Turn Off Personalized Offers in Windows 11: What They Cover

To turn off personalized offers in Windows 11, go to Settings > Privacy & security > General and toggle off “Show suggested content in the Settings app” and “Show me suggestions for ways I can set up my device”. These settings control tailored tips, ads, and recommendations that Microsoft shows based on your device usage and online activity.

What Are Personalized Offers in Windows 11?

Personalized offers are a catch-all term for the promotional and recommendation content that Microsoft surfaces throughout Windows 11. They appear in several places, often looking like helpful tips but actually serving as targeted advertising or feature promotion. The most common examples:

Settings app suggestions – banners or cards that recommend enabling certain features, like OneDrive backup or Microsoft 365 subscription.
Lock screen tips – occasional “fun facts” or ads that rotate on the lock screen, sometimes promoting apps or services.
Start menu recommendations – app suggestions and “recently added” items that may include promoted apps from the Microsoft Store.
Notification toast ads – pop-up notifications that suggest using a Microsoft service or installing an app.
Windows Spotlight – if enabled, it shows curated images with occasional promotional overlays.

These offers are driven by a combination of your device’s diagnostic data, your Microsoft account activity, and your interactions with Windows features. Microsoft uses this data to make the offers more relevant to you, hence the “personalized” label.

How to Turn Off Personalized Offers

There are two main toggles that control most of these offers. Both are located under Settings > Privacy & security > General.

Open Settings (Win + I).
Go to Privacy & security in the left sidebar.
Click on General.
Turn off “Show suggested content in the Settings app” – this disables the in-Settings banners and suggestions.
Turn off “Show me suggestions for ways I can set up my device” – this stops the initial setup suggestions and some personalized tips.

Additionally, you can disable Windows Spotlight on the lock screen to avoid promotional images. Go to Settings > Personalization > Lock screen and change the background to a picture or slideshow instead of “Windows Spotlight.”

What These Toggles Actually Cover

The two General toggles are the primary switches for personalized offers, but they don’t cover every single promotional element. Here’s a breakdown of what they do and don’t affect:

Covered: Suggestions inside the Settings app (e.g., “Set up OneDrive backup”), tips that appear in the Settings home page, and some onboarding suggestions.
Covered: The “Show me suggestions for ways I can set up my device” toggle also controls the “Finish setting up your device” notifications that appear after updates or first boot.
Not fully covered: Lock screen tips (if you keep Windows Spotlight), Start menu app suggestions, and notification ads from the Microsoft Store. These have separate settings.
Not covered: Ads inside Microsoft Store app listings, web search ads, or promotional emails from Microsoft.

To further reduce ads, you can also:

Go to Settings > Personalization > Start and turn off “Show recommendations for tips, shortcuts, new apps, and more.”
In Settings > Privacy & security > Diagnostics & feedback, set “Send optional diagnostic data” to Off. This reduces the data Microsoft uses to personalize ads.
On the lock screen, choose a picture instead of Windows Spotlight.

Why Microsoft Shows These Offers

Microsoft’s business model for Windows has shifted over the years. While Windows is a paid product, the company also generates revenue through services like Microsoft 365, OneDrive, and the Microsoft Store. Personalized offers are a way to promote these services directly to users who might benefit from them. The data used for personalization comes from your device’s diagnostic data (which you can limit) and your Microsoft account activity if you’re signed in.

Many users find these offers intrusive, especially when they appear as system notifications. The good news is that Microsoft has provided these toggles to give you control. However, it’s worth noting that turning them off doesn’t eliminate all advertising – you may still see occasional ads in the Start menu or lock screen unless you adjust those specific settings.

Common Misconceptions and Pitfalls

Misconception: Turning off “personalized offers” will stop all ads. It won’t. As explained above, some ads come from other sources. To get a truly ad-free experience, you need to disable several settings.

Pitfall: Not realizing that these toggles are per-user. If you have multiple accounts on your PC, you need to turn off the settings for each user. The settings are not global.

Pitfall: Forgetting that Windows 11 updates may reset some settings. Occasionally, a feature update might re-enable certain suggestions. It’s a good idea to check these settings after a major update.

Misconception: Turning off diagnostic data will make Windows less secure. Diagnostic data is primarily used for improving Microsoft’s products and for personalization. Turning off optional diagnostic data does not affect security updates or the core functionality of Windows.

What About the “Personalized Offers” in Other Microsoft Products?

Windows 11 is not the only place where Microsoft shows personalized offers. You might also encounter them in:

Microsoft Edge – the new tab page shows news and ads. You can turn off “Show feed” in Edge settings.
Outlook – the inbox may show sponsored messages. You can turn off “Show sponsored messages” in Outlook settings.
Xbox – the Xbox app and console dashboard show ads. These have their own settings under “Personalization” and “Privacy.”

If you want a comprehensive reduction of personalized offers across Microsoft’s ecosystem, you’ll need to adjust settings in each product. The Windows 11 toggles only affect the operating system itself.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will turning off personalized offers affect my system performance?

No. These settings only control the display of promotional content. They do not affect system performance, battery life, or background processes. The only difference you’ll notice is fewer ads and suggestions.

Do I need to restart my PC after changing these settings?

No restart is required. The changes take effect immediately. However, some existing notifications or suggestions that are already displayed may remain until they are dismissed.

Can I turn off personalized offers for all users on my PC at once?

No, the settings are per-user. You need to sign in to each user account and change the toggles individually. Alternatively, you can use Group Policy or the Registry to apply these settings across multiple users, but that requires advanced steps.

Will these settings also stop ads in the Microsoft Store?

No. The Microsoft Store has its own ad system. Turning off personalized offers in Windows 11 will not remove ads from the Store’s app pages or search results. However, you can turn off “Show app suggestions” in the Store’s settings.

Are personalized offers a privacy risk?

They are based on your device usage and diagnostic data, which Microsoft collects. If you are concerned about privacy, you can turn off optional diagnostic data in Settings > Privacy & security > Diagnostics & feedback. That will limit the data available for personalization.

What if I don’t see the “General” option in Privacy & security?

This option is available on all editions of Windows 11. If you don’t see it, make sure you are running a recent version of Windows 11. You can check for updates in Settings > Windows Update.

General steps for current mainstream versions; menus can differ by device and version. See the disclaimer or report an error.

More in this bed

The whole Tech How-To bed →