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Microsoft's Windows 10 and Windows 11 operating systems are PCMag Editors' Choice picks, but there's always room for improvement. It's puzzling, for example, that the company includes annoying features like built-in ads. If you can't stand these intrusive advertisements and "suggestions" getting in the way, there are a few ways to remove them.
There are third-party "privacy" tools that promise to disable these ads with one click, but I don't recommend them. These one-size-fits-all options may seem quick and convenient, but they dig into the Registry and depend on other settings. If something goes wrong, it can be hard to troubleshoot. Instead, you're better off doing it yourself, so you know what to tweak later if something breaks. Thankfully, most of these ads have simple toggles to turn them off in the settings menu.
Take note that Microsoft has a history of bringing ads to new places and restoring "suggested" apps that have already been removed with Windows updates, so you may have to check back in from time to time and make sure everything is still how you want it. The steps below may not remove everything, but should tone things down to some extent.
Remove Promoted Apps From the Start Menu
The Start menu has gone through a lot of changes, but if pre-installed games and other live tile clutter aren't enough to annoy you, Microsoft also includes "suggestions" to lure you over to its own apps. If you use Chrome, for example, your Start menu may badger you to switch to Edge. To turn these off, navigate to Settings > Personalization > Start and disable Show suggestions occasionally in Start (Windows 10) or Show recommendations for tips, shortcuts, new apps, and more (Windows 11).
If you have a problem with any of the live tiles that Windows 10 has stuck on your Start screen—some of which are pre-installed junk or trials—right-click on the one that's bugging you and choose Uninstall to remove the app. Alternatively, right-click and choose More > Turn Live Tile Off to turn it into a simple shortcut to the app.
(Credit: PCMag / Microsoft)Block Tips and Suggestions From the Lock Screen
The lock screen, sadly, is not much better. If you have the lock screen set to show a picture or slideshow, Microsoft will clutter the screen with text. Sometimes, these are "fun facts" about the location in the image, and other times they may be "tips" for using your device, like switching to Edge or trying to get you to use a Microsoft account (for those on a local account). To remove these suggestions and just see a photo, head to Settings > Personalization > Lock screen and switch your background from Windows spotlight to Picture or Slideshow.
(Credit: PCMag / Microsoft)Banish Ads From Notifications
Occasionally, you may see pop-ups trying to convince you to switch to Edge or join Microsoft Rewards. Get rid of these in Windows 10 by going to Settings > System > Notifications & actions and unchecking Get tips, tricks, and suggestions as you use Windows. You can also untick Show me the Windows welcome experience, which shows those annoying tours after Windows updates, as well as Suggest ways I can finish setting up my device.
(Credit: PCMag / Microsoft)In Windows 11, open Settings > System > Notifications and disable Suggested from the Notifications from apps and other senders section. You'll also need to scroll down and unfurl Additional settings to disable options like Show the Windows welcome experience and Get tips and suggestions.
(Credit: PCMag / Microsoft)Disable Ads From Bloatware
Some of the "ads" you see pop up as notifications may not be from Microsoft at all. Instead, it could be bloatware installed by your PC maker. For instance, working on a Dell laptop, I found that SupportAssist, My Dell, and Partner Promo are added by the manufacturer. A Lenovo ThinkPad, meanwhile, has Lenovo Commercial Vantage. But I noticed that Microsoft no longer includes these apps in my Notifications settings. Instead, I had to track down Lenovo's app, open to its Preference settings, and disable certain messages myself. These programs can also be uninstalled completely, if you prefer.
(Credit: PCMag / Lenovo)Disable Suggested Content in the Settings App
(Credit: PCMag / Microsoft)Microsoft has also started using the Settings app as a billboard to suggest its own apps for you to use. If you don't want to see this stuff, head to Settings > Privacy & security > General and disable the Show me suggested content in the Settings app option.
Get Ads Out of File Explorer
Apparently nothing is sacred, because even File Explorer has been infected by ads pushing Microsoft products. In its effort to get you subscribed to OneDrive and Office 365, the company now pushes these services as you try to browse your files, but you can get rid of them. Open File Explorer in Windows 11, click the ellipsis icon, then select Options from the menu. If you're still on Windows 10, click View > Options > Change folder and search options.
(Credit: PCMag / Microsoft)Click the View tab in the window that appears, scroll down to Show sync provider notifications and uncheck that box. This should prevent ads from showing up in File Explorer again.
(Credit: PCMag / Microsoft)Turn Off Targeted Advertising
Windows gives you an Advertising ID that it uses to track your interests and serve you more relevant ads within apps. While you're turning off all of Windows' built-in ads, you may want to turn this setting off as well. In Windows 10, head to Settings > Privacy > General and turn off Let apps use advertising ID, if you'd rather have non-targeted ads. In Windows 11, it's called Let apps show me personalized ads by using my advertising ID.
(Credit: PCMag / Microsoft)