Turn off the ads, Copilot and the news panel in Windows 11
Where the switches are in Windows 11, as of October 2026. Microsoft moves them now and then.
Every one of these is a setting, and you can change it yourself. Here’s where each one lives. Or let SimplifyPC do all twenty in a few minutes, free, with one click to undo.
The short way: install SimplifyPC, press Start, and the whole list below is done. A restore point is made first, every change is shown before it happens, and Undo puts it all back. Download free
The weather and news panel
That panel in the corner of the taskbar is called Widgets. Right-click the taskbar, choose Taskbar settings, and under Taskbar items switch Widgets off. The weather and the news stories go together.
The big search box
Same page, Taskbar settings. Next to Search, choose Search icon only or Hide. Searching still works: press the Windows key and start typing.
While you’re there, Task view can go off too; few people use it, and it’s easy to open by accident.
Copilot and Recall
If Taskbar settings has a Copilot switch, turn it off. If not, right-click the Copilot icon on the taskbar and choose Unpin from taskbar. To remove the app itself: Settings, Apps, Installed apps, find Copilot, click its three dots and Uninstall.
Recall, which takes screenshots of what you do, exists only on the newer “Copilot+” PCs. If yours has it: Settings, Privacy & security, Recall & snapshots, and switch Save snapshots off.
Ads, tips and suggestions
Windows shows these in several places, so there are several switches:
- Settings, System, Notifications, open Additional settings at the bottom, and untick all three: the welcome experience after updates, “suggest ways to finish setting up”, and tips and suggestions.
- Settings, Personalization, Start: switch off Show recommendations for tips, shortcuts, new apps, and more, and Show recently added apps if you like a tidier Start menu. Choose More pins under Layout.
- Settings, Personalization, Lock screen: set Personalize your lock screen to Picture and untick Get fun facts, tips, tricks, and more on your lock screen.
- Settings, Privacy & security, General: switch off Let apps show me personalized ads and Show me suggested content in the Settings app.
The “Learn about this picture” icon on the desktop
It comes with the changing Windows Spotlight backgrounds. Settings, Personalization, Background, and set Personalize your background to Picture or Slideshow. The icon leaves with Spotlight.
Junk apps and trial games
Settings, Apps, Installed apps. Go down the list; for anything you didn’t ask for (trial games, a shopping app, a second antivirus you never bought), click its three dots and Uninstall. Leave anything you don’t recognise and aren’t sure about: Windows’ own parts can’t be removed this way anyway.
Edge’s shopping pop-ups and news feed
In Edge, click the three dots at the top right, Settings, Privacy, search, and services, and under Services switch off Shopping in Microsoft Edge. For the news on every new tab: open a new tab, click the gear at the top right, and set Content to Content off.
Surprise restarts
Settings, Windows Update, Advanced options. Set Active hours to the hours you use the PC (up to 18 a day), so updates restart it outside them, and switch on Notify me when a restart is required to finish updating.
USB pop-ups
Settings, Bluetooth & devices, AutoPlay, and switch Use AutoPlay for all media and devices off. Plugging in a memory stick or a phone then does nothing until you open it yourself.
The Xbox Game Bar pop-up
Settings, Gaming, Game Bar, and switch off Allow your controller to open Game Bar. If the Game Bar app appears under Installed apps with an Uninstall option, you can remove it too.
Show file endings, so a fake file can’t hide
In File Explorer, click View, then Show, then tick File name extensions. A file called “invoice.pdf.exe” now shows its real ending.
The ones with no switch
Three of the twenty have no setting in Windows: the classic right-click menu (without the “Show more options” step), web results kept out of Start search, and the Windows-key shortcuts that open things by accident. Each needs a change in the Windows registry. We don’t recommend typing those in by hand on a family PC; SimplifyPC makes them and can undo them.
Or let SimplifyPC do all twenty Free
Open it and the list is already picked. Switch off anything you’d rather keep, press Start, and it’s done in a few minutes. A Windows restore point is made first, and one click on Undo puts things back. It never touches your photos, documents or email, and Windows Security stays on.
Both come from Microsoft. For Windows 11. No account needed. See every improvement, including the 38 more in Plus.