, you can control whether you see personalized tips, ads, and recommendations based on your activity in Windows.
This particular choice will be much easier for Windows 11 users to see—and use—on the new Recommendations & offers page, rather than being hidden away in an obscure diagnostics panel. So that’s definitely a plus.
A change of tone from Microsoft? That seems doubtful
There’s no word on when we can expect this tweak to the Settings app in Windows 11. Right now, it’s not even available to all Windows 11 testers yet, as it’s apparently still rolling out.
Windows Latest speculates that this change could be implemented with Windows 11 24H2, although the annual update is now almost out, so it could be a tight squeeze.
Be that as it may, this is at least a clear attempt to accommodate the wishes of Windows 11 users, namely that they want more insight and control over the advertising preferences on their devices.
However, I don’t think this will cause Microsoft to back down from its aggressive stance of pushing ads into many parts of the Windows 11 interface, nor do I think it will do much to assuage those frustrated with Microsoft’s insistence on going down this path.
I’d love to be proven wrong, but I have a hard time imagining a world where you could, say, disable all ads in Windows 11. But I can still dream.