Stop Start menu ads before they pop up

And a new PC repair tool you should know about  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ [Windows Intelligence](#) [Windows Intelligence](#) Brought to you by: [Ben Collins logo]()​ It's time for some new PC stuff! This week's Things to Try section has a bundle of useful features related to recent Windows 11 updates — and their Windows 10 equivalents. First, I'll show you how to stop those Start menu ads Microsoft is pushing on your Windows 11 PC. (They're already on Windows 10.) Second, I'll point out a very useful PC repair tool Microsoft added in Windows 11's Moment 5 update earlier this month. (And how to do the same sort of thing on Windows 10.) Third, I'll show you how easy it is to remove all those built-in Windows apps you never use. (This used to be more complicated, but Microsoft just made it easier to uninstall more built-in apps.) Before we get to all the PC goodness though, I'd like to announce the first-ever Windows Intelligence reader poll! Check it out: 🗳️ [Which version of Windows do you use? Cast your vote!](​ I look forward to seeing your responses! Now, on to the show. [Chris Hoffman, AUthor] Chris Today's read: ⌚ 3 Things to Know: 2 minutes ⌚ 3 Things to Try: 1 minute 30 seconds ⌚ Top Thurrott Thoughts: 30 seconds ⌚ Just for Fun: 20 seconds ​ [] [3 Things to Know This Week] ​ 1. ARM chips may soon take the PC market by storm ➜ THE SHORT VERSION: Excitement over Qualcomm's incoming ARM PCs is building to a fever pitch. It seems like the PC industry may finally have a solid alternative to Intel (and AMD) chips, delivering the kind of long battery life modern Macs are known for — along with Windows software compatibility. 🔎 KNOW MORE: Power-efficient ARM chips are found in your smartphone and tablet, but they haven't yet made serious inroads in the laptop and desktop PC space, which has been dominated by Intel and AMD's traditional x86 CPUs. That may be about to change. - The ARM version of Windows has supposedly become much more polished, with an excellent compatibility layer — and more big apps that natively support the new architecture without any compatibility layers. - Qualcomm just announced the Snapdragon X Plus, a less expensive hardware option that will launch alongside the Snapdragon X Elite. But Qualcomm says even the Plus hardware can beat Apple's M3 chips. - Recent benchmarks have looked very positive, with Qualcomm's Snapdragon X chips actually beating PCs running Intel's more power-hungry chips. We still won't know until the hardware is released, but it's the most exciting news in PC land right now. 📌 READ MORE: Check out [these thoughts about how the ARM version of Windows has improved](, take a look at [the Snapdragon X Plus](), or examine [some of the benchmarks](). --------------------------------------------------------------- 2. Edge may be slurping up your Chrome browsing data ➜ THE SHORT VERSION: Have you launched Microsoft Edge recently? If you quickly clicked through the setup wizard, you may be surprised what Edge is doing with your browsing data. 🔎 KNOW MORE: Unless you set up Edge carefully, it will automatically grab your Chrome browsing data each time you launch Edge — and sync it with your Microsoft account. This isn't new, but I feel like I've noticed it becoming much more aggressive lately. - Edge is becoming increasingly annoying — many parts of Windows automatically launch Edge instead of your default web browser, and Edge often makes you click through several setup screens in an attempt to get your data. - If you're not careful, Edge may automatically sync all your browsing data over from Chrome and sync it with your Microsoft account. That may be convenient if you want to use Edge, but Edge is sneaky about the way it asks permission for this. - To check for or change this, you can copy-paste the following address into Edge's address bar and ensure the "Import browser data from Google Chrome at each launch" option is disabled: edge://settings/profiles/importBrowsingData/editImportConsent 📌 READ MORE: Check out this [bug where Edge was importing data without user permission]() a few months ago. Edge is now at least asking for permission (but sneakily!). --------------------------------------------------------------- 3. Microsoft's new AI model may run Copilot on your PC ➜ THE SHORT VERSION: Microsoft just released a new language model capable of running on phones (and laptops.) This sort of technology may arrive on your PC someday soon. 🔎 KNOW MORE: The “Phi-3-mini" model rivals the performance of the GPT-3.5 model used by an older version of ChatGPT, according to Microsoft. And it's small enough to run on your phone or laptop. - Current AI models like the ones that power Microsoft Copilot, ChatGPT, and Google Gemini are heavy and power-hungry. They run in data centers far from your PC, and there are often delays while you wait for a response. - The dream is to have a lightweight AI model like Phi-3-mini run on laptops and phones, providing AI features — like writing and summarizing text — that can work offline, without any of your data leaving your PC. - Coming a month before Microsoft's big AI announcements, this could be a part of the puzzle that runs Copilot locally on your Windows PC. (More advanced, complex queries will still need those power-hungry AI models on far-away web servers.) 📌 READ MORE: Here's [why Phi-3-mini — or something like it — is the future of AI on your PC](=). SPONSORED MESSAGE Master Google Sheets w/ these FREE shortcuts 👇 [Bart from the Simpsons sawing a shortcut through hedgess]()​ Whether you’re a Google Sheets pro, or just starting out, you should [subscribe to the Google Sheets Tips newsletter]() (sign up with 1-click)! Every Monday, the experts at Google Sheets Tips send their savviest shortcuts and tips to your inbox — absolutely free! Whether you want to learn something entirely new, hone your skills, or become a Google Sheets wizard, these tips are for you. Here’s why you’ll save a ton of time (and headaches) with Google Sheets Tips: 🧠It’s useful for both novices and experts 📈 Grab ‘n’ go templates 🤩 Costs you nothin’ and only takes a few minutes to read (You’ll even get access to 100 other tips in the free Spice Up Your Sheet Life ebook!) ➜ [Join 50,000 others and subscribe with 1-click today!]