Do you want coping with promoting, even in software program that you just’ve already paid for? Of course you do! According to Microsoft, anyway, which continues to shove ads for its own products into every corner of Windows. A brand new glimpse at an upcoming Windows 11 “feature” from a prolific leaker stated that the Start Menu was going to get some advert injections quickly.

And now it’s official, Microsoft added on Friday.

Phantom Ocean, a Twitter leaker who’s been rock-solid on Microsoft subjects, beforehand stated that the Windows 11 Start Menu is testing “app promotions” in an upcoming construct. They’ll seem within the Recommended part of the menu, which at current consists of purposes which have lately been put in or incessantly run by the consumer. This space of the Start menu additionally reveals ideas and shortcuts.

The Twitter consumer’s leaked photograph reveals Opera Browser with a “Promoted” tag indicating that it’s an commercial, together with the “browse safely” promo textual content. The Windows Game Bar seems subsequent to it, in an instance of a extra commonplace Recommended app you may see right this moment.

A screenshot from Phantom Ocean reveals the personalization settings for the Start Menu with a toggle for advisable “tips, app promotions, and more,” whereas the present model of that setting is labeled “tips, shortcuts, new apps, and more.” In some beta builds these promotions had been labeled as extra easy “ads.”

As it turned out, Phantom Ocean principally had it proper. Microsoft rolled out Windows Insider Preview 22635.3495 within the Beta Channel on Friday, and confirmed that these adjustments are coming. And that is the Beta Channel, which implies that Microsoft has it slated to hit your desktop ultimately.

“We are now trying out recommendations to help you discover great apps from the Microsoft Store under Recommended on the Start menu,” Microsoft wrote. “This will appear only for Windows Insiders in the Beta Channel in the U.S. and will not apply to commercial devices (devices managed by organizations).”

Can the adverts be turned off? Yes, it sounds prefer it, fortunately.

“This can be turned off by going to Settings > Personalization > Start and turning off the toggle for ‘Show recommendations for tips, app promotions, and more.’” Microsoft wrote.

Advertising is changing into a ubiquitous sight in Windows. We’ve been reporting on Microsoft’s encroaching promoting in its flagship working system for the better part of a decade now, and it’s only getting worse. Advertising isn’t dangerous in idea — it’s how this web site stays in enterprise, for instance — however Windows remains to be a product that you just pay actual cash for, both outright through a license or as an additional price of shopping for a PC.

This, to make use of a extremely technical business time period, sucks.

This story was up to date at 3:04 PM on April 12 with new particulars from Microsoft. It was written by Mark Hachman.