The Sundarban
Digvijay is a Pc Science graduate with a deep ardour for technology. His crawl into tech writing began in 2018 with instrument and product experiences, and he’s been exploring the digital build of living ever since.
He joined MUO as a paunchy-time writer in 2022, where he covers how-tos, explainers, and tech guides inquisitive about Android, entertainment, and the gain.
Digvijay has beforehand contributed to some of official publications, together with Alphr, GuidingTech, TheWindowsClub, and MakeTechEasier.
Birth air of writing, he enjoys touring and finding out about assorted cultures, as he believes new experiences spark creativity.
Dwelling windows 11 would now not throw ads to your face the map websites rep, however it aloof slips in promotions across the gadget. The Originate menu can imply apps you never hunted for, the Settings app exhibits counseled advise, and File Explorer now and again shows a OneDrive banner. I now now not grand most of it for a in reality long time because it blended in so nicely that it didn’t feel admire something I might well turn off.
Over time, even though, I began noticing how infrequently those prompts seemed and got abnormal about how great of it change into as soon as in-built. I opened the settings exquisite to ascertain, expecting most of it to be hardwired into the gadget. Instead, I chanced on that a couple of the ads and suggestions were managed by easy toggles. I disabled them one by one and change into as soon as surprised it took only a handful of changes to definite out simply about all of it.
Remove undesirable app suggestions from Originate
The principle position I checked change into as soon as the Originate menu because subtle promotions can seem there. It exhibits your bear shortcuts alongside a Urged position, which is ready to incorporate Microsoft suggestions that are now now not in step with what you expend. Over time, these suggestions blueprint the menu feel cluttered instead of non-public.
To seize away them, initiate Settings -> Personalization -> Originate, then turn off the following alternatives:
Existing suggestions for pointers, shortcuts, new apps, and more.
Existing websites from your browsing history.
Existing story-linked notifications.
Once these were disabled, the Originate menu stopped surfacing prompt apps and promotions, and my pinned apps stayed entrance and center.
Disable File Explorer ads
Live OneDrive and Microsoft 365 banners
The following position I checked change into as soon as File Explorer, since even the file manager now and again promotes Microsoft products and providers. From time to time, a skinny banner looks on the cease suggesting OneDrive backups or Microsoft 365 subscriptions. These banners are now now not gadget messages. They’re ads shown through what Dwelling windows calls “sync provider notifications.”
To disable them:
Select the three dots (⋯) within the toolbar and settle Alternate choices.
Within the Take a look at tab, scroll to Existing sync provider notifications.
Uncheck it, then click on Apply and OK.
After turning it off, File Explorer stopped exhibiting OneDrive prompts, and the interface stayed inquisitive about local files and folders.
Abet Spotlight from exhibiting pointers or ads
The lock cloak cloak also involves its bear build of promotion. With Dwelling windows Spotlight enabled, it shows rotating backgrounds alongside with pointers and suggestions, generally together with prompts linked to Microsoft products and providers such as Edge or OneDrive. Switching to a static image will get rid of those Spotlight messages.
To turn those off:
Navigate to Settings -> Personalization -> Lock cloak cloak.
Trade the background from Dwelling windows Spotlight to Image or Slideshow.
Once Spotlight is disabled, the lock cloak cloak turns into easy and static, exhibiting only the image you settle without Spotlight suggestions.
Turn off suggestions and affords in Settings
After disabling Spotlight, I opened the Settings app itself, since it now and again exhibits promotions on the cease of sure pages. These can encompass banners suggesting Microsoft 365 trials, OneDrive signal-ins, or additional aspects which can be now now not vital.
To turn these off, initiate Settings -> Privacy & security -> Ideas & affords, then toggle off the following:
Customized affords.
Give a enhance to Originate and search results.
Ideas and affords in Settings.
Advertising ID.
Trip away assorted switches such as Permit websites to entry my language checklist and Existing notifications in Settings enabled, since they’re now now not linked to ads.
Disable pop-up pointers and notification prompts
Live setup and characteristic recommendation indicators
Dwelling windows also sends promotional pointers through its notification gadget. They seem as itsy-bitsy banners suggesting actions such as ending setup or signing in with a Microsoft story, and can even be grew to become off from the Additional settings piece on the identical web advise.
To discontinuance them, navigate to Settings -> Gadget -> Notifications, then scroll to Additional settings on the bottom of the web advise, and turn off the following:
Existing the Dwelling windows welcome journey after updates, and when signed in, level to what’s new and prompt.
Suggest methods to rep the most out of Dwelling windows and waste establishing this instrument.
Bag pointers and suggestions when the usage of Dwelling windows.
After disabling these, notifications deal with exact app indicators instead of product promotions and gadget nudges.
Determined backed playing cards and trending advise
The last position I checked change into as soon as the taskbar, where Dwelling windows exhibits Widgets and Search advise that can encompass promotions or trending items. The tips feed inside of Widgets can ground backed playing cards and app suggestions. You can well per chance additionally turn these off with just a few settings to withhold the desktop cleaner.
To disable them, skedaddle to Settings -> Personalization -> Taskbar, then witness below Taskbar items and blueprint these changes:
Toggle off Widgets.
Birth Search and position it to Hidden or Search icon only to within the reduction of suggestions on the taskbar.
Once these were off,
