Situatie
In the Start menu, you’ll find a Recommended section featuring ads for different apps. The last time I checked, it was showing an ad for a password manager. Microsoft is probably aware that not every Windows user will appreciate this new addition to the Start menu, which is why there’s also an option to remove the Recommended section entirely.
To do this, press Win+i to open the Settings app. Choose “Personalization” from the left sidebar, then select “Start” on the right. Turn off the toggle next to “Show recommended files in Start, recent files in File Explorer, and items in Jump Lists.” After that, restart your system, and you’ll see that the Recommended section is gone from the Start menu.
Remove ads from File Explorer
Since 2022, when an X user named Florian Beaubois spotted ads in the Windows 11 File Explorer, Microsoft has been constantly pushing ads in its file manager.
If you want a completely ad-free File Explorer experience, you need to change one setting in the Folder Options. To do this, open File Explorer, click the ellipsis icon at the top, and choose “Options” from the menu that appears. Switch to the “View” tab, uncheck the “Show Sync Provider Notifications” box, and then click “Apply” and “OK” to save the changes.
Disable tips and suggestions from Windows
In addition to ads, Windows also shows a lot of suggestions and tips to improve your overall experience. While these tips can be helpful for someone who’s just getting started with Windows, if you’ve been using Windows for a while, you might find them as annoying as the ads. That’s why it’s best to turn them off completely for a clutter-free Windows experience.
After disabling these boxes, you will no longer see occasional pop-ups from Windows asking you to switch to Microsoft Edge, join Microsoft Rewards, or use any other Microsoft services.
Remove ads from the Lock Screen
I’ve long been an admirer of the Windows Spotlight feature. It dynamically changes lock screen images, ensuring that I’m not looking at the same picture every time. However, there’s one major drawback to using the Windows Spotlight feature.
You’ll see ads on your Windows lock screen if you have Windows Spotlight set as the display option. These ads often promote different games, and sometimes Microsoft also shows tips on various topics. The only way to remove ads from the lock screen is to configure Windows to show either a picture or a slideshow instead of Windows Spotlight.
To do this, open the Settings app, choose “Personalization” from the left sidebar, and click the “Lock Screen” option on the right. Click the drop-down icon next to “Personalize Your Lock Screen,” and then choose either “Picture” or “Slideshow.” If you select Picture, make sure to turn off the “Get fun facts, tips, tricks, and more on your lock screen” box.
Remove ads from the Settings app
The very place where you’ve been disabling ads till now ironically shows plenty of them itself. Yes, you guessed it right; I’m talking about the Settings app. You’ll often find ads for different Microsoft services appearing at the top of various pages in the Windows Settings app.
To remove ads from the Windows Settings app, open the Settings app, select “Privacy & Security” from the left sidebar, and click “Recommendations & Offers” on the right. Turn off the toggles next to these options: Personalized Offers, Improve Start and Search Results, Recommendations and Offers in Settings, and Advertising ID. Disabling the Advertising ID also ensures that third-party apps don’t show personalized ads based on your Windows activity.
Remove personalized ads from the Microsoft Store
When you search for an app on Microsoft Edge, you’ll often see recommendations and similar apps in the Microsoft Store. This happens because of the Microsoft Store’s personalized experiences setting, which allows the store to monitor your online activity to show relevant ads and app suggestions. Fortunately, you can disable this setting to stop the Microsoft Store from displaying personalized ads and recommendations.
Remove ads from Windows search
I always prefer to hide the Windows search from the taskbar. But if you’re someone who uses it regularly, you must have noticed that it shows a lot of ads.
Open Windows Search, and on the right panel, you’ll see ads for different games, a trending searches section, and a dedicated block highlighting what’s special about the current date. If you find these elements taking up too much space in Windows Search, you can completely remove them.
To do this, open Windows Search, click the ellipsis icon at the top, and choose “Search Settings” from the menu that appears. Turn off the toggle next to “Show Search Highlights.” Restart your computer, and you will no longer see ads in Windows Search.
Although the widget panel doesn’t show any ads, it contains a long list of news stories. There are also plenty of other blocks with data related to the stock market and other content that may not be relevant to you. If you find all this distracting, you can either clear the widget feed or disable the widget panel altogether. However, I suggest doing the former, as the widget panel can be quite helpful in various situations.
To get rid of an irrelevant widget feed, click the cog icon at the top-right corner of the widget window and select “Show or Hide Feeds.” Then, disable the “Feeds” toggle.
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