Hi, everyone. I will share a tutorial on clearing the Start Menu Recommended Section in Windows 11. Windows 11 is the latest operating system with many beneficial features and tools. It is one of the best operating systems today, and it’s not just a simple update but a complete redesign of the Windows experience.
You all noticed many new features and tools were introduced as user-friendly tools. One of the Windows 11 features is the Recommended Section. I think it’s a thoughtful feature for every user, and with this Recommended Section, we can easily interact with the device.
Windows 11 always brings out the best features to enhance the user experience and provide friendly tools. Do you know what the result is? It’s the most loved operating system, making life easier and more enjoyable for users.
Now, the Recommended section is an essential part of the Start Menu. It will simplify our daily work by showing files, apps, and work we’ve recently used. Recommended section: keep your recent activity, even if you are working in Excel, so it makes it easier for every user.
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What is the Recommended Section in Windows 11?
Recommended Section is a feature in Windows 11 that is displayed automatically at the start. It’s a user-friendly tool that shows recent activities, files, and apps. It is beneficial to have quick access to items you previously worked on.
What is the Importance of Hiding Recommended Section in Windows 11?
Sometimes, users prefer to hide the Recommended section. Because some users keep their activities private, they don’t like to show all activities displayed in the Start.
1. Users concern of the Privacy
2. Users like to stay focused on apps
3. To improve the system performance
4. Users who are preferring stay organized in apps
How to Clear Start Menu Recommended Section in Windows 11
Above, I share many things related to the Recommended section; we all love this feature. With this, you can get the recent activity at your fingertips and don’t need to search for the recent work you previously did. It is not a list of recent files. It’s designed to make using your device faster.
Some users don’t need this option for many reasons already mentioned above, such as some users’ more significant concern about their privacy. The recommendation lists the user’s recent activity and accessed files when the start menu opens.
- So, if you are concerned about your privacy, you can remove or show a list of fewer recommendations on your start menu.
- For that, follow the steps.
- When you click on the start menu, you will see many of the recommendations I previously worked on or opened files for.
Show Fewer Recommended Section in the Start Menu
If you like Recommendation but need more apps in the Start menu to show, you have to change the Recommendation layout. To do so, open Settings by clicking on Win+I. When the settings open, you can click on Personalization Settings.
- Then select the Start option.
See More: Personalization Settings Option in Windows 11
When you click on Start, you will see many options for Recommendation. In this window, you have to check the Layout section. If you are wondering why you get so many recommendation sections compared to Pined apps in the start menu, you must confirm which layout your device selects.
- Here, you can see that my Recommendation section has been selected as More Recommendation.
- That’s why I got a more recommended list of recent activities.
- So I selected the option More Pins
Layout | Info |
---|---|
More Pins | This option preferred more Pinned apps and reduced the list of Recommended sections. It aims to show an app-focused Start Menu. |
Default | It allows a balanced view of pinned apps and recommended apps. |
More Recommendations | It allows the start menu to look more like the Recommendation list, with very few pinned apps. |
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Hide All the Recommendation Sections in the Start Menu
Above, I shared how to Show the Fewer Recommended Section in the Start Menu. In this screenshot, you may see that I selected More Pins rather than More Recommendation. It won’t hide Recommendations. You must turn off the options in the Screenshot to hide all the recommended sections.
- Turn off – Show most recently added apps.
- Turn off – Show the most used apps option.
- Turn off -Show recently opened items at the start, jumplist and file explorer.
- Turn off – Show recommendations for tips, shortcuts, new apps and more
- Turn off – Show account-related Notifications occasionally at the start
You may see the Result in this screenshot when Screenshots are Turned Off. When I turned off those 5 options from the list, you can see the start menu without Recommendations. It is straightforward to turn it On when you need the Recommended Section.
Remove the Recommendation Individually from the Start
I will share how to Remove the Recommendation Individually from the Start. When you have to hide a particular item from your recommendation, you don’t need to Hide the list. To do so, you must open the start and Right-click on the item you want to remove. Then you may get the option to ”Remove from List.”
- Click on the Remove from List
Another way to remove each Recommendation item is to click the More option above the recommendation list. When you click on that, you can see the list of recommended sections. This is very easy and helps you select and remove items.
- Right-click on the selected Item
- Click on the Remove from List
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Author
Anoop C Nair is Microsoft MVP! He is a Device Management Admin with more than 20 years of experience (calculation done in 2021) in IT. He is a Blogger, Speaker, and Local User Group HTMD Community leader. His main focus is on Device Management technologies like SCCM 2012, Current Branch, and Intune. He writes about ConfigMgr, Windows 11, Windows 10, Azure AD, Microsoft Intune, Windows 365, AVD, etc.