Microsoft’s leaked plans so as to add much more adverts into the Home windows 11 Begin menu has not gone down nicely, and the less-than-positive response might hopefully make the corporate suppose twice about implementing the change.

As we reported on March 29, Microsoft has added ‘notifications for Microsoft accounts’ into a brand new possibility replace for Home windows 11. Regardless of its reasonably coy-sounding title, many individuals noticed this as that means extra adverts for Microsoft’s providers, resembling OneDrive.

Nevertheless, as Neowin stories (opens in new tab), a hidden setting has been noticed in Home windows 11 construct 23419 that permits you to flip off these adverts. This construct of Home windows 11 is barely at present obtainable to people who find themselves signed as much as the Home windows Insiders programme to assist take a look at early variations of Home windows 11, but it surely might trace that Microsoft is contemplating including the choice to an upcoming model of Home windows 11 for everybody.

Excellent news and dangerous

The invention of this setting might be seen as excellent news. It implies that Microsoft could have anticipated that its transfer so as to add extra adverts to the Home windows 11 Begin menu wouldn’t be well-liked, and determined that including the choice to show adverts off might tackle some folks’s considerations.

Someplace within the bowls of Microsoft, then, there could also be a voice, regardless of how faint, that’s saying “possibly we shouldn’t maintain attempting to push our providers so aggressively onto our customers.” That offers me hope that not all is misplaced.

Nevertheless, it’s not all excellent news. For a begin, after I say this feature to show off adverts is hidden – I imply actually hidden. Not solely is it speculated to be buried deep within the menus (you need to go to Settings > Personalization > Begin), but it surely gained’t even seem until you utilize a third-party app referred to as ‘ViveTool’ to make it seem.

Messing round with this app, and utilizing the highly effective Home windows PowerShell software to make the choice seem, isn’t really helpful (go to Neowin’s web page above for directions if you’re eager), and forcing this hidden possibility to look and disable adverts might have unanticipated penalties.

Even when Microsoft doesn’t cover it so fully, it’s fairly apparent that Microsoft needs to have the adverts turned on by default, and hopes that many customers gained’t know the right way to flip them off.

We’ll regulate how this develops, but when Microsoft retains filling Home windows 11 with adverts for providers its customers don’t need, we might quickly see an much more vocal pushback towards its plans.