The Profile Picture Advertising
Microsoft treats the Start Menu in Windows 11 as a billboard for its subscription services. If you click the Start button and look at your user profile picture at the very bottom, you will occasionally see a small orange dot (a notification badge). If you click it, instead of seeing critical system alerts, you are bombarded with “Account-related notifications.” These are usually aggressive prompts demanding that you sign up for OneDrive cloud storage, link your Android phone to the PC, or purchase a Microsoft 365 subscription. If you want to use your computer without your operating system constantly trying to upsell you, you must disable these specific Start Menu badges.
How to Hide Account Notifications
You can turn off these profile-based advertisements via the system Personalization settings.
- Click the Start Menu and type Settings, or press the Windows Key + I.
- In the left-hand sidebar, click on Personalization.
- In the main window, click on Start.
- Look for the toggle switch labeled “Show account related notifications occasionally.”
- Toggle this switch to the Off position.
A Cleaner Start Menu
The orange notification badges will instantly vanish from your profile picture. When you click your name in the Start Menu, the only options you will see are the standard, essential commands: Lock, Sign out, and Change account settings. Microsoft is now explicitly blocked from injecting subscription marketing into that specific menu.