Microsoft has confirmed that it has begun testing advertising on the Start menu of its Windows 11.
The tech giant is using the Recommended section of the Start menu, which otherwise has file recommendations, to instead display apps from the Microsoft Store.
In a blogpost, the company added that it will appear only for Windows Insiders in the Beta Channel in the US and will not apply to commercial devices (devices managed by organisations.
The app recommendations can be disabled in the Settings section of Windows 11, but Microsoft will likely enable these by default.
The decision to roll it out only in the beta Channel in the US seems to be a case wherein it is still scoping the appetite and receptiveness of the new feature – possibly scrapping it if the feedback it receives about it is overwhelmingly negative.
Microsoft started testing ads inside the File Explorer of Windows 11 last year, though it disabled the experiment in beta versions of Windows 11.
As The Verge reports, there are already promotional spots on the Windows 10 lock screen and in the Start menu.
