Windows 10 Start Menu will soon display ads for Microsoft 365

Windows 10 will reach end of support next year. But, it is gaining a feature, one that you didn’t ask for, ads in the Start Menu.

The latest Windows 10 Preview build (19045.4842) has introduced some changes that are likely to annoy users. If you can recall, Microsoft reopened the Beta channel to members in the Insider Program in June this year, to allow participants to test new options as they were made available. Microsoft has been adding various features to Windows 10 over the past year, many of which are things that were backported from Windows 11. Some notable examples are Widgets on the Lock Screen, and of course Copilot.

Microsoft will display ads in Windows 10 Start Menu

Windows Central reports that one of the things that’s being changed is the position of the profile button, which is shifting from the top of the sidebar to the bottom of the Start Menu, just above the power button. That doesn’t seem so bad, does it? Well, it’s not just an aesthetical change, there is a reason why the button is being relocated. Because, Microsoft is testing the Smart Account Manager, which is currently available for Windows 11, on Windows 10 Beta builds.

The change, spotted by PhantomOfEarth, replaces the profile menu in the Start Menu, with a new one, that instead of letting you take actions like signing out of your account, shows you a pop-up with information about how much storage space you have on OneDrive, and your Microsoft 365 subscription information, and a link to your Microsoft Account. To access the option to sign out, you will need to click on the three-dot menu button that appears in the pop-up. Apparently, this change also affects local accounts.

In other words, this is yet another attempt at promoting Microsoft 365. That’s what users need, right? Reminders about running low on cloud storage, the benefits of subscribing to the Office apps. More ads are exactly what Windows needs. You see pesky notifications in the OneDrive app, Microsoft Edge, the Settings app, why not the Start Menu too?

The Windows 10 Settings app is also getting a redesign, or should I say, a new coat of paint with newer icons that are slightly more colorful. It also changes the Sign-In button’s appearance. The icon’s colors will not change if you change the accent color. This is likely to get the attention of users, to make the options stand out, so they will interact with it.

Windows 10 settings app new design

I get why Microsoft wants to promote things on Windows 11, even though I don’t agree with the sentiment. But why introduce such ads in Windows 10? It’s going away next year, don’t ruin it, let it die in peace. I mean, is displaying advertisements for Microsoft 365 such a high priority, even on PCs that may not support Windows 11?

Microsoft has been announcing a string of bad news recently, the Control Panel is going to be removed from Windows 11, Windows Recall is coming back in October, and the Redmond company also found a way to block installations of the operating system on older hardware. On the bright side, Microsoft Teams is now a unified app for all users.

What do you think about these changes?

Summary