Disable Windows 11 Ads and Suggestions: Every Real Toggle

Windows 11 shows promotional content in more places than most people expect: suggested apps in Start, tips on the lock screen, “finish setting up your device” reminders, OneDrive prompts in File Explorer and personalised suggestions based on your activity. You can disable Windows 11 ads and suggestions almost entirely with toggles that Microsoft includes in Settings. There is no single master switch, so this guide lists each one, page by page.

Everything here is a normal, reversible setting on Windows 11 version 24H2 and 25H2, Home and Pro. Microsoft occasionally renames these toggles in updates, so the exact wording on your PC may differ slightly from what is quoted below. If you cannot find one, type a word from it into the search box in Settings.

Start menu recommendations

The Recommended area of Start can show tips and apps Microsoft suggests, alongside your recent files.

1. Open Settings > Personalization > Start.
2. Turn off Show recommendations for tips, shortcuts, new apps, and more. On some builds the wording mentions app promotions instead; it is the same switch.
3. Optional: turn off Show account-related notifications if you do not want occasional Microsoft account prompts on your profile picture in Start.

If you also want an emptier Recommended area, the other switches on the same page, such as showing recently added apps and recently opened items, control the rest of that section. They are not ads, just history, so keep whichever you find useful.

Lock screen tips and fun facts

When the lock screen uses Windows spotlight, Microsoft chooses the images and can add text links and information. To control what appears:

1. Open Settings > Personalization > Lock screen.
2. Under Personalize your lock screen, choose Picture or Slideshow instead of Windows spotlight.
3. Untick Get fun facts, tips, tricks, and more on your lock screen. This option only appears when Picture or Slideshow is selected.
4. Optional: set Lock screen status to the option you prefer, or none, if you do not want app or weather information on the lock screen.

Notification tips and setup reminders

These three options control the “Let’s finish setting up your device” screens and tip notifications.

1. Open Settings > System > Notifications.
2. Scroll down and expand Additional settings.
3. Untick all three:
   • Show the Windows welcome experience after updates and when signed in to show what’s new and suggested
   • Suggest ways to get the most out of Windows and finish setting up this device
   • Get tips and suggestions when using Windows

Further up the same page, the list of apps that can send notifications lets you silence individual apps that promote things through notifications.

Privacy & security toggles that personalise ads

Two pages in Settings > Privacy & security decide whether what you see is personalised.

General:

• Turn off Let apps show me personalized ads by using my advertising ID.
• Turn off Show me suggested content in the Settings app. This removes suggestion cards from Settings itself.
• Optional: turn off Let websites show me locally relevant content by accessing my language list.

Diagnostics & feedback:

• Turn off Tailored experiences. Microsoft describes this as using your diagnostic data to offer personalised tips, ads and recommendations.

These do not remove all promotions, but what remains is no longer based on your data. Our Windows 11 privacy settings guide covers the other switches on these pages.

Device usage

During setup, Windows may ask how you plan to use the PC (for example gaming, family, creativity, school, entertainment or business) and uses the answer to suggest tips, ads and recommendations.

1. Open Settings > Personalization > Device usage.
2. Turn off every category.

Nothing stops working when these are off; the page only shapes suggestions.

File Explorer sync provider notifications

File Explorer can show banners at the top of the window promoting OneDrive storage or Microsoft 365. These are controlled by a classic folder option.

1. Open File Explorer.
2. Select the See more button (three dots) on the toolbar and choose Options.
3. Open the View tab.
4. In Advanced settings, untick Show sync provider notifications.
5. Select OK.

This does not affect OneDrive sync itself. It only hides the promotional banners.

Search box and taskbar extras

Two more spots show content you may not want:

• Search highlights: go to Settings > Privacy & security > Search permissions, scroll to More settings and turn off Show search highlights. The search box and search window then stop showing trending topics and illustrations.
• Widgets: the Widgets board includes a news feed. If you never use it, open Settings > Personalization > Taskbar and turn off Widgets so the button disappears. You can still open the board with Win+W.

The Taskbar page also controls Search and Task view; see Windows 11 taskbar settings and the guide to align the taskbar left for the rest of that page.

What not to do

You will find scripts and “debloater” tools that promise to strip every ad from Windows in one click. We do not recommend them. They often remove Store apps, change group policies or registry values that later block updates, or disable services Windows needs. Undoing them can mean a full reset. The toggles above are reversible, supported and survive updates. For more on safe changes, see our Windows 11 tweaks hub, and for the overall layout of the app, the Windows 11 Settings tour.