Microsoft has begun quietly testing Copilot-related recommendations inside the Windows 11 Start menu’s Recommended area — a move that places Microsoft’s AI assistant directly at the moment users choose what to do next and that, in practice, functions like a promotional surface for both the consumer Copilot app and the paid Microsoft 365 Copilot tier. The test, discovered in Insider builds and reported across the tech press, inserts actionable prompts such as “Ask Copilot,” “Write a first draft,” and work-focused nudges that open either the consumer Copilot or Microsoft 365 Copilot experiences — and in some cases will steer non-subscribers toward paid Microsoft 365 plans. (theverge.com)
Windows 11’s Start menu includes a “Recommended” area intended to surface recently opened files, suggested apps and occasionally tips or promotions. Microsoft has previously tested promotional content in system UI — from File Explorer spots to Start menu app suggestions — and those experiments have repeatedly drawn user pushback. The current Copilot test is the latest iteration of the same pattern: embedding first‑party product prompts into a primary OS surface where users already expect contextual assistance rather than product marketing. (windowscentral.com)
Copilot itself is not a single product but an umbrella for multiple offerings:
A debug token seen in preview build artifacts — labeled by the community as ContextualCopilotActionsOnStartRecommended — points to a deliberate integration target: the Recommended pane. This suggests Microsoft engineered a dedicated pipeline to surface Copilot actions in Start in a context-aware way. The implementation appears experimental and rough in places — duplicate strings and inconsistent phrasing were among the artifacts spotted.
That said, placing monetized prompts in core UI surfaces carries real reputational and regulatory risk:
Key concerns:
For users who value predictable, clutter-free UI, the immediate tool is the Start personalization toggle. For administrators, the prudent approach is to test and prepare policy controls ahead of any broad rollout. Microsoft can still avoid the backlash by:
Microsoft’s ongoing tests underline a broader tension in modern OS design: balancing discovery of new capabilities with preserving predictable, ad‑free user experience. How Microsoft resolves that tension will shape user trust in Windows UI for years to come.
Source: windowslatest.com Microsoft is testing Copilot ads in Windows 11 Start menu to push Microsoft 365 Copilot
Background
Windows 11’s Start menu includes a “Recommended” area intended to surface recently opened files, suggested apps and occasionally tips or promotions. Microsoft has previously tested promotional content in system UI — from File Explorer spots to Start menu app suggestions — and those experiments have repeatedly drawn user pushback. The current Copilot test is the latest iteration of the same pattern: embedding first‑party product prompts into a primary OS surface where users already expect contextual assistance rather than product marketing. (windowscentral.com)Copilot itself is not a single product but an umbrella for multiple offerings:
- Copilot (consumer) — the built-in, user-facing assistant integrated into Windows and Edge for general queries and content creation.
- Microsoft 365 Copilot — a paid, productivity-optimized tier that integrates deeply with Office apps, OneDrive, and organizational data for business workflows.
What was discovered in the test
How the prompts appear
Insider build strings and screenshots uncovered by community researchers indicate multiple Copilot recommendation variants in the Recommended area, ranging from short calls to action (“Ask Copilot”) to longer, instructional prompts (“Teach me a few ways that Copilot can help me with my productivity”). Some strings specifically mention Microsoft 365 Copilot and invite work-related queries (“Have any work-related questions? Ask Microsoft 365 Copilot”). Other revealed prompts included creative/visual actions such as “Help me write a Create an image,” calling into generative image workflows powered by advanced models.A debug token seen in preview build artifacts — labeled by the community as ContextualCopilotActionsOnStartRecommended — points to a deliberate integration target: the Recommended pane. This suggests Microsoft engineered a dedicated pipeline to surface Copilot actions in Start in a context-aware way. The implementation appears experimental and rough in places — duplicate strings and inconsistent phrasing were among the artifacts spotted.
What happens when a prompt is clicked
- If the prompt targets the free, consumer Copilot, the user is launched into the Copilot app or sidebar.
- If it targets Microsoft 365 Copilot, the user may be taken to the Microsoft 365 Copilot experience, which works best when signed into a Microsoft 365 account. Non-subscribers who follow these prompts are likely to encounter subscription upsell or trial guidance because certain productivity features rely on Microsoft 365 services.
