How to Turn Off Windows 11 Ads, Suggestions and Promotions in Settings

This guide covers each step, what the setting actually does according to Microsoft's own documentation, and where your PC's menus might not match.

Before you start: menu labels vary​

Microsoft renames and moves these toggles between Windows 11 feature updates, so the exact wording on your screen may differ from what's written here. If a setting isn't where this guide says it is, type a keyword like "recommendations," "spotlight" or "search highlights" into the Settings search box. You don't need administrator rights for these settings, and they apply to your user account only. If other people use the PC, each person has to repeat the cleanup.

What you need:

• A Windows 11 PC (open Settings with Windows key + I)
• About ten minutes
• Your own judgment about which suggestions you actually find useful

Step 1: Remove promotions from the Start menu​

Go to Settings > Personalization > Start and turn off the recommendations toggle. Engadget lists it as Show recommendations for tips, shortcuts, new apps, and more.

This setting controls promoted apps in the Recommended section of Start. Microsoft added the promotions in its April 23, 2024 preview update (KB5036980) for Windows 11 versions 22H2 and 23H2. That update said Recommended would show Microsoft Store apps from a small set of curated developers. At the time, the off switch was labelled Show recommendations for tips, app promotions, and more. The different wording is a good example of why you should look for the setting by what it does rather than by its exact name.

What success looks like: No store apps or tips that you didn't install yourself show up in the Recommended area of Start.

Step 2: Turn off Search highlights​

Engadget says to go to Privacy & security > Search and turn off Show search highlights. Microsoft describes Search highlights as showing "interesting moments from around the world" in the search box. Turning them off removes that trending content so the panel is less busy.

Keep your expectations realistic here. Microsoft's documentation says Windows Search still includes Bing-powered web results alongside results from your PC. Turning off highlights removes the trending content. It does not turn off web search, so this step won't limit Search to your local files.

Step 3: Clean up the lock screen​

Go to Personalization > Lock screen and make these changes:

1. Change the Personalize your lock screen dropdown from Windows spotlight to Picture or Slideshow. Microsoft says Spotlight shows rotating Microsoft images along with tips, tricks and notifications. With Picture you pick one image, and with Slideshow you use a folder of your own photos.
2. Turn off Get fun facts, tips, tricks, and more on your lock screen. This is the setting that controls Microsoft's extra lock-screen content.
3. Remove widgets you don't use. Under Widgets, open the more-options menu next to each widget to remove it, or to customize it if the widget's provider allows that. You can drag widgets to reorder them, or turn off Widgets to hide them all.
4. Turn off Suggest widgets for your lock screen, as Engadget recommends, so Windows stops offering new widgets.

There's a privacy reason for trimming widgets too. Microsoft says lock-screen widgets may tailor content to your estimated location. That estimate comes from the Windows Location service if it's on, and otherwise from your internet connection's IP address. Removing widgets doesn't change your location settings, but it does mean fewer location-aware panels on your lock screen.

Step 4: Turn off the Device usage toggles​

Engadget recommends turning off every toggle under Personalization > Device usage. Microsoft's documentation confirms what these toggles do: by selecting specific usage options, you can receive tailored tips, recommendations, and even personalized ads that enhance your overall experience with Windows. You can opt out or change your device usage options any time.

Microsoft gives examples of what each category can bring. With Gaming, you might be offered an Xbox Game Pass trial or receive suggestions on apps and sites based on what is popular with gamers. With Family, you might see a notification to set up your Microsoft family group. School may bring suggestions to store your school files in OneDrive, Entertainment may bring pinned app suggestions for entertainment apps and sites, and Business may bring a Microsoft 365 Business trial offer. Microsoft also says it does not share this data with third parties.

If you can't find it: NinjaOne reports that some Windows 11 builds hide this section or place it under a different menu. On older builds, check Settings > Personalization > Device usage; on newer builds, go to Settings > Privacy & security > Diagnostics & feedback > Device usage.

To be clear, this step is about preferences. Turning off these toggles changes what Windows promotes to you. It won't make your PC faster or more secure.

Step 5: Turn off Recommendations & offers​

Go to Settings > Privacy & security > Recommendations & offers and turn off:

• Personalized offers. Microsoft says this setting can combine Windows diagnostic data with your account information and data from other Microsoft products to show you tips, ads and recommendations. Its own examples include suggesting OneDrive or extra storage hardware when your drive is running low, and recommending a Store streaming app if you watch movies in your browser.
• Suggested content in Settings. Engadget calls it "Recommendations and offers in Settings." In Microsoft's current wording, the toggle is Show me suggested content in the Settings app.

The same page has related controls, such as the advertising ID, website access to your language list, and app-launch tracking that improves Start and search results. They're separate settings, and it helps to know what they don't do. Microsoft says turning off the advertising ID won't reduce the number of ads you see. It only makes those ads less relevant to you. If you want fewer ads, the offer and suggestion toggles matter more.

Step 6: Turn off the "Suggested" notifications​

This step is the most fiddly one:

1. Go to System > Notifications.
2. Wait a moment for the list under Notifications from apps and other senders to load.
3. Change Sort by to Name so the list is easier to scan.
4. Scroll down to Suggested and turn it off.
5. Scroll to the bottom, open Additional settings, and clear both checkboxes.

Microsoft's documentation describes those two checkboxes as the Windows welcome experience that appears after updates and when you sign in, and Get tips and suggestions when using Windows. The "Suggested" sender and the sort-by-name step come from Engadget's walkthrough. Microsoft's support pages don't mention them, so your PC might not show them.

Common mistake: Don't turn off the main Notifications switch just to get rid of Windows' suggestions. That also silences the app alerts you actually want, like calendar reminders. You can control notifications app by app instead, including banners, sounds, the notification center and whether each app appears on the lock screen.

Step 7: Check for preinstalled apps from your PC's manufacturer​

While you're in Settings, Engadget suggests opening Settings > Apps > Installed apps to look for software your PC's manufacturer added. Some of it is useful, especially driver update tools. Apps that duplicate built-in Windows features, or that are just free trials of cloud or security products, can usually go.

A word of caution: nobody can give you a universal list of junk apps. It depends on who made your PC. Before you uninstall anything, look up what it does, and keep anything that handles drivers, firmware, or hardware-specific features like keyboard backlighting or battery management.

What this cleanup won't do​

These steps reduce a handful of specific prompts. They don't make Windows ad-free:

Is it worth ten minutes? For most people, yes. You end up with a quieter PC, and walking through the privacy pages shows you how Microsoft uses your data for personalization. Just expect some prompts to return: a feature update can bring new promotional features that you'll have to turn off separately.

Summary​

• There's no single off switch. The settings are spread across Personalization, Privacy & security and System > Notifications.
• Menu labels change between builds, so if a toggle isn't where you expect, use the Settings search box.
• These settings only affect your user account and don't need admin rights.
• They cut back on promotions but don't remove web search, app notifications or all ads.
• Look up preinstalled apps before you remove them, and keep anything that handles drivers or hardware.