Seeing an exclamation point online or within Windows is usually cause for alarm. It’s a call to action, to do something. In future versions of Windows 11, Microsoft is going to use it to flag new features in the Start menu that it wants you to use.
And they’re definitely happening.
On Tuesday, Microsoft announced Windows 11 Build 22621.1483 for its Windows Insider program. The key new feature? Notifications for Microsoft accounts in the Start menu.
“This update introduces notifications for Microsoft accounts in the Start menu,” Microsoft wrote in a blog post. “This is only available to a small audience right now. It will deploy more broadly in the coming months. Some devices might notice different visual treatments as we gather feedback.”
If this sounds familiar, it should. Last November, Windows testers began seeing these Windows ads and notifications in an earlier build. But two things stand out. First, Microsoft is actively saying that these new ads will deploy “more broadly in the coming months.” Secondly, this new “feature” was released as part of the Windows 11 Insider Release Preview channel.
For those who are unfamiliar with Microsoft’s beta program (and here’s how to join the Windows Insider program, if you’re interested), the Dev Channel is where Microsoft tests code and features that may arrive in the stable version of Windows 11. The Release Preview Channel is the final testing phase for trying out new features and anything that debuts there will definitely ship in a future of Windows 11, according to Microsoft’s testing channels. So, yes, you’re going to see ads in your Start menu.
What makes this so infuriating is that it dilutes the power of the exclamation point. Yes, we live in a world where everything is “epic” and people are “killing it” by buying grapes at a discount rather than the full price. But an alert should be an alert, not an invitation. While Start ads may be a new feature (though Windows ads, sadly, aren’t) we can hope that they’re rarely, if ever, used.
Author: Mark Hachman, Senior Editor, PCWorld
Mark has written for PCWorld for the last decade, with 30 years of experience covering technology. He has authored over 3,500 articles for PCWorld alone, covering PC microprocessors, peripherals, and Microsoft Windows, among other topics. Mark has written for publications including PC Magazine, Byte, eWEEK, Popular Science and Electronic Buyers' News, where he shared a Jesse H. Neal Award for breaking news. He recently handed over a collection of several dozen Thunderbolt docks and USB-C hubs because his office simply has no more room.