Is Microsoft Testing Ads in File Explorer ?
Microsoft appears to be testing a new form of ad within Windows 11’s File Explorer. Florian Beaubois, a Microsoft MVP, and Twitter user found an ad in the newest test edition of Windows 11, encouraging people to check out the Microsoft Editor. While the advertisements may have displayed for certain Windows 11 users, Microsoft claims it was an error.
“This was an experimental banner that was not intended to be released outside and was turned off,” Brandon LeBlanc, senior program manager for Windows.
While the advertisements were not intended to be tested outside of Windows 11, it is apparent that Microsoft is capable of running them within the operating system, and the company’s brief statement does not rule out adverts appearing in File Explorer in the future.
This isn’t the first time Microsoft has inserted advertisements within File Explorer. In 2017, the software company placed a huge banner ad to the Windows 10 File Explorer marketing subscription choices for its OneDrive cloud storage service. While the adverts are readily disregarded, they are nonetheless a vexing experience in an otherwise ad-free operating system.
For almost a decade, Microsoft has been experimenting with advertisements inside Windows. It already displays advertisements on the Windows 10 lock screen and in the Start menu, and there have been several reports of intrusive pop-up advertising on the taskbar. Many of Windows 8’s built-in programs had advertisements.
Unfortunately, Microsoft is not alone in promoting its own services through its operating system or apps. If you buy a new iPhone, Apple will bombard you with offers for Apple Music, Apple Fitness, and iCloud, and we’ve even seen full-screen commercials for Apple TV Plus if you possess Apple’s TV hardware. Google will bombard you with pop-up adverts until you succumb and purchase a YouTube Premium membership.
But here comes the real Question, Is it really worth it? Why Can’t we just switch to Linux as there are a lot of options available right away in different flavors and the best part is “Linux is truly yours”.
If you like this article, do clap and share it with your peers. It motivates me to write more about these.
If you have not read my previous Articles, you can find them here. https://debashisnayak.medium.com/
