Microsoft is testing ads on the Start menu
in Windows 11 of the developer’s insider preview build for Microsoft 365 and OneDrive. The feature today is only available to developers, but could make its way to the general public,
depending on the feedback
“We are continuing the exploration of badging on the Start menu with several new treatments for users logging in with local user accounts to highlight the
benefits of signing in with a Microsoft account (MSA),” the company wrote in a blog, looking for feedback.
And Microsoft did get feedback. “Nothing is more obnoxious than the
Windows desktop taskbar when you are trying to work,” wrote Mijam7, a Reddit user.
Another wrote that “the moment I see ads in the OS that I can't disable I'm out. Tech is supposed
to empower us, not capture us.”
This beta build includes a new Gallery mode for File Explorer aimed at making it easier to browse photos. The in-OS advertising scheme where the
ads, badging, will appear for local user accounts as small messages hovering right above the sign out button when clicking on the Start menu.
Gizmodo calls the ads promotional
notifications that bait users into using services like OneDrive.