Windows 11, confirmed: Microsoft begins testing ads on the Start Menu

Microsoft is testing a new feature on Windows 11 that could bring advertising directly into the operating system’s Start Menu. The company recently began rolling out a preview update in the Beta channel for Windows Insider users that adds suggestions about some targeted Microsoft Store apps to the “Recommended Items” section of the Start Menu.

According to Microsoft, app suggestions are currently being made for a small group of Insider users in order to help users discover the “best apps” available in the Windows 11 store. The company says this feature builds on existing improvements such as grouping recently installed apps and displaying frequently used apps, which were introduced earlier to improve the user experience in the Start menu.

Microsoft confirms: testing advertisements on the Start Menu

However, the introduction of advertisements in such a crucial area of ​​the operating system has raised some concerns (even when the news was first reported, even before the company’s confirmation) among users regarding privacy and invasiveness. of the same ads on the Menu. Many users believe that the Start Menu should be an ad-free space dedicated exclusively to the applications and features they need.

Microsoft has stated that this feature will appear, at least at this stage of development, yesOnly for Windows Insiders in the Beta channel in the United States and will not apply to commercial devices operated by organizations. Users can also disable ads by accessing your personalization settingsturning off the “Show recommendations for tips, app promotions and more” option.

However, this is not the first time that Microsoft has experimented with the advertising on Windows 11. Previously, the company promoted some of its products, such as OneDrive, in the Start menu’s logout menu and displayed ads for Microsoft products in File Explorer. It is also important to note that this feature is currently in the testing phase it may never be released in stable versions of the operating systemand the feedback from Insider users will be fundamental in this sense.