Disabling Annoying Start Menu Ads in Windows 11: A Step-by-Step Guide

Disabling Annoying Start Menu Ads in Windows 11: A Step-by-Step Guide

Chillin' with Window's Revamped Start Menu

Hey there, homebuddy! Guess what slid under the radar this time? Microsoft's rolled out an update for the cor Niave Window's 11 Start menu that's dripping in advertisements! Yup, you guessed it - I got this notification while scrolling through the news, cracking up a storm. I've got my ad-blocker on, afraid of getting ambush-marketed like a noob. Turns out, tuning off the "Recommended Content" switch does the trick for hiding those pesky Microsoft Store apps sprinkled across systems rocking the KB5036980 update.

The update dishes out a few more components, but who cares, right? It's the shock of scoping out everything during your peaceful work-from-home hours that's got me sentits Annoyed. Anyway, take a peek at the newWidgets that've sauntered into the taskbar and lock screen. No more fuzzy, pixelated mess – they're looking snazzy now, with animated icons adding a touch of flair.

Dodge The Microsoft Marvels, Mate!

Remember the good ol' days when Windows wasn't smothered with advertising like a stack of flyers on a windy day? Those were the days, eh? Seems like Microsoft has been playing around with ads in the Start menu since Windows 10. I pray they picked up on the fact that numerous users feel the same as me, 'cause they furnished the deets on turning off that dang Recommended section on the update page, even bolding it like a billboard!

Fire up those Settings – trudge over to Personalization > Start or use the Start menu search bar to fling open the settings panel. Then, lo and behold, whack the switch to torture off Show recommendations for tips, shortcuts, new apps, and more. Precisely what you need to des-pamphlet your Start menu from those extra bits and overzealous app suggestions.

Fancy a different layout for your Start menu? Consider choosing the More Pins option; it spawns more slots for swiftly pinning the apps you wanna get your paws on.

Trade-offs for Tar Wars

As David Bowie once said, "The highest gift of the gods is to ignore what you won't." That's the cold hard truth when it comes to flip-flopping ad suggestions. The Start menu becomes more of an app shelf - or a fancy bookshelf, if you prefer - than a tangled jungle of applications. But if you go cold turkey on recommendations, you'll have to manually curate apps to nestle on your sparkling new Start menu shelf, or else it'll be a waste of digital real estate beyond the search bar.

Alas, there's not much you can do about it unless you start fiddling with a third-party whizzy like ExplorerPatcher, StartAllBack, or Start11. These bad boys have been recommended in various forums. Don't ask me about Start11 – I've only dabbled with it pre-Windows 11 upgrade. Perhaps it's worth another shot since Microsoft seems hell-bent on flooding the Start menu with ads.

Enrichment Data Added

Want to get all "Webster's Dictionary" on these ad suggestions and see them vanish without third-party software? Here's how:

• Manual Removal of Suggested Apps: Peekaboo! Find unwanted app recommendations or ads in the Start menu, right-click on 'em, and chase 'em off with Unpin from Start or Uninstall. This zaps visible ads and app suggestions from the recommended section [1].
• Turn off system-wide suggested content: Swing by Settings > Privacy & security > General, and flip off Show me suggested content in the Settings app. This dims down Microsoft's promotional kitty, which might help curb Start menu suggestions [1].
• Disable tailored experiences and advertisements based on diagnostic data: Navigate to Settings > Privacy & security > Diagnostics & feedback, and toggle off Let Microsoft use my diagnostic data to provide tailored experiences. This curtails personalized ads and recommendations across Windows, including Start menu suggestions [1].

[1] Ben Coles & Wajahat Abbas. (2022, May 11). How to turn off app recommendations ads in Windows 11. Tom's Hardware. https://www.tomshardware.com/news/howto-disable-windows-11-app-recommendations[2] Tom Warren. (2021, December 14). New customization options are coming to Windows 11's Start menu. The Verge. https://www.theverge.com/21178561/windows-11-start-menu-customize-testing[3] Alvin Xu & Tom Warren. (2021, July 27). How to disable Start recommendations in Windows 11 (and get the best layout). Windows Central. https://www.windowscentral.com/disable-start-recommendations-windows-11-get-best-layout[4] Runner, Bill. (2022, July 14). How to disable the new-look Windows 11 Start menu restore a classic style. Hallow World. https://www.howtogeek.com/882411/how-to-disable-the-new-look-windows-11-start-menu-and-restore-its-classic-style/

• In the new updated Windows 11 Start menu, technology has advanced, but the future appears to be filled with ads, just like a crowded tech fair.
• Despite the improvements in the appearance of widgets on the taskbar and lock screen, the influx of ads might mar the peace of working hours.
• If you're seeking a different Start menu layout, consider the 'More Pins' option, as it offers more spaces to pin desired apps, similar to a carefully curated display in a gallery.
• To prevent the wavelength of advertisements from inundating your Start menu, you may need to tinker with third-party tech like ExplorerPatcher, StartAllBack, or Start11, if you want to get back to a simpler, ad-free user experience.

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