Microsoft is testing a new feature on Windows 11 that could bring advertising directly to the Start Menu of the operating system. The company has recently started rolling out a preview update in the Beta channel for Windows Insider users that adds suggestions for targeted Microsoft Store apps in the «Recommended items» section of the Start Menu.
According to Microsoft, app suggestions are currently being inserted for a small group of Insider users to help users discover the «best apps» available in the Windows 11 store. The company states that this feature builds on previous enhancements such as grouping recently installed apps and displaying frequently used apps, which were introduced earlier to enhance the user experience in the Start menu.
Microsoft confirms: advertising alerts being tested 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 previewed, before the company’s confirmation) among users regarding the privacy and intrusiveness of the ads on the Menu. Many users believe that the Start Menu should be an ad-free space, dedicated solely to the applications and functionalities they need.
Microsoft has stated that this feature will be displayed, at least in this development phase, only for participants in the Windows Insider program in the Beta channel in the United States and will not apply to commercially managed devices. Users can disable ads by accessing customization settings, turning off the «Show suggestions for tips, app promotions, and more» option.
However, this is not the first time Microsoft has experimented with advertising on Windows 11. Previously, the company promoted some of its products, such as OneDrive, in the Start menu logoff 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 and may never be released in stable versions of the operating system, with user Insider feedback being crucial in this regard.
