The Cluttered Start Menu
Windows 11 utilizes the Start Menu as a centralized hub, heavily pushing its “Recommended” section. By default, Windows actively monitors your app usage and analyzes your Microsoft account to automatically suggest applications it thinks you might want to install from the Microsoft Store, placing their icons directly in the Start Menu. While Microsoft intends this to be helpful for discovering new tools, it often results in a cluttered, confusing interface filled with shortcuts to games or utilities you have zero intention of ever downloading, pushing your actual, pinned applications further out of sight.
Cleaning Up the Recommendations
To reclaim your Start Menu space and stop Windows 11 from automatically suggesting uninstalled apps or promotional software, you must disable the specific recommendation settings.
Press the Windows Key and click the gear icon to open the Settings application. In the left-hand navigation pane, select Personalization. On the right side, scroll down and click on the Start section. You will see several toggle switches governing the behavior of the Start Menu. Look for the toggle specifically labelled Show recommendations for tips, shortcuts, new apps, and more. Click this toggle switch to turn it completely Off. For a thoroughly clean experience, you should also consider turning off “Show recently added apps” if you do not want your new installations constantly highlighted. Once these settings are disabled, the Recommended section of your Start Menu will remain empty, showing only your explicitly pinned applications or recently opened documents.