• Latest
  • All
  • How To
Windows 10 Keyboard Shortcuts

Let’s Talk About Microsoft’s “Great” Idea to Place Adverts On Your Windows 10 File Explorer

March 10, 2017
Neon Phones: Consistent Market Share Decline Since Local Assembly Launch

Kenyans Ditch Neon Smartphones Since Launch of Local Assembly Plant

July 17, 2025
chatgpt

ChatGPT Record Mode Now Available on MacOS for Plus Users

July 17, 2025
Malware

Malware in Disguise: How Hackers Are Using DNS to Slip Past Defenses

July 17, 2025
samsung one ui 8

Samsung Retains Top Spot in Q2 Global Sales Despite Industry’s Slow Growth

July 17, 2025
DHgate Tablet Cases deals
Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz Brings Microsoft Teams Video Calls to Cars

July 17, 2025
Safaricom Home Fiber

Six-Year Flaw in the Safaricom Home Fiber System Finally Patched

July 17, 2025
Betting Selfie and ID rules

Betting Rules Now Require Selfie and ID to Prove Identity

July 17, 2025
DuckDuckGo

DuckDuckGo Outage Hits Millions of Users

July 16, 2025
Copilot Vision

Windows 11 Is Testing Full Desktop Sharing with Copilot Vision

July 16, 2025
Revealed: The Hidden Formula Behind Kenya Power Token Variations

Revealed: The Hidden Formula Behind Kenya Power Token Variations

July 16, 2025
Meta's Facebook

New Facebook Rules Will Penalize Reposts and Low-Effort Content

July 16, 2025
Bonga Points

Safaricom Suffers Court Setback Over Bonga Points Expiry Ban

July 15, 2025
Techweez | Tech News, Reviews, Deals, Tips and How To
  • News
  • Entertainment
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • Editorial
No Result
View All Result
Techweez | Tech News, Reviews, Deals, Tips and How To
  • News
  • Entertainment
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • Editorial
No Result
View All Result
Techweez | Tech News, Reviews, Deals, Tips and How To
No Result
View All Result

Let’s Talk About Microsoft’s “Great” Idea to Place Adverts On Your Windows 10 File Explorer

Saruni Maina by Saruni Maina
March 10, 2017
in Editorial, Opinion
Reading Time: 3 mins read
264
1
Windows 10 Keyboard Shortcuts

Windows 10 Keyboard Shortcuts

Ever since Windows 10 launched back in 2015, there has been controversy after controversy surrounding the operating system. Starting with how Microsoft was asking people to upgrade to Windows 10, free or not, it was being a bit too pushy.

Latest headlines about Windows 10 (negative of course), show that the operating system is now showing ads on the file explorer. Our Editor, Martin Gicheru, mentioned that he had seen a rather intrusive ad on his file explorer. The ad seems to be promoting Microsoft’s own service, OneDrive – this is despite already having paid for such a subscription. Not surprising, I saw the same ad appear on my file explorer last night. The ad is asking users to upgrade to the paid subscription that includes a 1TB cloud storage as well as an Office 365 subscription, all for $6.99 per month. Reports say that this ad has been around for a few months now, so you might have come across it as well.

This is not the first time Microsoft has crammed ads into the Windows UI. There have been reports of lock screen ads disguised as backgrounds, notification ads for Microsoft Edge, and a strange pop-up ad for Microsoft’s personal shopping assistant in Chrome.

Ads on the lock screen

The first time this was reported was back at the start of 2016. The ad was in form of the lock screen wallpaper and it was that of Rise of the Tomb Raider, which launched in January 2016 for the PC. Disguised as a simple wallpaper, the ad still did not amuse those who came across it. If you don’t want your lock screen turned into an advertisement board, you can change it. Go to Settings, Personalization, and then Lock Screen. There’s a box that reads “Get fun facts, tips, tricks, and more on your lock screen.” Uncheck it. I honestly don’t think there is anything “fun” about Windows, let alone wanting to receive tips and tricks about the OS on my lock screen.

Browser targeted ads – Google Chrome to be exact

Microsoft wants you to use their “new” browser, Edge. This is clear through a taskbar pop-up ad that was spotted towards the end of 2016 by PC World editor, Brad Chacos. The Edge advert is part of Microsoft’s “tips and tricks” feature *SMH*.
To turn that off, you need to go to Settings > System > Notifications & actions and turn off the “Get tips, tricks, and suggestions as you use Windows” toggle.

That’s not the only ad you get, people have reported seeing “tips” in the action center (notification area) that tell them Chrome is bad for their battery life, and Edge would be better – way to go Microsoft, win us over by bashing your competition. This is just an ad under the guise of a helpful suggestion, and the sad part is, naïve people will fall for this and actually uninstall Chrome. (Please, lets not make this a debate of whether Chrome uses a lot of battery or not, that is a story for another day).

courtesy of ExtremeTech

We have also seen reports of ads targeted at Chrome users, again. The advert pushes for what is known as a “Personal Shopping Assistant for Chrome”. The plugin’s goal is to simplify shopping by saving products you browse, informing you when prices change, and allowing you to share this information with friends. Quite useful if you ask me, but no one wants to se such adverts on their action center.

courtesy of ExtremeTech

Were there strings attached to Windows 10 being free?

These repeat offenses by Microsoft, make me think, maybe Microsoft is up to something here. They seem to be pushing for the idea of OS ads, aggressively, at that. Was the free upgrade to Windows 10 that we got really free? or are we just now paying for the OS through ads?

Microsoft has to make money somehow out of Windows 10. They did that with all other Windows versions before. I would not be surprised, if Microsoft continues pushing advertisements on Windows UI and I would still not be surprised if they asked people to pay a small amount to get rid of the ads (Android people feel me).