Why this matters: strategy, monetization, and product placement
Microsoft is pursuing a twofold strategy: deepen Copilot’s presence across Windows to increase daily engagement, and create clear commercial pathways from OS-level discovery to subscription conversion. Presenting Copilot actions in the Start menu is a high‑leverage growth tactic — it reaches users at the “moment of decision,” exactly where they determine what to open or which task to begin. For a product Microsoft plans to monetize via tiers and enterprise licensing, that placement makes commercial sense. (theverge.com)That said, placing monetized prompts in core UI surfaces carries real reputational and regulatory risk:
- Users perceive the Start menu as OS real estate, not an ad inventory. Repeated promotional placements erode trust and can feel intrusive.
- Enterprises and power users will demand robust administrative controls. Operators of managed fleets expect group policy and MDM controls to prevent consumer-grade promotions from leaking into corporate endpoints.
- Regulators in competition-sensitive markets pay attention when platform owners favour their own paid services inside system UI.
Privacy, telemetry, and trust implications
Any recommendation system that appears personalized invites questions about what signals are being scanned. Start menu recommendations could rely on local signals — recently opened files and apps — or on server-side telemetry. The visible behavior will shape user perception whether or not any personal signals are transmitted off-device.Key concerns:
- Transparency: Users need clear information about why a given suggestion appeared (local file context vs. cloud-driven promotion).
- Data flow: If recommendations are generated server-side, organizations will want to know whether file metadata or activity is sent to Microsoft and whether that data is used to surface paid offers.
- Opt-out effectiveness: Users have repeatedly found that toggles sometimes only hide UI, while server-side features or future re-enablement remain possible.
How to remove or hide Copilot promotions in Start (practical steps)
If the Copilot prompts are visible in your Start Recommended area, there are built-in settings and administrative approaches to stop them from appearing. The controls described here are the ones visible in current Windows 11 builds and in community documentation, and they remain the first line of defense.- Open Settings (Win + I) → Personalization → Start.
- Turn off the toggle labeled something like Show recommended files in Start, recent files in File Explorer, and items in Jump Lists (older builds showed this as “Show recently opened items in Start, Jump lists, and File Explorer”). This clears and hides the Recommended content and will remove the Copilot-related items from the Start menu. (howtogeek.com, windowscentral.com)
- Group Policy (Windows 11 Pro/Enterprise/Education): Use Local Group Policy Editor (gpedit.msc) → Administrative Templates → Start Menu and Taskbar. Policies like Do not keep history of recently opened documents or Remove Recommended Section from Start Menu can affect behavior across user accounts. Note: policy availability varies across SKUs and builds; test before deploying broadly. (elevenforum.com, techbloat.com)
- Registry edits: For Home users or where Group Policy is not available, registry keys such as Start_TrackDocs (under HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced) can be toggled to disable recent items. This is brittle and may be reverted by future updates; back up the registry first. (elevenforum.com, winaero.com)
- Uninstall Copilot (where possible): On some builds, Copilot is an app that can be removed, which eliminates some surface points. However, OS-level recommendations can persist even if the Copilot app is removed, so this is not a guaranteed solution.
- Settings → Personalization → Start → Turn off “Show recommended files in Start…”
- For managed fleets, evaluate and deploy the appropriate Group Policy template
- Use registry edits only as a last resort and with a tested rollback plan
Technical specifics and what’s still unverified
What we can say with reasonable confidence:- Insider builds contain strings and UI artifacts that reference Copilot actions in the Start Recommended area (ContextualCopilotActionsOnStartRecommended). Community researchers and multiple outlets reported evidence in preview builds. (theverge.com)
- Microsoft’s official update notes and communications around prior Start menu ad experiments have described the new Recommended items as “curated” suggestions and included guidance on how to disable them via Settings. That same mechanism is expected to control Copilot prompts in the test. (windowscentral.com)
- Whether the tested prompts will be labeled visually as “promoted” or “sponsored” in shipping builds. Past app promotions in Recommended have shown small differentiators (descriptive text vs. last‑used timestamps), but visibility will ultimately depend on final UI polish.
