Microsoft May Force Ads Into File Explorer on Windows 11

While the company hasn’t confirmed everything yet, people are already worried that Microsoft may plague Windows 11 with ads.

In recent years, Microsoft has experimented with the idea of putting ads into its operating system. Now, the company is experimenting with showing them in File Explorer, which may mean users will find it hard to avoid ads on Windows 11.

Microsoft’s Advertisement Experimentation in Windows 11

As reported by Bleeping Computer, an Insider tester noticed new ad banners appearing in File Explorer. These run along the top of the window, so they’re always visible as you browse your computer’s files.

These adverts are, for the time being, focused entirely on Microsoft products. The example that the tester provided was advertising Microsoft Editor and asked the user if they wanted writing suggestions across everywhere they type.

As one might expect, user response wasn’t stellar:

Microsoft’s Push for More Ads

This isn’t the first time Microsoft has been caught adding ads to places. For instance, there are ads in the Start menu and Lock Screen, and we covered how you can get rid of them in our guide to removing ads in Windows 11.

Microsoft likely adds these ads due to how little they ask people to pay for Windows 11. People with Windows 10 can upgrade to 11 for free, which means Microsoft has to make money from its users elsewhere.

However, Microsoft’s experiment may end up not going in their favor. Users are already upset about this change, and if Microsoft goes ahead with the plan, you can bet that people will find fixes and tweaks to disable them again.

A Bad Move With Windows 11

Microsoft wants everyone to hop onto Windows 11, but if this plan to ad adds continues, it may put off more people than the company may like. Let’s hope that Microsoft makes the right call with this move.