By default, Windows includes ads for other Microsoft products and services, such as using your Microsoft account, backing up your data to OneDrive, etc., but Windows also includes various tips and recommendations that are displayed to users.
Some of the recommendations may be appropriate for the average end user. However, they are probably inappropriate for a corporate environment, as corporate IT usually has these things handled centrally and the end user usually has no way to interfere anyway.
Features to disable
The source for this article is the Disable Ads in Windows 11 post from the user Brink on elevenforum.com. I’m getting all the basic information from that article. However, I will expand the solution to include the configuration for Microsoft Intune, which the linked article does not include.
This paragraph completely reproduces the information in the linked article unchanged.
Disable Ads in File Explorer
Sync provider notifications in File Explorer are designed to help you by providing quick, easy information and suggestions about things you can do or new features you can try to have a better experience with Windows 11.
Disable Ads on Lock Screen
When you select to use picture or slideshow as your lock screen background, you can select to Get fun facts, tips, tricks, and more on your lock screen.
Disable Suggested Content in Settings
Microsoft can offer you suggestions throughout Settings. This content comes in a variety of forms, and can help you discover new features within Settings, or suggest new content and apps you may find interesting.
Disable Tips and Suggestions Notifications
You may get notifications for tips and suggestions when using Windows by default.
Disable Suggestions to get the most out of Windows and finish setting up this device
The Let’s finish setting up your device screen may occasionally show when you sign in to suggest ways to get the most out of Windows and finish setting up this device.
Disable Windows Welcome Experience
The Windows welcome experience will show after updates and occasionally when you sign in to highlight what’s new and suggested.
Disable Personalized Ads in Windows 11 apps
Windows generates a unique advertising ID for each user on a device, which app developers and advertising networks can then use for their own purposes, including providing more relevant advertising in apps. When the advertising ID is enabled, apps can access and use it in much the same way that websites can access and use a unique identifier stored in a cookie. Thus, app developers (and the advertising networks they work with) can associate personal data they collect about you with your advertising ID and use that personal data to provide more relevant advertising and other personalized experiences across their apps.
Turning the advertising ID off will not reduce the number of ads you see, but it may mean that ads are less interesting and relevant to you. Turning it back on will reset the advertising ID.
Disable Tailored Experiences
Tailored experiences uses your Windows diagnostic data to offer you personalized tips, ads, and recommendations to enhance Microsoft experiences.
Tailored experiences include suggestions on how to customize and optimize Windows, as well as ads and recommendations for Microsoft and third-party products and services, features, apps, and hardware for your Windows experiences.
Disable Recommended Apps on Start Menu
Starting with Windows 11 build 22635.3495 (Beta), Microsoft is now trying out recommendations to help you discover great apps from the Microsoft Store under Recommended on the Start menu. 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).
Disable Microsoft Account Related Notifications on Start Menu
Starting with Windows 11 build 22631.3668, Microsoft starts the roll out of the new account manager on Start menu. When you sign in with a Microsoft account, the new design gives you a quick glanceable view of your account benefits and makes it easy to manage account settings.
How to disable Windows Ads via Microsoft Intune
The discussion forum post linked above contains REG files that can be run locally. However, Microsoft Intune does not allow you to run REG files directly or do manual registry modification in general. So let’s take a look at how to fix this.
In Microsoft Intune we can use so-called Platform Scripts. These platform scripts allow you to run a PowerShell script that will make changes to the registries.
I have taken all the registry changes mentioned in the article linked above and rewritten them into the PowerShell script you can find below.
Download this script and open Microsoft Intune Admin Center and go to Devices – Windows – Scripts and Remediations – Platform Scripts.
Create a new script here and give it any name you like, for example Disable Windows Ads.
On the next page, select the location of the script and set Run this script using the logged on credentials – Yes; Enforce script signature check – No; Run script in 64 bit PowerShell Host – No.
In the last step, apply the policy to the selected user group.
That’s it. Just wait until the policy and the script in it is applied and the promo features in the system are turned off.
You can find a detailed video showing all the settings with spoken commentary describing each configuration option in detail on my Patreon. By subscribing you also support my work. Thank you!
