How to disable ‘Recommended’ section from Start menu on Windows 11

You can prevent the Start menu from showing recommendations, and in this guide, you will learn how.

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Start menu without recommendations
Start menu without recommendations / Image: Mauro Huculak
  • To disable the ‘Recommended’ section from the Start menu, open Settings > Personalization > Start and turn off the “Show recently added apps,” “Show recently opened items in Start, Jump Lists, and File Explorer,” and “Show recommendations for tips, app promotions, and more.”
  • Windows 11 doesn’t include an option to disable the “Recommended” section, nor will the Group Policy option work on Windows 11 Home or Pro.

On Windows 11, it’s not possible to completely remove the “Recommended” section from the Start menu, but you can disable the feature to prevent items from appearing in that section, and in this guide, I will show you the steps to complete this configuration.

The “Recommended” section is part of the Start menu (below is the “Pinned” section) that suggests recent files you may want to access again, frequent websites, and recently installed apps. It can even show recommendations for apps from Microsoft. Although it can be a useful feature, it’s not for everyone, and the problem is that the operating system doesn’t include an option to remove it, but you can disable it if you know where to find the settings.

It’s important to note that there’s a Group Policy setting known as “Remove Recommended section from Start Menu,” but it only applies to Windows 11 SE, and turning it on on Windows 11 Home or Home, it won’t remove the Recommended section.

In this guide, you will learn the steps to completely hide the “Recommended” section from the Start menu on Windows 11.

To prevent Start from showing recommendations of files and apps on Windows 11, use these steps:

  1. Open Settings.

  2. Click on Personalization.

  3. Click the Start tab.

  4. Turn off the “Show recently added apps” toggle switch.

  5. Turn off the “Show recently opened items in Start, Jump Lists, and File Explorer” toggle switch.

    Start disable recommendations

  6. Turn off the “Show recommendations for tips, app promotions, and more” toggle switch.

  7. (Optional) Select the More pins option to change the Start menu layout to show an extra row of pins.

Once you complete the steps, the Start menu will no longer show recommendations and will show an extra row of pins.

If you want to remove a specific item from Start, you only need to right-click the item and select the “Remove from list” option.

Update May 13, 2024: This guide has been updated to ensure accuracy and reflect changes to the process.

About the author
Avatar for Mauro Huculak

Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He has also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 15 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows and software, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 21 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me. Email him at [email protected].