Microsoft has an ongoing obsession with using its massive Windows install base to push products and services. If you're a realist, you'd call these ads, but Microsoft would prefer you call them "recommendations." Unless you take action, that's what you're about to see in your Windows 11 Start menu. The Start menu ads from a pre-release build have made their way into the stable channel with unusual speed—this is now part of Windows 11 in the latest update.
On Tuesday, Microsoft released the KB5036980 update. This update adds more features than your average patch Tuesday, with changes to widget icons on the taskbar, more reliable lock screen widgets, and better surfacing of installed applications in the Start menu. All is not well in the Start menu, though. Amongst those apps you have chosen to install, Microsoft will start promoting apps you have not installed.
According to the patch notes, the "recommended" apps will come from the Windows Store—you know, that taskbar icon you only ever click by accident. The apps will come from "a small set of curated developers," but the company doesn't offer any examples. In the previous beta test, a user saw the Start menu promote the Opera browser. Although, that does seem odd, considering Microsoft is also obsessed with getting people to use its Edge browser.
There is some good news, though. While the ads will appear for everyone by default, you can dig into the system settings to turn them off. The relevant option is hidden in Settings > Personalization > Start. Then, turn off the toggle for "Show recommendations for tips, app promotions, and more." That will eliminate Microsoft Store ads from appearing in the start menu.
Perhaps Microsoft feels that promoting apps from the Windows Store will encourage people to use it, but this is not a visibility problem. There simply isn't very much worth installing in Microsoft's storefront. If you're brave or bred enough to open the Store yourself, you'll see many of the top apps are from Apple (iTunes and iCloud), and many of the others are just worse ways to access websites like LinkedIn. Virtually every app listed in the Store has an abysmal review score. Microsoft wants to clutter one of the core pieces of Windows UX to promote this?
Unless you've changed your Windows update settings, this update is probably already on your machine. With Microsoft's mandatory update scheme for Windows 11, there's no way around this. So, you might as well turn the ads off.
