Is Microsoft putting ads in the Windows 11 Start menu?
Next month’s Patch Tuesday update will include a feature that may cause debate.
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What you need to know
Microsoft has started to roll out an optional update for Windows 11 that includes a feature that may prove to be controversial. The update brings the operating system to 22621.1485 and adds a prompt to use OneDrive to back up a PC’s files.
The highlights from thesupport documentrefer to the feature as “notifications for Microsoft accounts in the Start menu.” Microsoft noted that the prompts will only appear for a small audience at the moment but will roll out more broadly in the “coming months.”
Microsoft does not refer to these types as notifications as ads, which is a fact that may cause debate. Some view the notifications as useful prompts for features that integrate with Windows 11 while others view them as intrusive advertisements.
The optional update that includes the new feature is available to those that search for it through the Windows 11 Settings app. It can also be obtained through theMicrosoft Update Catalog.
Assuming all goes well with the preview build, the update will ship next month as part of Microsoft’s Patch Tuesday updates.
Here are Microsoft’s highlights of what’s new in the update:
Build 22621.1485: Highlights
Windows Central take
Whether prompts to use OneDrive within the Start menu are good or bad depends on who you ask. Some claim that Microsoft is too pushy when it prompts people to use OneDrive through File Explorer or the Start menu. Others feel since Microsoft makes and maintains Windows 11, that it has the right to promote services that it feels benefit users.
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Even the definition of an ad varies from person to person. Is it an ad to tell a OneDrive user that they can save Word documents online? I think most would claim that’s a reasonable prompt from a cloud storage provider. Does that same logic extend to Microsoft suggesting people back files from their respective computers onto OneDrive?
Some will refer to prompts by Microsoft as ads. Others will not. Regardless of which side you fall on, these types of notifications have proven controversial in the past.
When Microsoft added a Bing icon to its Edge browser,just over half of our polled readerssaid they felt the move was too pushy. Of course, that also means that almost half felt it was a good thing (34.65% of polled participants) or didn’t care (13.99% of polled participants).
We’ll have to wait to see the response to Windows 11’s new notification.
Sean Endicott is a tech journalist at Windows Central, specializing in Windows, Microsoft software, AI, and PCs. He’s covered major launches, from Windows 10 and 11 to the rise of AI tools like ChatGPT. Sean’s journey began with the Lumia 740, leading to strong ties with app developers. Outside writing, he coaches American football, utilizing Microsoft services to manage his team. He studied broadcast journalism at Nottingham Trent University and is active on X @SeanEndicott_ and Threads @sean_endicott_.