Here’s an idea to prepare ourselves for the OS-ads-apocalypse, someone needs to invent an ad blocker for the operating system. Hurry. We’re almost out of time.

Tags: MicrosoftWindows 10
SendShare147Tweet92
Saruni Maina

Saruni Maina

I Google Bing until it Yahoos! | Email: [email protected]

Related Posts

Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz Brings Microsoft Teams Video Calls to Cars

July 17, 2025
Copilot Vision

Windows 11 Is Testing Full Desktop Sharing with Copilot Vision

July 16, 2025
Microsoft Edge browser

Microsoft Makes Edge 40% Faster in a Bid to Lure Chrome Users

July 8, 2025
Microsoft

Laid-Off Microsoft Workers Told to Ask ChatGPT for Career Support

July 7, 2025
Windows

Windows Loses Ground as Users Switch to Mac, Linux, and Mobile

July 7, 2025
Microsoft

Microsoft Slashes 9,100 Jobs in Biggest Layoffs Since 2023

July 4, 2025

Latest

Neon Phones: Consistent Market Share Decline Since Local Assembly Launch

Kenyans Ditch Neon Smartphones Since Launch of Local Assembly Plant

July 17, 2025
chatgpt

ChatGPT Record Mode Now Available on MacOS for Plus Users

July 17, 2025
Malware

Malware in Disguise: How Hackers Are Using DNS to Slip Past Defenses

July 17, 2025
samsung one ui 8

Samsung Retains Top Spot in Q2 Global Sales Despite Industry’s Slow Growth

July 17, 2025
Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz Brings Microsoft Teams Video Calls to Cars

July 17, 2025
Safaricom Home Fiber

Six-Year Flaw in the Safaricom Home Fiber System Finally Patched

July 17, 2025

Best devices

budget smartwatches 2025

Best Budget Smartwatches To Buy in Kenya 2025

February 13, 2025

Best Infinix Smartphones To Buy in Kenya 2024

February 13, 2025

Best Laptops for Battery Life in 2024

August 21, 2024

Best “Battery Warrior” Smartphones To Buy in 2024

August 22, 2024

Kenyans Ditch Neon Smartphones Since Launch of Local Assembly Plant

July 17, 2025

ChatGPT Record Mode Now Available on MacOS for Plus Users

July 17, 2025

Techweez is a fast growing influential source of technology news, reviews and analysis by leading tech geeks in the industry.

Follow Us

Editorials

Abductions and Arrests! Kenyan Government’s Fear and Hate of X Users Makes No Sense

Actors and Film Crews Are Worried About Veo 3 Taking Their Jobs

Samsung QLED TVs Now Officially Certified for Real Quantum Dot Technology

Trump’s Tariffs Will Be the End of Affordable Tech

5 Ways to Prep Your Tech for Resale

The Weaponization of PDFs: How Cybercriminals Are Exploiting a Trusted Format

More News

Betting Rules Now Require Selfie and ID to Prove Identity

DuckDuckGo Outage Hits Millions of Users

Windows 11 Is Testing Full Desktop Sharing with Copilot Vision

Revealed: The Hidden Formula Behind Kenya Power Token Variations

New Facebook Rules Will Penalize Reposts and Low-Effort Content

Safaricom Suffers Court Setback Over Bonga Points Expiry Ban

  • Terms Of Use
  • Techweez Brand
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact Us

© 2024 Techweez - Palahala Media Group may earn a commission when you buy through links on our sites.
A Palahala Media Group Brand. All rights reserved.
.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

Techweez | Tech News, Reviews, Deals, Tips and How To
Crunchy Cookies 🍪 Ahead!

Hey there! Just a heads-up: we're big fans of cookies - both the digital and edible kind! 🍪 We use our cookies and some from third parties to ensure your browsing experience on our site is smooth sailing and secure.

 

But wait, there's more! We also use cookies to gather stats and insights on how you navigate our site. It's like getting a behind-the-scenes peek at your digital adventures!

 

Don't worry, you're in control. You can adjust your cookie settings anytime to suit your preferences. Feeling curious? Dive into our Privacy Policy for all the juicy details. Happy browsing! 🚀

Functional Always active
Listen, this legal stuff is about as exciting as watching paint dry. But it basically says we only use your stuff for what you asked us to do, and nobody else gets to peek!
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
It's those sneaky cookie crumbs websites leave behind to count visitors, like counting ants at a picnic! Totally harmless, just for fun facts. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
Hey there! Just letting you know we use some fancy gizmos to remember your preferences. This way, we can show you ads that are, well, not completely bananas.
Manage options Manage services Manage {vendor_count} vendors Read more about these purposes
Make cookies
{title} {title} {title}
Techweez | Tech News, Reviews, Deals, Tips and How To
Crunchy Cookies 🍪 Ahead!
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional Always active
Listen, this legal stuff is about as exciting as watching paint dry. But it basically says we only use your stuff for what you asked us to do, and nobody else gets to peek!
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
It's those sneaky cookie crumbs websites leave behind to count visitors, like counting ants at a picnic! Totally harmless, just for fun facts. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
Hey there! Just letting you know we use some fancy gizmos to remember your preferences. This way, we can show you ads that are, well, not completely bananas.
Manage options Manage services Manage {vendor_count} vendors Read more about these purposes
Make cookies
{title} {title} {title}
No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • Editorial
  • Automotive
  • Entertainment

© 2024 Techweez - Palahala Media Group may earn a commission when you buy through links on our sites.
A Palahala Media Group Brand. All rights reserved.
.