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Windows 11’s Recommendations & offers page is a group of separate privacy controls, not one master ad switch. It governs personalized Windows tips and offers, the advertising ID used by apps, language preferences shared with websites, app-launch tracking for Start and Search, and suggestions shown inside Settings. Open Start > Settings > Privacy & security > Recommendations & offers. On PCs that have not received the relevant Windows update, the same family of controls may still be under General.
This guide explains what every toggle changes, what data or signal it uses, where the result appears, and what disabling it does not accomplish.
What the five toggles control
Each switch has a different scope. The table below is the quickest way to distinguish them before changing anything.
| Setting | Signal or data involved | Where you notice the effect | Does it reduce the number of ads? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Get personalized tips, ads, and recommendations based on my Windows activity | Device and usage information, Windows diagnostic data, account information, and information from other Microsoft products and services | Windows tips, recommendations, ads, and suggestions for apps or hardware | Not established as an ad-volume control |
| Let apps show me personalized ads by using my advertising ID | A unique Windows advertising identifier for each user on the device | Ads in Windows apps that use the identifier | No. Microsoft says the number of ads does not decrease |
| Let websites show me locally relevant content by accessing my language list | Your preferred-language list | Websites that can automatically offer content in a preferred language | No |
| Let Windows improve Start and search results by tracking app launches | Which applications you launch | Personalized Start recommendations and easier discovery in Start and device Search | No |
| Show me suggested content in the Settings app | Settings suggestions and related content | Prompts and recommendations displayed within Settings | No |
The current descriptions and controls are documented in Microsoft’s Privacy settings for Recommendations & offers in Windows 11.
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Open the page and identify the label on your PC
- Select Start, then Settings.
- Choose Privacy & security in the left navigation.
- Open Recommendations & offers.
If you do not see that item, open Privacy & security > General instead. Microsoft is replacing the older General page with Recommendations & offers, but PCs without the relevant Windows update can retain the old name. Microsoft’s documentation does not specify one universal build number at which every device changes, so the label is determined by your installed update and rollout status. The older and newer pages cover substantially the same controls; use the labels actually shown on your computer.
On a work or school PC, a banner such as Some settings are hidden or managed by your organization means an administrator has applied a policy. Group Policy, mobile-device management (MDM), or registry policy can set these privacy values. A disabled or locked switch in that situation is an administrative restriction, not a Windows malfunction.
Personalized offers: Windows tips, ads, and recommendations
What enabling it permits
Get personalized tips, ads, and recommendations based on my Windows activity allows Microsoft to tailor suggestions using information about the device and how it is used. Microsoft lists Windows diagnostic data, account information, and information from other Microsoft products and services as possible inputs. Examples include a suggestion for a Windows feature, a streaming application, OneDrive, or additional storage hardware.
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What Microsoft says is excluded
Microsoft says it does not use the content of crash dumps, speech, typing, or inking input to personalize these offers. That statement describes this personalization use; it is not a promise that every Windows or third-party feature ignores those data types for every purpose.
When turning it off makes sense
Turn this switch off if you do not want Windows to use the listed activity, diagnostic, account, or Microsoft-service context to tailor tips and offers. Leave it on if contextual feature guidance and relevant recommendations are useful to you. The choice changes personalization, not the basic operation of Windows, and it does not disable advertising systems controlled by the other switches or by individual applications.
Advertising ID: personalized ads inside participating apps
How the identifier works
Let apps show me personalized ads by using my advertising ID controls a unique advertising ID that Windows creates for each user on a device. Windows apps that use the identifier can request more relevant advertising, and an app developer or its advertising partner may associate information collected by that app with the ID.
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This is an app-level identifier. It is different from the broader Personalized offers setting, which covers Windows tips and recommendations and can draw on diagnostic, account, and Microsoft-service information.
What happens when you disable it
Turning the switch off prevents apps that rely on the Windows advertising identifier from using it for this purpose. Microsoft’s documented limitation is important: Turning the advertising ID off will not reduce the number of ads you see, but it may mean that ads are less interesting and relevant to you.
Ads can still appear through other mechanisms, and an app may have its own privacy controls.
If you turn the setting back on, Microsoft says Windows resets the advertising ID. That reset gives the re-enabled setting a new identifier rather than restoring the previous one.
