HomeWinBuzzer TipsHow to Remove Ads from Windows 10 and Make It Completely Ad-Free

How to Remove Ads from Windows 10 and Make It Completely Ad-Free

The Windows 10 built-in ads can be annoying, but they can be disabled. We show you how to easily remove ads from your Windows 10 device.

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Whether you have updated to for free, you got them on a new device or bought a copy of Windows 10 Pro, it is certain that you will see ads in different parts and features of the operating system. For many users, this kind of ads may help them figure out what they can do with Windows 10 – others find them simply annoying.

However, some of these ads may affect the user experience of those that work with Windows 10 on a daily basis. Thankfully, there is a way to remove annoying ads from every place they can be found in Windows 10, with just a few basic steps.

In this tutorial, we will guide you through the process of how to disable ads in Windows 10. That way you will be able to reduce the number of ads that you see when working on your Windows 10 device.

Click on the links below to follow the instructions and remove ads from Windows 10:

Permanently remove ads from the Start Menu

The Start Menu has been one of the pillars of the Windows operating system. And  surely not surprising to many, Microsoft has found a smart way to use the Start Menu for ads in Windows 10.

They are called suggestions and they prompt users to get apps and services through the based on their behavior using the OS.

Here is how you can block ads in the Windows 10 Start Menu:

  1. Open Settings
  2. Click on Personalization
  3. Click on Start
  4. Turn off the Occasionally show suggestions in Start toggle switch

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Remove ads from the Cortana search box

Technically, the suggestions that Cortana will offer you from time to time are not ads. However, they can be as annoying for some users. If a user doesn't interact with the personal assistant, it will pipe up and will offer suggestions on how to use Cortana.

Here is how you can remove ads from the Cortana search box:

  1. Open Cortana in the Taskbar
  2. Click on the Settings (gear) button on the left
  3. Turn off the Taskbar tidbits toggle switch

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Remove ads from the Lock Screen

On the Lock Screen, Windows 10 shows ads in two ways: through Windows spotlight and through your own custom background. When using Windows spotlight, you can't disable ads. However, you can remove ads from the Lock Screen when you choose to show a custom background picture or slideshow.

Here is how you can remove ads from the Windows 10 Lock Screen:

  1. Open Settings
  2. Click on Personalization
  3. Click on Lock Screen
  4. In the Background drop-down menu, select Picture or Slideshow
  5. Turn off the Get fun facts, tips, and more from Windows and Cortana on your lock screen toggle switch

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Remove Windows 10 apps ads

In addition to the Start Menu app suggestions, Windows 10 comes with a number of apps that we can consider pure ads. For example, the “Get Office” app and games such as Candy Crush Saga, Age of the Empire: Castle Siege, FarmVille 2: Country Scape, Asphalt 8: Airborne, and World of Tanks Blitz.

Of course, the Microsoft Solitaire Collection game is also an ad by itself and also shows you long video ads if you're not part of the premium offering. Here is how you can remove apps ads:

  1. Open Start
  2. Right-click the tile from “All apps” or from the tiled section, and select Uninstall
  3. Click the Uninstall button again to confirm and to complete the task

Alternatively, you can use the Settings app to remove application ads:

  1. Open Settings
  2. Click on System
  3. Click on Apps & Features
  4. Select the app you want to uninstall
  5. Click the Uninstall button
  6. Click Uninstall again to confirm and to complete the task

It is important to know that some of these tiles are just shortcuts that help you download the app from the Windows Store. That means you can just right-click and select Unpin from Start to remove them.

Before the Windows 10 Creators Update, any built-in app that you uninstalled would come back after installing a feature update. However, Redstone 2 changed that and now you can uninstall built-in apps without having to worry they will return after a feature update.

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Remove ads from app Live Tiles

Despite the fact that you can uninstall apps posing as ads, there are some applications that are part of Windows 10 which you can't (or shouldn't) uninstall. These include the Windows Store, Xbox, Groove Music, and Music & TV, and are called Live Tiles.

You may not be able to uninstall these apps, but you can delete ads from Live Tiles, following these steps:

  1. Open Start
  2. Right-click an app tile
  3. Select More
  4. Click on Turn live tile off

Again, you can just right-click the apps and select Unpin from Start.

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Remove ads from the Windows Ink experience

With the Windows 10 Anniversary Update, Microsoft introduced the pen feature Windows Ink. Along with the improvements and new features, Redmond included ads in the Windows Ink Workspace to promote apps that include support for Windows Ink.

Here is how to remove ads from the Windows Ink experience menu:

  1. Open Settings
  2. Click on Devices
  3. Click Pen & Windows Ink
  4. Under Windows Ink Workspace, turn off the Show recommended app suggestions toggle switch

Please note that you can only change that option if you are using Windows Ink on a Surface or another device with pen support. Those using Windows Ink on devices without a touchscreen can't change the option.

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Remove ads from Action Center & Notifications

One of the many ways that Windows 10 helps users to easily find and use its features is with tips and suggestions through the Action Center & Notifications. For example, if at some point a user chooses to use Chrome, they will receive suggestions to switch to .

Here is how you can remove ads from Action Center & Notifications:

  1. Open Settings
  2. Click on System
  3. Click on Notifications & actions
  4. Under Notifications, turn off the Get tips, tricks, and suggestions as you use Windows toggle switch

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How to disable the Windows 10 targeted ads

On top of all the ads in Windows 10, Microsoft also assigns every user a unique identification number. Using that number the company can track your moves in Windows Store or on apps, and target you with specific ads.

These are called targeted ads and you can disable them as well. To do that you will have to change your privacy settings to turn off your advertising ID.

Here is how you can delete the Windows 10 targeted ads:

  1. Open Settings
  2. Click on Privacy
  3. Click on General
  4. Under Change privacy options, turn off the Let apps use my advertising ID for experiences across apps toggle switch

In case you want to reset the data matched to your advertising identification number, just turn off the option and then turn it back on.

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Windows 10 ads: A nagging but safe way to advertise

As mentioned in the beginning, for many users the ads that appear throughout Windows 10 don't cause any problems. However, for users that operate their Windows 10 devices daily and for many hours, they can be nagging.

What is certain is the fact that the Windows 10 ads are completely safe. Most ads that we encounter on the Web are unsafe for our devices and some may even cause severe OS malfunctions.

Microsoft is promoting apps and services via Windows 10 in every possible way, however, it offers users the ability to disable these ads. And even if you accidentally click on such an ad, the worst thing that could happen is you would be transferred to the Windows Store to download a safe app.

Last Updated on November 5, 2019 2:24 pm CET by Markus Kasanmascheff

Kostas Papanikolaou
Kostas Papanikolaou
Kostas is a former sports journalist and an amateur gamer. Combining his love for technology with his writing experience, he enjoys covering news about Microsoft. Being an artistic “soul”, he is also writing poems and short stories.
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