The recently released Windows 11 build 25247 has a somewhat controversial feature that upsets quite a lot of Windows Insiders. Users are not happy with Microsoft shoving more and more ads into the OS, and the latest Windows 11 Dev build with its new website recommendations on the Start menu does not make the situation any better.
Fortunately, like other experimental features from the Dev channel, you can turn off website recommendations on the Start menu in Windows 11 build 25247. All you need is the Vivetool app and one command generously provided by @PhantomOfEarth. The command also lets you change the number of recommended websites (two or one).
Caution: Unannounced features are often raw, unstable, or borderline unusable. Back up important data before enabling hidden options using the ViveTool app.
How to disable website recommendations in Windows 11 build 25247?
- Download ViveTool from GitHub and unpack the files somewhere convenient.
- Press Win + X and select Terminal (Admin).
- Switch Windows Terminal to Command Prompt profile by pressing Ctrl + Shift + 2 or clicking the arrow-down button at the top of the window.
- Navigate to the folder containing the extracted files using the CD command. For example, if you have copied ViveTool to C:\Vive, type CD C:\Vive.
- Type vivetool /disable /id:40059556 and press Enter.
- If the recommended website feature is unavailable, you can try force-enabling it using the vivetool /enable /id:40059556 command. The vivetool /enable /id:40059556 /variant:3 command will change the number of recommended websites from one to two.
- Restart File Explorer or the entire system.
In case you missed it, Windows 11 build 25247 contains several other hidden features. There are more UI improvements for the Settings app and the ability to use Suggested Actions with browsers other than Edge.
Do you think website recommendations on the Start menu are yet another way to display ads in Windows 11, or do you consider it a potentially useful feature? Share your thoughts in the comments.