Microsoft started serving ads in Windows 11, in an experience that has already earned users dissatisfaction. Agree with PCMag, the advertising content was seen in the File Explorer interface, but it cannot be ruled out that it also appears on other sites. Anyway, let’s not get ahead of the facts.
An important point to note is that the ads were not detected in the stable version of Windows 11, but in the one that is part of the Windows Insider program. This means that his final presence has not yet been confirmed in the operating system developed in Redmond.
As seen in a screenshot share on Twitter by a user of the to construct 22572 of Windows 11, advertisements appear in a bar located between the box indicating the address of the folders and the content saved there. The ad message is accompanied by a “Learn more” button which, how could it be otherwise, opens a new Microsoft Edge window.
The negative public reaction was immediate. “You better stop this nonsense right now. If you’re looking to get people to ditch File Explorer for something else, they’ll get it,” reads one of the replies to the original tweet. , directly mentioning the Windows Insider account on the page.social network. “Come on Microsoft, File Explorer is one of the worst places to show ads. Especially with its current age,” another user said. “Very disappointed with this decision. It’s a disaster. They are destroying all the efforts they are doing with Windows 11 with this kind of bad publicity,” added a third party. And almost all other posts related to this topic have followed the same tone.
Disenchantment with this eventuality has not gone unheeded. The edge released a statement sent by Microsoft’s Brandon LeBlanc, who claimed that the banner in question was a test that should not be published externally. It also indicated that it has already been deactivated.
Clearly, the company’s message attempted to reduce public unease. Despite this, it is not yet clear whether or not Microsoft will continue to experiment with advertisements in the interface of its latest operating system. Let’s remember that something similar has already happened with Windows 10, which reached audiences with an arsenal of advertising content; from promoted apps in the Start menu to hints and tips on the lock screen and notification center. It should be mentioned, however, that in the predecessor of Windows 11 it was possible to disable them.
Ads could reach Windows 11 and its revamped File Explorer
Choosing File Explorer to experiment with ads in Windows 11 doesn’t seem to have been random. Microsoft is working on redesigning this traditional feature of its operating system. Last week, we learned that the Redmond resumed development of a version with tabswhich would allow you to open multiple folders in a single window.
Like everything tested in Windows Insider, and as we’ve indicated with the announcements, it’s unclear whether or not the File Explorer redesign will make it to the stable version of the system. However, it would not be uncommon for this to happen. It is that Microsoft has been working for a long time to say goodbye to some of the features heritage your software; among many others, the classic Control Panel.
And if we take into account that the idea of a file explorer with tabs was already worked on during the development of Windows 10 -which did not materialize-, the possibility seems really possible. Now it’s gonna be hard change the negative view of the public the choice to display advertisements in the Windows 11 interface, if Microsoft ultimately chooses to go this route.
It is true that many were able to upgrade to Windows 11 for free; thus, seeing the occasional ad can be “reasonable nuisance” in exchange for not paying any money for the software. However, it will all depend on how intrusive the sponsored content is and how user privacy may be affected.
