Windows 11 build 25272 is available on the dev channel. While digging through the files, a Twitter user spotted an unwelcome little option in the folder options: show recommended content. Fortunately, this is a priori deactivatable.
According to findings posted by @XenoPanther on Twitter, Microsoft plans to continue with recommended content in Windows 11. We already have recommended apps and files in the Start menu: now prepare to see recommended files in Windows Explorer. files.
Even more recommended content within Windows 11
As we explained to you this morning, the Windows 11 file explorer is going to be redesigned. However, extracting the most recent versions of the shell32.dll.mui and propsys.dll.mui files revealed a new feature in the Options window, folders. The privacy section of the General tab contains a new checkbox, called Show recommended content (see tweet below).
For the moment, Microsoft has not advanced more information about this feature. The Redmond firm could make sure to recommend even more files and folders or use it as another way to serve ads. The company is no stranger to displaying banners in File Explorer (remember OneDrive ads) and this new option may well continue to do so.
Read: Windows 11 is still not faster than Windows 10 despite what Microsoft tells us
Fortunately, users will have (a priori) the ability to opt out of recommended content in file explorer. Finally, we don’t know if Microsoft plans to announce it in future Windows 11 preview updates, or not.
In case you missed it, Microsoft recently backtracked on a very bad idea: implementing website ad recommendations in the Start menu. The idea was fortunately abandoned with build 25272.
