Microsoft is sticking ads in the Windows 11 Start menu

Ben Schoon | Apr 12 2024 - 1:25 pm PT

Ads in Windows are nothing really new, but Microsoft is now starting to push ads in the Start menu of Windows 11.

In the latest Insider builds of Windows 11, users will begin to see ads disguised as “recommendations” alongside their recent apps.

In the Start menu, Microsoft currently shows “Pinned” apps above a series of “Recommendations.” These recommendations generally include recently used files or apps, as well as things you’ve installed recently, as well as “tips” for new features.

However, they’ll now include recommendations from the Microsoft Store which feel like ads. Even if they’re not paid for by app developers, Microsoft does get a cut of apps distributed through its Store, so it’s still effectively an ad.

Microsoft explains in a post (via The Verge):

Building on top of recent improvements like grouping recently installed apps and showing your frequently used apps, we are now trying out recommendations to help you discover great apps from the Microsoft Store under Recommended on the Start menu. This will appear only for Windows Insiders in the Beta Channel in the U.S. and will not apply to commercial devices (devices managed by organizations). This can be turned off by going to Settings > Personalization > Start and turning off the toggle for “Show recommendations for tips, app promotions, and more”. As a reminder, we regularly try out new experiences and concepts that may never get released with Windows Insiders to get feedback. Should you see this experience on the Start menu, let us know what you think. We are beginning to roll this out to a small set of Insiders in the Beta Channel at first.

Notably, this is already rolling out to some folks, as one user on Twitter/X already noticed these ads on their device.

Thankfully, it’s pretty easy to disable this through Settings > Personalization > Start by turning off “Show recommendations for tips, shortcuts, news apps, and more.