Microsoft recently stated that it plans to shrink the coverage of "upsell" and advertising/recommended content in Windows 11, hoping to create a more "calm" and "uninterruptive" usage environment of the operating system. This stance comes after a series of performance and interaction improvements were announced for Windows 11, and is seen as an important step in Microsoft's attempt to repair the system's reputation.
On March 20, Microsoft announced that it would launch a major update for Windows 11 focusing on performance and ease of use, including speeding up the file explorer, shifting the start menu technology stack from React to WinUI 3, allowing users to pause system updates "indefinitely", and reducing the presence of Copilot in applications such as Notepad. Changes such as the movable taskbar being tested are also seen as Microsoft's response to the poor reputation of Windows 11 in recent times - previous updates have triggered BitLocker recovery, dragged down game performance and even caused some devices to experience black screen crashes, deepening user dissatisfaction.
However, the article pointed out that it is not just bugs that affect the image of Windows 11. The deeper reason for this round of rebound is that Microsoft has "stuffed" its own services such as Copilot into every corner of the system, including the Start menu, Notepad, etc. This "Copilotization" trend has angered some loyal users and enterprise customers, and even spawned derogatory names such as "Microslop", highlighting the outside world's antipathy towards the system's increasingly "noisy" and commercial tendencies.
In this context, a public statement from Microsoft’s engineering leadership attracted attention. Responding to users on X, Scott Hanselman, one of the people leading the Windows fix effort, said that making Windows a "calmer, chillier, less salesy" system is the company's goal. This is seen as one of the clearest signs yet that Microsoft is aware of user fatigue with the various guidance and promotion behaviors within the system.
Some users criticized Microsoft on social platforms for using "almost malware" methods to promote Edge, Bing and various advertisements on the system. Hanselman's response was precisely in response to this question. The report recalled that Microsoft had previously promoted Bing Chat (now renamed Copilot) through a pop-up window when it detected that the default browser was Chrome, and automatically reset the default browser and installed Bing extensions when users clicked on the pop-up window. Due to strong backlash from public opinion, this approach was eventually withdrawn, but it also became one of the typical cases of "advertising ruining Windows."
The article pointed out that Microsoft has a long history of promoting its own products within Windows 11, and it has intensified in the new system: from the "recommended apps" in the start menu, to Microsoft 365, OneDrive, to the active promotion of Copilot during the first boot setup (OOBE), they are all considered part of the "sales" experience. If the user sets Chrome as the default browser, they may also see a full-screen prompt to persuade them to switch back to Edge. This approach is also considered by many to be too intrusive.
Currently, although some ads and recommended content can be turned off manually in settings, such as canceling "suggested" apps in the start menu through "Settings > Personalization > Start", the author believes that this is far from an ideal solution. In his view, users have already paid for the system or pre-installed devices, and Windows should not continue to display advertisements under this premise. Reducing or even eliminating in-system advertisements is the "real solution."
On the whole, Microsoft is trying to reshape the image of Windows 11 through a package of measures, including the previously revealed intention to relax the policy that requires a Microsoft account during installation, and reduce the presence of Copilot in the system and built-in applications. This time it is clearly proposed to make Windows 11 a "quieter" system and reduce promotional content, which is regarded as the latest signal to recalibrate the balance between advertising and user experience. As for the extent to which it can finally "stop", it depends on the actual performance of subsequent versions.