Windows 11 added ads to the Start menu

A recent update for Windows 11 introduced advertising in the «Start» menu for all users. The recent optional update KB5036980 enabled this feature and triggers «recommendations» that advertise apps listed in the Microsoft Store. While this update is optional for now, it’s conceivable that Microsoft may make it mandatory.

Microsoft may make it mandatory.

It appears that the company implemented this change without having enough time to gather feedback from beta users. The developers originally implemented this change in the Windows 11 22635.3495 preview build two weeks ago, which gives very little time to gather enough feedback from a limited set of beta testers. Therefore, one might question the company’s haste in implementing this change.

So far, the company’s haste in implementing this change can be questioned.

Microsoft is ready to introduce updates and features in the much-awaited Windows 11 24H2 build. However, decisions such as the introduction of ads will lead to negative impressions and views of the operating system. For now, you can disable this new feature by turning off the «Show recommendations for tips, app promotions, and more» option.

.

Microsoft says it’s displaying ads from a small set of select developers, though that list is likely to expand when the update becomes mandatory. The company also doesn’t explain how it determines these recommendations — based on the user’s choice of activities and apps, or on other parameters. There’s also the possibility that the team may reverse this decision in the future.

And it’s possible that the team may reverse this decision in the future.

This isn’t the first time Microsoft has embedded ads into its operating system. The company has run similar campaigns on the Windows 10 lock screen, in the Mail app and the «Start» menu. But this seems to come at the expense of lack of optimization and user experience improvements. A few days ago, a former developer criticized performance issues with the «Start» menu in Windows 11 on a system with an Intel Core i9 processor and 128GB of RAM. While having certain features is nice for some users, don’t expect performance and experience to be a compromise.

While the availability of certain features is nice for some users, don’t expect performance and experience to be a compromise.

Whatever Microsoft’s future decisions, end users who favor performance and don’t mind getting their hands dirty can turn to apps like Tiny11 to remove unnecessary apps and features from the operating system. Even if Microsoft resorts to blocking such programs, like it does with popular UI-altering apps, there are always ways for users to get around these obstacles.