Microsoft is experimenting with advertising in Windows Explorer

It’s been several months since Microsoft released Windows 11, which officially took the lead from Windows 10 in October 2021. However, this does not mean that the operating system is completely finished, but further development of both new and existing features continues. Most of them are being tested for the first time by users in the Windows Insider Programs, where a beta feature recently came out by mistake.

When Windows enthusiast Florian Popois searched for the latest beta build of Windows 11, he discovered that the File Manager tool’s explorer had an ad banner. The results have been published in Twitterwhere the image shows a relatively narrow field below the explorer search bar which prompts users to try Microsoft Editor.

In another statement the edge The Microsoft company responsible for the Windows Insider Program, Brandon LeBlanc, announced that the feature was not supposed to be published externally. According to LeBlanc, the banner was a very experimental feature that could have been completely disabled.

This is not the first time that Windows has experimented with advertising in Explorer. Recently in 2017, a similar experiment was done with Explorer in Windows 10, this time with the announcement of the cloud service One Drive. Like the ad banner discovered by Beaubois, it was possible to close the ad and completely deactivate the extension, but the increase was met with criticism.

Windows 11 or earlier versions are not completely ad-free at this time. For example, users can get ads in built-in Windows apps and on the lock screen. It is not clear if the functionality is something that can be tested further or offered in the future.

Do you think advertising like the example shown in the image is acceptable in Windows Explorer, or should it be completely ad-free?