In a blog post announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 226353495, the company revealed that one of the changes will be testing the placement of ads for apps you might enjoy in the "Recommendations" panel

In a blog post announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 226353495, the company revealed that one of the changes involves testing ad placement for apps you might enjoy in the "Recommended" panel of the Start menu3] ] "We are currently testing recommendations so that you can discover great apps from the Microsoft Store under [Recommendations] in the Start Menu," the post explained

Below that, there is a screenshot of how this looks: the 1Password password manager is shown with recent files and newly installed apps Nothing in this screenshot indicates that 1Password is not already installed, and the Microsoft Store window opens

Perhaps wary of the backlash this could cause, the post clarifies that this is something that can be turned off in the Start personalization settings Press the toggle next to "Show tips, app promotions, and other recommendations," and it should never appear again

Microsoft also stresses that this is only in testing and feedback is welcome "As a reminder, we are regularly testing new experiences and concepts that may not be released in Windows Insiders to get feedback" If you see this experience in the "Start" menu, let us know what you think [Microsoft has a history of recommending products from a neutral standpoint to improve the user experience, such as slipping Microsoft 365 ads into the Start menu and displaying experimental banners in File Explorer And while this latest update seems to be for third-party software, it still pushes people toward the Microsoft Store

While most people accept that "recommendations" and obvious advertising is the price you have to pay for free software, Windows is still paid for (in reality, free upgrades to Windows 10 and Windows 11 have been free for many users for over a decade (although it does mean that they have not paid for Windows)

Unless Windows becomes truly freemium, these "recommendations" are likely to be disregarded by testers who see them, whether they are useful or not It will be their feedback that will ultimately determine whether these ads are deployed to everyday users or thrown into the rejection pile