If your File Explorer window has started feeling more like a social feed than a file manager — a “Recommended” carousel pulling in recent and cloud-synced files you didn’t ask to see, plus a persistent “Start backup” banner pushing OneDrive — you’re not imagining it. Microsoft has quietly added more of this stuff into File Explorer over the past couple of Windows 11 updates.
Table of Contents
The good news is that almost all of it lives behind toggles you can switch off in a few minutes, no third-party tools or registry hacking required (though a registry option exists if you manage multiple PCs). Here’s exactly where to find each setting.
Quick Answer
Open File Explorer, click the three-dot menu (“See more”) on the toolbar, choose Options, and turn off two things: on the General tab, uncheck “Show recommended section”; on the View tab, scroll to Advanced settings and uncheck “Show sync provider notifications.” For the OneDrive “Start backup” banner specifically, right-click it and choose “Turn off reminder.”
Turn Off the “Recommended” Section on the Home Tab
The Home view in File Explorer shows a “Recommended” row that surfaces files you use frequently or have recently downloaded, along with recent activity from shared documents and files stored in OneDrive. It replaces the older, simpler Quick Access section, and if you’d rather just see your pinned and frequent folders, it’s easy to turn off: open File Explorer, click the three-dot “See more” icon in the command bar, select Options, stay on the General tab, and under the Privacy section uncheck “Show recommended section.” Click OK. File Explorer’s Home page will then go back to showing only your pinned and frequent folders.
While you’re on the General tab, you can also change “Open File Explorer to” from Home to This PC if you’d rather skip the curated Home view entirely and land straight on your drives.
Stop the OneDrive “Start Backup” Banner and Sync Notifications
The OneDrive backup prompt that appears at the top of Desktop, Documents, or Pictures folders is the most common complaint. On current Windows 11 builds, you can dismiss it folder-by-folder: right-click (or press and hold, on touch devices) the “Start backup” bar and choose either “Remind me in 1 month” to snooze it, or “Turn off reminder” to stop it for that folder permanently.
To cut down on OneDrive-related pop-ups more broadly, go to File Explorer Options (three-dot menu > Options), switch to the View tab, scroll down to Advanced settings, and uncheck “Show sync provider notifications.” Click Apply, then OK. This suppresses the sync-status balloon notifications and prompts that OneDrive (and other cloud-sync apps) inject into File Explorer.
If you’d rather not use OneDrive at all, you can also right-click the OneDrive cloud icon in the system tray, open Settings, and unlink your account from the Account tab — that removes most of the nagging at the source, though it also stops cloud backup and sync for that PC.
For IT admins managing several machines, the same sync-notification setting can be pushed via the registry key HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced, setting the DWORD value ShowSyncProviderNotifications to 0.
Tips / Common Mistakes
Don’t confuse “Show sync provider notifications” with disabling OneDrive syncing itself — the checkbox only silences the pop-ups and banners; your files keep syncing normally in the background.
If you don’t see a right-click “Turn off reminder” option on the Start Backup banner, your Windows 11 build may not have that feature yet — the General/View tab settings above will still work as the fallback.
These settings are per Windows user account, so if you share a PC with family members or coworkers, you’ll need to repeat the steps under each profile.
Windows updates occasionally reset File Explorer preferences or expand the Recommended feed’s scope, so it’s worth a quick re-check after major feature updates if the clutter reappears.
Explore more: More Windows tutorials.
File Explorer ads and OneDrive nags FAQs
What is the “Recommended” section in File Explorer actually showing?
It’s a row of files you use frequently or have recently downloaded, plus recent activity from shared documents and OneDrive files — not app suggestions or promotions. You can still turn it off if you’d rather have a plain Home view.
Will turning off sync provider notifications break OneDrive?
No. It only stops the banners and pop-up notifications from OneDrive (and any other cloud-sync app) inside File Explorer. Your files will keep syncing in the background as normal.
Can I stop the OneDrive backup prompt without unlinking my account?
Yes. Right-click the “Start backup” bar in the affected folder and choose “Turn off reminder,” or disable sync provider notifications in File Explorer Options as described above. You don’t need to remove your OneDrive account to silence the prompts.
Does this work on Windows 10 too?
Windows 10’s File Explorer has a similar “Show sync provider notifications” option under Folder Options > View, but it doesn’t have the newer “Recommended” section or the right-click “Turn off reminder” option, since those are Windows 11-specific additions.
Make Your Digital Life Better
More practical tech how-tos, tool picks, and guides to upgrade your everyday digital life. More on GTWebs.
Want web tips in your inbox? Subscribe to the free newsletter.
Photo by Antonis Georgiou on Unsplash.