Microsoft is starting to test ads inside the Start menu of Windows 11. The company will use the Recommended section of the Start menu, which usually shows file suggestions, to recommend apps from the Microsoft Store.
“This will only appear for Windows Insiders in the Beta channel in the US and will not apply to commercial devices (devices managed by organizations),” says Microsoft on its blog.
App promotions can be turned off from the Windows 11 Settings section, but it looks like Microsoft will turn them on by default. Microsoft wants to hear feedback about the changes, so it's very likely that they will decide not to show these ads in the "stable" versions of Windows 11, if of course there are enough protests.
The image you see above is the Windows 11 start menu. The red box shows the ad for the 1Password app.
Microsoft began testing ads within Windows 11's File Explorer last year before disabling the experiment in beta versions of Windows 11.
The huge change of Windows as an operating system
Microsoft has been experimenting with ads within Windows for more than 10 years. There are already advertising spots on the Windows 10 lock screen and Start menu, so it shouldn't seem strange to us.
