Windows 11 Start menu ads are here - here's how to avoid them on your PC

01/05/2024

Toggling off ads via Settings is a temporary solution, but for how long will it last?
Consider downloading a third-party Start menu app to avoid ads altogether in Windows 11.
Moving to a different operating system might be the best long-term solution to escape increasing ads.

If you haven’t heard the news, ads are making the slow, somber march toward the Windows 11 Start menu. Right now, the feature is only on the beta branch of Windows 11, but it’s only a matter of time until it arrives on the release branch. As such, ads in the Windows 11 Start menu will eventually become the norm.

Fortunately, there are ways to get around ads in the Start menu. These range from toggling an option to changing how you use your PC. The extent at which you should go wholly depends on how much you trust Microsoft to keep the ads under control and not allow them to spread all over Windows 11. So, here’s how to dodge the Start menu ads when they arrive on Windows 11.

Toggle off the ads option via the Settings (for now)

A simple solution, but how long will it hold up?

A few days ago, Albacore on X reported that Microsoft had changed the wording for a Start menu toggle. Instead of asking the user if they just wanted recommendations in their Start menu, it also included the word “ads,” implying that advertisements were about to land on Windows 11.

Fortunately, it’s very easy to toggle this setting off, thus removing recommendations and ads from your Start menu. And if that was the best solution, this article would simply end there. However, while this is definitely the quickest way to get rid of the ads, it’s definitely not the best. After all, when was the last time you saw a company give you complete control over whether or not you saw ads on its service? Given how this setting may change or be removed in a future Windows update, simply toggling this off feels like a bandaid on a larger wound to me.

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Download a third-party Start menu app

You can’t see the Start ads if you don’t use the stock option

If Microsoft does take away the option to disable ads on the Start menu, there’s bound to be an app or a Registry tweak you can do to get rid of them again. But let’s be frank; the Windows 11 Start menu kinda sucks. It’s hard to justify fighting to keep the Windows 11 Start menu free of ads when there are plenty of alternatives you can use instead. So, instead of making do with the constant fight to keep ads off your Start menu, why not just replace it with a third-party one that does the job better and without the ads?

You could use this time to check out Start11. It’s a paid app, but it does have a free version you can try to see if it’s to your liking. Plus, for the amount of tools you get under your belt, it’s well worth the pretty respectable asking price. Meanwhile, StartAllBack isn’t quite as powerful as Start11 but comes at a lower price. We recently compared Start11 vs. StartAllBack, so be sure to give it a look if you want to learn more.

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Try an entirely different operating system altogether

It’s the nuclear option, but it may be the only way out

Migrating to a different operating system may be overkill over advertisements in the Start menu, but this may not be as far-fetched a move. It wholly depends on what you think Microsoft’s next move will be. Will it be content with just adding advertisements to the Start menu? Then perhaps the above options will suit you just fine. But if this is the start of something bigger? Perhaps it’s best to cut ties with the Redmond giant now before things get real bad.

So, how likely is it that you’ll see more ads over time? Well, according to Thurrott, Microsoft is currently having a huge income boost, partly because of Copilot Pro subscriptions. One might say that this extra income means that Microsoft won’t look for more advertising ventures, but I’d argue that it’ll only encourage the Redmond giant to go all-in on advertising its AI assistant. In fact, Microsoft’s new plan is to get you to become a Copilot Pro subscriber.

As such, now may be the best time to grab that amazing Mac you’ve had your eyes on. Or, you can check out a piece on our sister site MakeUseOf, which ran a piece on the best Linux distros for Windows users. Either way, moving to another operating system may be the only surefire escape from advertisements in your operating system.

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Dodge the Start menu ads, the easy way or the hard way

Ultimately, the best path for you to take is the one that resonates with you best. If you’re okay with toggling the option to see ads off and don’t mind the occasional tweak if Microsoft tries to remove it, then you need not do much past that. However, if you have any ruminations against what Microsoft is doing, I say now is the best time to check out your other options, whether that’s a new Start menu or a new OS altogether.