The Recommended section on the Windows 11 Start menu is a hot topic among users, and it seems Microsoft itself is not too sure about the right way to proceed with it without coming across as forceful or invasive to users.
First introduced in the original release (21H2), the company has made tweaks and changes to it over time, trying to find the right balance. Once, it was also contemplating renaming the Recommended portion to "For You," perhaps to appeal to more of the casual audience out there who are familiar with it elsewhere like Instagram or Twitter (now X) or TikTok.
However, it is not unfair to say that most of the enthusiast kind don"t really find it too appealing. Searches about removing the Recommended content from the Start menu are generally a top result on Google, which shows that there are certainly quite a few out there that don"t like it. Neowin has also published a guide on that if you want to check it out.
There is a good reason why users are so annoyed by it. Microsoft added recommended websites under this section, something which it removed in a consequent build. However, the recommended websites were not dead yet, as the tech giant brought it back again in May last year, where webpages were suggested to users.
And Microsoft later added Settings menu toggle for new apps, tips, shortcuts, and such. The option is now being tweaked as it will also add "app promotions" too.
Looks like the Start menu"s Recommended section will be getting app promotions, similar to suggested apps in Start in Windows 10. This can be toggled off from Settings (Show recommendations for tips, app promotions, and more). pic.twitter.com/zYYnTKs9qw
— PhantomOcean3 🌳 (@PhantomOfEarth) April 9, 2024
Meanwhile, the toggle tweak above is not the worst thing Microsoft may be looking to do. The company is seemingly contemplating on whether to add a new "Recommended" button on the Taskbar. Interestingly, it is unfinished at the moment, or perhaps Microsoft is just not sure if it should proceed with this button at all.
A new button is coming to the Windows 11 Taskbar right alongside system ones like Task View, Widgets, etc. It"s called "Recommended" & has all strings stripped from production, guess the UI team doesn"t want people to know. Concerned about recommendations becoming this integral😬 pic.twitter.com/XnvPhcGhvP
— Albacore ☁️ (@thebookisclosed) April 9, 2024
As of right now, only the Settings framework is aware of this setting (backed by HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced\ShowRecommendations)
— Albacore ☁️ (@thebookisclosed) April 9, 2024
As of right now Taskbar.View.dll contains no trace of the new functionality, will keep an eye on future betas🤔🔍
It must be added that not every change Microsoft has made related to its Recommended section has been bad. Last year, it made a really useful UX change such that hovering over a Recommended item would display its location.