What this switch does not cover
It is not a system-wide ad blocker. Website cookies, other interest-based advertising methods, Microsoft services with separate controls, and third-party products installed or accessed through Windows are outside this single switch. Microsoft’s General privacy settings in Windows documentation also notes that third-party products can serve ads under their own privacy policies.
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Language-list access: letting websites select a language
Let websites show me locally relevant content by accessing my language list permits websites to read your preferred-language list. A site can then offer content in a language you prefer without requiring you to choose that language separately on every visit.
The setting shares language preference information; it does not translate pages, force a website to provide a particular language, or control advertising relevance. Disable it if you prefer not to disclose your browser or Windows language preferences to sites. Keep it enabled if automatic language selection is convenient, especially when you regularly visit multilingual websites.
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App-launch tracking: personalizing Start and Search
Let Windows improve Start and search results by tracking app launches lets Windows use which applications you open. Microsoft describes the purpose as personalizing Start and making frequently used applications easier to find in Start and device Search.
Disabling the switch removes this particular launch-history signal from that personalization. It does not uninstall applications, stop them from running, or erase every other form of Start or Search history. If you want Start and Search to adapt to your habits, leave it on; if you do not want Windows using launch patterns for ranking and suggestions, turn it off.
Suggested content in Settings
Show me suggested content in the Settings app controls suggestions displayed inside Settings. Microsoft describes these as prompts that can help you discover features or content and apps you may find interesting.
Turning it off removes this category of Settings content; it does not remove the Settings application or prevent you from opening any feature through its normal page. This switch is the most narrowly focused option on the page because its visible result is confined to Settings suggestions.
Choosing a combination instead of hunting for one “ad” switch
There is no universally correct combination. Match the switches to the result you want:
| Your priority | Relevant action | Boundary to remember |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer tailored Windows tips and offers | Turn off Personalized offers | This does not govern every ad shown by apps or websites |
| Stop apps using the Windows advertising identifier | Turn off Advertising ID | Ad quantity can remain unchanged; other ad methods remain possible |
| Keep language preferences private from websites | Turn off language-list access | Websites may stop selecting your preferred language automatically |
| Prevent launch history from shaping Start and Search | Turn off app-launch tracking | Other personalization or history settings are separate |
| Remove recommendations inside Settings | Turn off suggested content | Only Settings suggestions are affected |
You can change the switches independently. For example, you can keep app-launch tracking for a more useful Start menu while disabling Personalized offers and Advertising ID.
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Why a switch is missing, unavailable, or keeps reverting
You have the General page instead
Install available Windows updates and check the privacy page again, but do not assume that every PC will receive the new label at the same time. Until the rollout reaches your device, use the controls under General. The transition is described in Microsoft’s General privacy documentation.
The control is managed by an organization
On an employer- or school-managed device, contact the administrator rather than repeatedly changing the switch. A policy can overwrite a local choice or prevent editing altogether. Microsoft’s Windows Privacy Compliance Guide explains administrator control through Group Policy, MDM, and registry settings.
The setting changed but the experience looks the same
These switches affect specific signals and surfaces. Turning off Advertising ID, for instance, does not reduce ad volume. Turning off language-list access may be invisible until you visit a multilingual site, while disabling app-launch tracking changes how Start and Search learn over time rather than deleting existing entries instantly. Check the exact toggle and the surface it governs before treating an unchanged screen as a failure.
Keyboard and screen-reader navigation
Microsoft documents keyboard and screen-reader operation for Windows privacy controls in its accessibility navigation guide. From Settings, use Tab to move between controls, the Arrow keys where a grouped control requires them, Enter to activate a focused item, and Spacebar to toggle a switch. The accessibility article covers multiple Windows versions and may use legacy labels, so use the current Recommendations & offers page name when locating the controls on an up-to-date PC.
Privacy limits beyond this page
Recommendations & offers is a focused collection, not a complete Windows privacy dashboard. It does not replace permissions for camera, microphone, location, contacts, account information, or individual app access. It also does not set the privacy policies of websites or third-party applications. For a broader review, open the other categories under Settings > Privacy & security and inspect the privacy controls inside each app or website you use.
The practical distinction is simple: Personalized offers governs tailored Windows recommendations; Advertising ID governs one identifier available to participating apps; language-list access shares preferred languages with websites; app-launch tracking shapes Start and Search; and suggested content controls recommendations within Settings. Change only the signal whose trade-off you understand, and treat advertising-ID removal as a privacy choice rather than an ad-blocking feature.
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