TL;DR: You can disable this in the settings (see steps below)
Remember the days when advertisements were removed from software after you paid for it?
Microsoft, in an effort to appease maybe their shareholders, is adding advertisements to the Windows 11 Start Menu.
The ads will appear in the “Recommended” portion of the Start menu, which previously only showed your documents and images that were recently used.
Microsoft started testing this feature only a few weeks ago… and it’s been fast-tracked to roll out to everyone in the Windows Update “KB5036980.”
Microsoft explains that the ads are from software developers found in its own Microsoft Store. You know, the place where Microsoft gets a big cut.
Microsoft isn’t the only outfit that is introducing advertisements in its software. Intuit (Quickbooks) and Adobe (Creative Cloud) have both been doing it as well.
Advertisements in Windows are nothing new. Microsoft has been trying to place advertisements in as many corners of Windows as it can. For example, Windows search recommends web articles, apps, games, and other promotional materials.
It’s possible you may have already installed this update, but don’t see the advertisements yet. But if you ever do see the advertisements, there’s an easy way to disable them (for now). Simply go to the location shown below in Windows Settings:
Open your Start menu.
Right-click any blank space and click Start settings
Scroll down until you find the Show recommendations for tips, shortcuts, new apps, and more.
Toggle that setting off.
You may also see an option: “Show recommendations for tips, app promotions, and more.” Turn that off as well.
Of course, you can always let us know if you need help disabling some of the targeted advertisements in Windows. We could probably even speed things up while we’re at. 😉
