IT House March 16 news, after Microsoft was found to be testing a new ad type in Windows 11's File Explorer, which was found in the latest beta version of Windows 11, Win11 File Explorer screenshot shows Microsoft inserted Microsoft Editor promotional content above.
Microsoft responded by saying it should have been a mistake. Brandon LeBlanc, senior project manager for Windows, said in a statement to The Verge: "This is an experimental banner that is not intended to be released to the public and has been shut down. ”
While these ads aren't intended to be tested externally, it's clear that Microsoft has the ability to run them in Windows 11, and the company's brief statement doesn't rule out the possibility of future ads in File Explorer.
IT House understands that this is not the first time Microsoft has placed ads in the file browser. In 2017, the software manufacturer added a large banner ad to Windows 10 File Explorer promoting subscriptions to its OneDrive cloud storage service. While these ads are easy to turn off, it's still a poor experience in an operating system that has traditionally been ad-free.
For a decade, Microsoft has been experimenting with advertising inside Windows. Microsoft has placed ads on the windows 10 lock screen and start menu, and there are a lot of annoying pop-up ads in the taskbar, as well as ads in many of the windows 8 built-in apps.
Microsoft isn't the only company promoting its services in its operating system or apps, with Apple promoting Apple Music, Apple Fitness, and iCloud offers on the iPhone, and even seeing full-screen ads for Apple TV Plus if you own Apple's TV hardware. Google will also plant pop-up ads in mobile phones to promote YouTube Premium subscriptions.