()​ [​​​GET THE LATEST GOOGLE SHEETS TIPS​​​​ ➜]() ​ [] [3 Things to Try This Week] 1. Turn off those new Start menu ads Microsoft just added app "recommendations" to Windows 11's Start menu. Windows 10 has had this feature for a long time, too. ➜ This is one of the many different types of built-in advertising you can turn off with an option buried in your PC's Settings app. ⌚ You can flip this setting off in about 6 seconds. 💻 This works on both Windows 10 and Windows 11. On Windows 11, open the Settings app — you can launch it from the Start menu or by pressing Windows+i. Navigate to Personalization > Start menu. Turn off the "Show recommendations for tips, shortcuts, new apps, and more" option. [The "Show recommendations for tips, shortcuts, new apps, and more" option on Windows 11.] 🔟 On Windows 10, open the Settings app and head to Personalization > Start. Turn off the "Show suggestions occasionally in Start" option. [The "Show suggestions occasionally in Start" option on Windows 10.] --------------------------------------------------------------- 2. Discover a new way to fix a broken Windows installation Have you heard of the "in-place upgrade," which will repair your Windows operating system files? This repair option will keep your files, installed apps, and settings while replacing any corrupted operating system files with fresh ones. ➜ This solution used to find some digging to find. Now, with a new option just added in Windows 11's Moment 5 update, it's easy to get to in just a few clicks. And you can do it on Windows 10, too. ⌚ You can find this option in 5 seconds on Windows 11. 💻 This works on both Windows 10 and Windows 11. (But it's way easier on Windows 11.) 📌 Learn [where to find this convenient new troubleshooting tool when you need it — and how to do the same thing on a Windows 10 PC](=). --------------------------------------------------------------- 3. Uninstall built-in apps you don't use Windows 11 and Windows 10 both include a lot of Microsoft-provided apps you may never touch. For example, Windows 11 still includes a Cortana app — even though Microsoft shut down Cortana last year and the app does nothing at all anymore. ➜ You can uninstall many of these apps in just a few clicks — Microsoft has gradually made it possible to uninstall more and more apps. Windows 11's Moment 5 update now lets you uninstall the Camera, Cortana, and Photos apps, for example. ⌚ You can uninstall an app in as little as 5 seconds. 💻 This works on both Windows 10 and Windows 11. (But you'll be able to uninstall more apps on Windows 11.) To quickly uninstall built-in apps, open your Windows PC's Start menu and look at the list of "All Apps." Right-click an app and select "Uninstall" to get rid of it. (If you don't see an Uninstall option, you can't remove the app.) 🔟 On Windows 10, look at the list of apps at the left side of the Start menu instead. [The Uninstall option for the Cortana app in Windows 11's Start menu.] 👀 If you want one of these Microsoft-provided apps again in the future, you can find it in the Store. ​ [] [Top Thurrott Thoughts] Some standout links and expert analysis from our friends at Thurrott, who have been covering Windows since 1994: - ​[Surface Pro 10 With Snapdragon X Plus Chip Leaks on Geekbench]( - That's a good amount of RAM to see on a mid-range PC. - ​[Apple Has Reportedly Cut Vision Pro Shipments As Demand For the Headset Falters](​ - It's extremely expensive. - ​[Google Delays Privacy Sandbox Rollout for Third Time](​ - Google just can't quit cookies. - ​[Microsoft Puts the PR in AI (Premium)]( - Microsoft's AI strategy has some good PR — but is that enough? - ​[Windows 11 Gets Its April 2024 Week D Preview Update](=)​ - Here we go with the Start menu ads! - ​[Apple Doesn’t Need a $250 iPhone (Premium)]()​ - That would be a surprise. ​ SPONSORED MESSAGE Elevate your summer vaca Whether you're a beach bum or culture buff, learning a language with [Rosetta Stone]() enables you to explore with confidence. Get a lifetime subscription for only $179 today (normally $399)! [SAVE 55% TODAY]() [And Just for Funsies...] Are some of the keys on your computer's keyboard shiny? There's a good chance they are. The keys you use the most tend to be the shiniest. You might reasonably assume that shine comes from the oil on your skin building up on the keys — gross if true. But guess what? That's not what the shine is from! That shine is actually where your fingers have polished the plastic on the keys, making it shinier and smoother, as podcaster Jeff Gamet recently [pointed out](). Most keyboards tend to be made with ABS plastic, which is on the softer side, and all that repeated typing ends up polishing the keys you use most and making them the shiniest. If you've ever tried to clean a keyboard and found yourself unable to clean the shine off those keys, that's good news — they're just polished! Windows has a big month ahead... May will be a huge month for the future of Windows, and we're set to learn all kinds of details about Microsoft's big AI plans and just how good Qualcomm's hyped-up ARM chips actually are. I look forward to bringing you all the important news — and getting my hands on this hardware. Enjoy your weekend! 🤚 Wait! Before you go: What'd you think of this issue? [Thumbs Up]( [Thumbs Down]() Hit the thumbs-up or thumbs-down to cast your vote and let me know. Want less email? [Update your reading preferences](=) to opt out of any individual publications or unsubscribe entirely. New here and not yet subscribed? Take two seconds to [sign up for our newsletters](): Windows Intelligence, Android Intelligence, or Cool Tools (or all three!). Hungry for even more? [Learn about becoming an Intelligence Insider](=) to gain access to our one-of-a-kind community, power-packed advanced resources, on-demand help desk, and tons of free apps and services. 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