Microsoft has quietly turned Windows 11 into an ad platform. You'll find promotional tiles in the Start menu, Outlook recommendations in your taskbar, and suggestions to buy Microsoft 365 scattered throughout Settings. Meanwhile, your fresh install comes pre-loaded with Candy Crush, TikTok, and other apps you'll never touch.
The frustrating part? There's no single "disable ads" toggle. You have to hunt through Settings, Group Policy, and the Registry to reclaim your own computer. I've spent the last few months systematically removing every ad and piece of bloatware from Windows 11. Here's what actually works.
Remove Pre-Installed Apps Without Breaking Windows
Windows 11 ships with about 30 apps you probably don't want. Some are harmless (Notepad). Others are aggressive ad delivery vehicles (News, Weather, Tips).
The safest approach: uninstall from Settings → Apps → Installed apps. Search for each app, click the three dots, and select "Uninstall."
Apps I remove immediately:
- News
- Weather
- Tips
- Feedback Hub
- Get Help
- Mail and Calendar (unless you use them)
- OneDrive (you can reinstall later if needed)
- Xbox app (unless you game)
- Cortana
Don't touch System apps like Windows Security, Settings, or File Explorer. Those are wired into the OS.
If you want to nuke everything at once, open PowerShell as admin and run:
Get-AppxPackage Microsoft.News | Remove-AppxPackage
Get-AppxPackage Microsoft.Weather | Remove-AppxPackage
Get-AppxPackage Microsoft.Tips | Remove-AppxPackage
Replace the package name for each app you want gone. Find the exact name by running Get-AppxPackage alone to list everything.
Kill Start Menu Ads and Recommendations
The Start menu is where Microsoft pushes the most aggressive suggestions. You'll see "Recommended" sections, "Suggestions," and pinned app promotions.
To disable these:
- Open Settings → Personalization → Start
- Turn off "Show recommendations for tips, shortcuts, new apps, and more"
- Turn off "Show recently opened items in Start, Jump Lists, and File Explorer"
- Turn off "Show most used apps"
You can also right-click any tile in Start and remove it. I remove everything except a few apps I actually use, then pin what matters.
For deeper control, open Settings → Personalization → Start again and look for "Folders." Disable "Documents," "Downloads," "Music," and "Pictures" if you don't want those shortcuts cluttering your Start menu.
Disable Taskbar Ads and Notifications
Microsoft loves injecting ads into your taskbar. You'll see "Tips," Outlook notifications with promotional content, and suggestions to upgrade to Microsoft 365.
To turn off Windows 11 ads in the taskbar:
- Right-click the taskbar → Taskbar settings
- Scroll to "Taskbar items"
- Turn off "Widgets"
- Turn off "Chat"
- Turn off "Task View" (optional, but it's rarely useful)
For Outlook notifications, open Outlook → Settings → General → Notifications and disable "Show notifications."
If you use Outlook but don't want promotional emails, unsubscribe directly from Microsoft's marketing emails. They're usually at the bottom of promotional messages.
Lock Down Settings and Notifications
Windows 11 will suggest apps, offer upgrades, and recommend features constantly. You need to disable these at the source.
Open Settings → System → Notifications:
- Turn off "Show notifications from apps and other senders"
- Turn off "Tips and recommendations"
- Turn off "Suggestions"
- Turn off "Get tips, tricks, and suggestions as you use Windows"
Then go to Settings → Privacy & security → General and disable:
- "Tailored experiences"
- "Improve inking and typing"
- "Personalized ads"
- "Show suggestions occasionally"
These settings prevent Windows from building a profile of your behavior and using it to target ads at you.
Use Group Policy for Nuclear-Level Control (Windows 11 Pro+)
If you're on Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise, or Education, you have access to Group Policy — a more powerful settings tool that actually sticks.
Press Win + R, type gpedit.msc, and hit Enter. Navigate to:
Computer Configuration → Administrative Templates → Windows Components → Cloud Content
Disable:
- "Turn off cloud optimized content"
- "Turn off Microsoft consumer experiences"
Then go to Computer Configuration → Administrative Templates → System → Internet Communication Management → Internet Communication settings
Enable "Restrict Internet communication" to prevent Windows from phoning home with usage data.
If you're on Windows 11 Home, you don't have gpedit.msc. You'll need to use the Registry instead (riskier, but doable). I'd recommend staying with the Settings approach unless you're comfortable editing the Registry.
Clean Up the Registry (Carefully)
Some ads are hardcoded into the Registry. If you've tried everything above and still see suggestions, you can edit the Registry directly.
Warning: Messing with the Registry can break Windows. Back up your system first. Before you dive in, it's also worth making sure your photos and important files are safe — cara backup foto HP ke Google Drive is a solid primer if you haven't set up a backup routine yet.
Press Win + R, type regedit, and hit Enter. Navigate to:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ContentDeliveryManager
Look for these values and set them to 0:
SoftLandingEnabledSubscriptionContentEnabledContentDeliveryAllowedPreInstalledAppsEnabledPreInstalledAppsEverEnabledOemPreInstalledAppsEnabled
If they don't exist, you don't need to create them.
Then check:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\CloudContent
Create a DWORD value called DisableWindowsConsumerFeatures and set it to 1.
Restart your PC. The ads should be gone.
What About Windows Defender and Tracking?
I'm not touching the "Windows Defender sends data to Microsoft" argument. That's a separate debate. But if you want to minimize telemetry:
- Open Settings → Privacy & security → Diagnostics & device usage
- Set to "Required diagnostic data" (the minimum)
- Turn off "Optional diagnostic data"
- Turn off "Improve inking and typing"
- Turn off "Tailored experiences"
- Turn off "Personalized ads"
That's the practical limit without breaking Windows Update or Defender.
One More Thing: Disable Copilot
Windows 11 23H2 added Copilot, Microsoft's AI assistant. It's always listening and takes up taskbar space.
Right-click the taskbar → Taskbar settings → Copilot → Turn off.
If you want to disable it entirely, open Settings → Privacy & security → General and disable "Copilot."
Your Next Step
Start with the Settings approach: remove pre-installed apps, disable Start menu recommendations, and turn off notifications. That'll handle 80% of the noise. If you're on Windows 11 Pro and want more control, use Group Policy. For a comparable walkthrough of locking down a server environment, the nginx reverse proxy setup guide on systemary.io shows how methodical configuration changes add up to a much cleaner system.
Don't try to edit the Registry unless you're comfortable with it — the Settings changes alone will make Windows 11 feel like your computer again. Set aside 20 minutes, work through each section, and you'll reclaim a system that respects your attention instead of constantly trying to sell you something.