The Forced Curation Vector
The Windows 11 Start Menu is divided into two distinct halves: “Pinned” applications at the top, and a massive “Recommended” section at the bottom. This Recommended section is designed by Microsoft to surface recently opened documents and newly installed software. However, it permanently consumes exactly 50% of your Start Menu real estate, even if you never use it. If you prefer a clean, minimalist interface that only displays the applications you have explicitly pinned, this section is a severe visual annoyance.
How to Disable the Recommended Section
You cannot entirely delete the physical space the section occupies without third-party software, but you can instruct Windows 11 to completely empty it and stop tracking your recent activity.
1. Open the Start Menu and click the Settings gear icon (or press the Windows Key + I).
2. In the left-hand sidebar, click on Personalization.
3. In the main pane, scroll down and click on Start.
4. At the top of the window, under “Layout,” select the More pins option to physically shrink the Recommended section’s footprint.
5. Below that, you will see three distinct toggle switches:
* Show recently added apps
* Show most used apps
* Show recently opened items in Start, Jump Lists, and File Explorer
6. Turn all three of these toggle switches Off.
When you click your Start Menu again, the Recommended section will be entirely blank, providing a much cleaner, distraction-free interface focused solely on your pinned applications.