How to fix
Remove login screen recommendations and suggestions from Microsoft
on Windows

Hello, I have recently noticed that the login screen on Windows is showing all sorts of stuff I'd want not to see - ads and political messages I don't care about. I want my login screen to be clean and have no ads like that in it. Can you help me remove these?

As an operating system, Windows has evolved quite a bit since version 1.0 all the way back in 1985.[ref en-3] With the newest Windows 11, the OS is the most advanced it has ever been, and many of the changes are welcomed by users - they improve reliability, stability, ease of use, security, and other aspects that are important for everybody.

In between these releases, Microsoft also ships various updates that also add to the user experience. Unfortunately, not all the changes are welcomed by the users, and many complain about various issues this has caused over the years. For example, the forced MS Edge installation outraged many people, and the backlash was rather warranted, as a choice is important for any computer user.[ref en-1]

Lockscreen and login screen has been present on Windows for a while, and users were happy to customize their experience. In older system versions, such as Windows 7, a default background image was shown to users - these were usually rather bland and incorporated Windows logos or related wallpapers.

Windows Spotlight was introduced in Windows 10 and has changed the login screen quite a bit. It added many new background wallpapers from locations all over the world, most of which look spectacular. Not all changes were positive ones, however, as people started noticing news articles and ads from Bing soon after.

It is understandable that Microsoft would want to implement ads as much as possible, as it is a for-profit company. However, many people were dissatisfied with the content of ads and news articles from Bing being promoted, some even referring to it as "propaganda."[ref en-2]

Whether it can be considered as such is to each person to decide individually but wanting to stop login screen recommendations and ads is a completely reasonable request. Luckily, Windows 10 and 11 have multiple settings that can be changed in order to remove unwanted content from the login screen - we discuss all the options below.

1. Disable Tips, tricks, and suggestions

• Right-click on Start and pick Settings or type Settings in Windows search and press Enter
• Go to the System section

• Select Notifications & actions on the left
• Here, unmark the Get tips, tricks, and suggestions as you use Windows option. (Note: this option could be in the Personalization settings for some users, depending on the Windows version. Check Solution 2).

2. Turn off Windows Spotlight

This option will allow you to choose your own pictures to be shown on the Windows login screen:

• Right-click on Start and pick Settings or type Settings in Windows search and press Enter
• Select Personalization
• Go to the Lock screen section
• Under Background, select Picture from the drop-down menu
• You can either choose from Windows pictures or Browse your own.

3. Use the "Not a fan" option to dismiss the image

If you don't like the picture that's currently being shown on the login screen, you can move on to the next one easily. Typically, the same image is used for several days until it rotates to the next one. If you don't like it, you can change it, and Windows won't show it again to you:

• On the login screen, hover your mouse over the Image icon to show more details
• Here, select Not a fan - We'll switch to a new picture.