Microsoft is considering advertising in Windows menus

It seems that Microsoft is experimenting with advertising in Windows 11 menus. In the menu for Shut down PC, the company is promoting its own services.

Twitterer Albacore shows a screenshot where as a user you see a small line of text with “Back up your files”, “Sign up for a Microsoft account” or “Complete your profile”, it’s an ad for OneDrive, or to create or complete an account with Microsoft.

Also previously unwanted advertising

As far as we know, this is a test that does not appear for all users. But it’s not the first time Microsoft has put unwanted ads in its software. The free version of Office Web Apps already contains ads, just like the Edge browser.

Just as with Meta or Google, Microsoft also makes money through digital advertising, although it appears that it is primarily aimed at promoting its own services. There are currently no official plans to stop Windows 11 which is full of ads.

Windows Insider Senior Program Manager responds to Albacore’s tweet by saying that he is trying “variations” in Windows Insider, citing a small notice in the documentation to tell users to take certain actions. But according to Microsoft’s logic, the promotion of commercial services also falls under this.

Push users in a certain direction

Microsoft tries to use its location with Windows more often to “alert” users, sending them in a certain direction. Since this summer, anyone using Windows 10 today will receive a warning several times a month when they start their PC that the PC isn’t completely dead yet. This is a very misguided attempt to get people to migrate to Windows 11. Only when you repeatedly click on “Snooze” or “Later” will you switch to the trusted operating system.

In cooperation with Data News