If you open the Start menu and see a row of “Recommended” files, recently added apps, or app suggestions you never asked for, you’re not alone — and you can turn it off. Microsoft ties this section to a handful of separate toggles rather than one master switch, which is why the option can be hard to find.
Table of Contents
This guide walks through exactly where those toggles live, what changes depending on which Windows 11 version you’re running, and how to clear out individual suggestions if you’d rather keep the section but stop it from surfacing specific items.
Quick Answer
Go to Settings > Personalization > Start and turn off every toggle under the recommendations settings (recently added apps, recommended/recent files, and tips or app promotions). On Windows 11 24H2 and 25H2, this removes the Recommended section from the Start menu entirely, leaving just Pinned apps and All apps. On older Windows 11 versions, the section stays visible but stops showing content.
Turn Off Recommendations in Settings
Open Settings (Windows key + I), then go to Personalization > Start. This screen lists several toggles that each control a different part of what shows up in the Recommended row, so you’ll want to turn off all of them, not just one.
Turn off “Show recently added apps,” which stops newly installed apps from appearing at the top of Start. Turn off “Show recommended files in Start, recent files in File Explorer, and items in Jump Lists” (on older builds this is labeled “Show recently opened items in Start, Jump Lists, and File Explorer”) to stop recently opened documents from showing up — note that this single toggle is not Start-only, since Windows tracks recent activity in one shared list, so switching it off also empties the “Recent” section in File Explorer and clears recent items from taskbar Jump Lists. Turn off “Show recommendations for tips, app promotions, and more” to block Microsoft’s own suggestions, like prompts to try a new app. If your Start menu also shows a “Show websites from your browsing history” toggle, switch that off too.
Once every relevant toggle is off, close and reopen the Start menu. On newer Start menu versions, the Recommended section disappears completely and you’re left with just Pinned and All apps.
What to Expect Depending on Your Windows 11 Version
Microsoft rolled out a redesigned Start menu with more granular recommendation controls starting in Windows 11 24H2 (and continuing in 25H2) — on those builds, turning off all the toggles above removes the section outright. If you’re still on Windows 11 23H2 or an earlier build, the same toggles are available under Settings > Personalization > Start, but the Recommended heading remains on screen as an empty or mostly-empty strip rather than disappearing.
You can check your version by going to Settings > System > About and looking at “Windows specification.” If you’re on an older build and want the fully collapsed layout, installing the latest Windows Update is the only way to get it — there’s no separate download or app for this feature.
Tips / Common Mistakes
Turning off only one toggle is the most common mistake — since recently added apps, recent files, and “tips” suggestions are controlled separately, missing one will leave a thinner but still-present Recommended row.
The recent-files toggle is easy to misjudge: because it’s labeled as a Start menu setting, it’s easy to flip off expecting to only change Start, then be surprised when File Explorer’s “Recent” view and taskbar Jump Lists also go empty. If you rely on those elsewhere, weigh that trade-off before turning it off.
If you’d rather keep recommendations around but hide specific entries, right-click any item in the Recommended section and choose “Remove from list.” This clears that one suggestion without changing your settings.
You can also change your Start layout under Settings > Personalization > Start > Layout. Choosing “More pins” shrinks the space given to recommendations in favor of your pinned apps, which is a good middle ground if you don’t want to lose recommendations entirely.
If the section still doesn’t clear after toggling everything off, restart your PC — Start menu changes on Windows 11 don’t always apply until Explorer restarts, and a reboot forces that.
Explore more: More Windows tutorials.
Windows 11 Start menu recommendations FAQs
Why can’t I find a single “turn off Recommended” switch?
Microsoft splits the Recommended section into separate content types — recent files, recently added apps, and tip/app suggestions — each with its own toggle in Settings > Personalization > Start. You need to turn off all of them to clear the section.
Will this also affect anything outside the Start menu?
Yes, for one of the toggles. “Show recommended files in Start, recent files in File Explorer, and items in Jump Lists” controls a single shared recent-activity list, so turning it off also empties the Recent section in File Explorer and clears recent items from taskbar Jump Lists, not just Start. The recently-added-apps and tips/promotions toggles only affect Start.
Do I need admin rights to turn off Start menu recommendations?
No, these are per-user Settings toggles and don’t require administrator access on a personal PC.
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Photo: Microsoft Corporation / CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.