- The precise rollout timing or whether the test will expand beyond Insider channels. Microsoft often experiments in narrow rings and alters behavior before broad deployment.
- The full server-side telemetry semantics — what signals are used to pick recommendations, whether any file metadata leaves the device for recommendation generation, or how Microsoft will surface the “why this recommendation” explanation to end users. These require official documentation or controlled testing to verify.
Benefits — what Microsoft and users could gain
When done well, surfacing Copilot in the Start menu can deliver genuine value:- Faster discovery: New Copilot capabilities (image generation, smart drafts, file summarization) are easier to discover when surfaced at task-start.
- Contextual help: If recommendations are genuinely context-aware (e.g., showing a “summarize this file” action after opening a long document), they can speed common workflows.
- Unified experience: Tighter integration between Windows and Microsoft 365 Copilot can reduce friction when working across Word, Excel, and other apps.
Risks — why the community pushback is predictable
- Perceived advertising: Users expect core OS UI to be neutral. Promoting paid services inside the Start menu is likely to be interpreted as advertising, even if Microsoft calls them tips.
- Feature creep and clutter: The Start menu is prime real estate. Adding extra rows of promotional suggestions will push down frequently used items and frustrate power users.
- Privacy questions: Any personalization invites scrutiny — users and enterprises will demand clarity on what’s used to surface prompts.
- Support overhead for admins: Organizations will need clear policy controls. If controls are insufficient or poorly documented, help desks will handle a new class of complaints.
- Regulatory attention: Continual favouring of first-party paid services inside system UI can attract antitrust or consumer protection interest in some jurisdictions.
Recommendations — what users and IT admins should do now
- For everyday users who dislike prompts:
- Disable Recommended items in Settings → Personalization → Start. This is the simplest and most reliable immediate fix. (windowscentral.com)
- For power users who want to be thorough:
- Check for Copilot as an installed app and uninstall if present and not wanted, but verify whether OS-level recommendations persist after removal.
- Use registry edits only with backups and an understanding that feature updates can revert changes. (winaero.com)
- For IT administrators:
- Test preview builds in a controlled lab to determine exactly how recommendations behave on managed devices.
- Monitor Microsoft’s administrative templates for new GPOs targeting Copilot and Start menu behavior; deploy policies centrally as required.
- Communicate proactively with end users: provide clear instructions on what toggles have been set and why, and include rollback instructions if Microsoft changes behavior unexpectedly.
- For privacy- or compliance-sensitive environments:
- Assume the default configuration may expose surface-level recommendations; require sign-off before preview channels are allowed on corporate devices.
- Maintain a test plan to confirm whether any metadata or telemetry is sent off-device when recommendations are generated.
How this fits into Microsoft’s broader AI push
The Start menu Copilot test is consistent with Microsoft’s larger strategy to position AI as a central, monetizable layer across Windows and Microsoft 365. From taskbar companions and Copilot Discover in widgets to promotions for Copilot+ hardware, Microsoft is experimenting with multiple placement strategies to increase user engagement and subscription adoption. That’s both an opportunity and a commercial imperative for the company; the trade-off is user experience and trust. (theverge.com)Final assessment
Testing Copilot recommendations in the Windows 11 Start menu is a logical product-growth move for Microsoft, but it walks a narrow line between helpful contextual assistance and intrusive product placement. The technical artifacts found in Insider builds show Microsoft has built a direct integration into the Recommended area, and multiple outlets independently verified the experiment and the Settings toggle that can disable Recommended items.For users who value predictable, clutter-free UI, the immediate tool is the Start personalization toggle. For administrators, the prudent approach is to test and prepare policy controls ahead of any broad rollout. Microsoft can still avoid the backlash by:
- Making the experience opt-in by default for non-Insider channels,
- Clearly marking promoted items and explaining why they’re shown,
- Providing durable administrative controls and transparency about data used for recommendations.
Microsoft’s ongoing tests underline a broader tension in modern OS design: balancing discovery of new capabilities with preserving predictable, ad‑free user experience. How Microsoft resolves that tension will shape user trust in Windows UI for years to come.
Source: windowslatest.com Microsoft is testing Copilot ads in Windows 11 Start menu to push Microsoft 365 Copilot