HIGHLIGHTS
- Ads promoting Microsoft products were spotted on Windows 11 File Explorer.
- This received backlash from Windows and Microsoft community.
- The company says it wasn’t meant to be “published externally” and has been “turned off” for now.
For operating system (OS) companies like Microsoft, built-in advertising could be a direct revenue source or a way to promote their products. Windows OS is already known to have ads in various parts of the user interface. They are mostly removable using simple toggles. However, one area which didn’t have ads till now was File Explorer, and much to our dismay, it may too have ads in the future.
Recently, a Twitter user named @flobo09 shared a screenshot showing a Microsoft Editor promo ad in the Windows File Explorer. The tech Twitterati took note of it and openly showed its disapproval. Listening to the growing commotion, Microsoft released a press statement saying, “This was an experimental banner that was not intended to be published externally and was turned off.”
Now, nowhere does it say that Microsoft won’t turn on those ads again, and more importantly, it doesn’t seem to have the intention to keep Windows 11 ads at bay.
So, we may have to take things into our own hands. Let’s do that.
- Remove promoted apps on the Windows Start Menu individually by right-clicking and tapping the Unpin/Uninstall option.
- Get rid of Windows Lockscreen ads by unticking the ‘Get fun facts, tips, tricks, and more on your lock screen’ option within Settings > Personalization > Lockscreen.
- Disable “suggestions” and “tips” (that you may find unnecessary) by unchecking ‘Offer suggestions on how I can set up my device’ and ‘Get tips and suggestions when I use Windows’ options within Settings > System > Notifications.
- Even the ads that may appear on the Settings app can be toggled off by unticking the ‘Show me suggested content in the Settings app’ within Settings > Privacy & Security > General.
- Disable permissions to Microsoft from accessing your Diagnostic data by switching off the ‘Let Microsoft use your diagnostic data, excluding info about websites you browse, to enhance your product experiences with personalized tips, ads, and recommendations.’ option within Settings > Privacy & Security > Diagnostic & Feedback > Tailored experiences.
- And at last, if you don’t want Microsoft creating a personalized ad profile of you, you can deny the ‘Let apps show me personalized ads by using my advertising ID option’ within Settings > Privacy & Security > General.
These remove or deny Microsoft’s permission to use various ad spots across their platform. So, you may follow the above steps and have a largely ad-free Windows experience.