How to remove recommendations from the Windows 11 menu: a complete guide

Are you bothered by the recommendations in the start menu of Windows 11 and you want to deactivate them without going around in circles? In this guide you will find all the available options to turn off or clean that Recommended section, as well as several Tricks to avoid related suggestions, such as those that appear when typing in the search engine.

We gather and cross-reference information from the best official guides and news so you have a clear step-by-step guide, helpful hints, and alternatives if you just want to hide specific elements without disabling everything. We also tell you about the recent Start menu changes Microsoft is testing. Windows Insider and that makes it even easier to zero out the recommendations area.

What exactly is the Recommended section and why does it appear?

The Recommended section of the Windows 11 Start menu is a dynamic block which shows quick access to recent items and app suggestions. You'll typically see recently opened files, frequently used apps, and even recent installations, all to speed up access to what Windows thinks you'll need.

In practice, this block works as a visual history with its own criteria.: Sometimes it nails the suggestions, and other times it seems a bit random, showing things you're not interested in or don't want in the foreground for privacy reasons. If you share a computer, work with clients, or just prefer a clean start, it's normal to want to remove it.

Keep in mind that Recommended coexists with pinned apps, the top part of the Start menu where you place your favorite programs. This area is fixed and controlled by you. Recommended, on the other hand, is based on your device usage and settings for recent content and added apps.

Another source of distraction is the suggestions that appear when you type in the Windows search engine.These search recommendations can be disabled separately, as we'll see later, so that the search box doesn't suggest anything to you as you type.

Changes to the Windows 11 Start Menu vs. Windows 10

Windows 11 debuted a start menu with clear design and organization changes.The Start button moved from the lower left corner to a centered alignment on the taskbar, with the menu also opening toward the center. The design has been stripped back from sharp edges to adopt rounded corners and a more uniform style.

The old vertical list of Windows 10 apps has been replaced with a grid of pinned apps., allowing you to prioritize what's important at the top and easily move what you use most. You can rearrange them at will and keep up to 18 apps visible without having to open the full list.

Classic shortcuts like Documents, Pictures, and Settings have disappeared from the left edge., keeping only the power and account shortcuts. If you miss those shortcuts, you can recover them from Start settings, but they no longer appear in the side panel as they used to.

Below the anchored ones came the Recommended section, which is the one we're concerned with: its purpose is to gather recent items and suggestions to save clicks. It's useful for some profiles, but for many users, it's a catch-all they'd rather empty.

Pros and Cons of Recommended: Why You Might Want to Remove It

The main advantage of Recommended is speedIf you frequently open the same documents or programs, it gives you an instant shortcut. Plus, when you install something new, it's highlighted so you can launch it with one click without searching for it.

The problem comes when it shows you suggestions that are not yours or do not interest you., or when recommendations for downloadable apps you don't need appear. You can accidentally click on something you didn't want and end up installing something that you'll later have to uninstall, wasting time and leaving behind system residue.

If you work in a hurry or share equipment, there is also a privacy component.Viewing recent items in the foreground can expose sensitive files or reveal activity you'd rather keep in the background. In that case, it's a good idea to turn off recent content and recommendations completely.

Finally, there are users who simply like a flawless startup.. No visual clutter: just pinned apps and, at most, the full program list. For that minimalist approach, leaving Recommended blank or disabled is the best option.

Method 1: Disable Recommended from Windows Settings

The most direct way to disable Recommended content is to tap the switches on the home screen. in the Settings panel. With a few changes, you'll see the block become empty or nearly empty.

Step by step: Open Start and go to Settings with the Windows + i combination, go to the Personalization section, and then go to Start. There you'll find the toggles that control what appears under Recommended.

• Turn off 'Show recently added apps' to prevent new installations from being highlighted.
• Turn 'Show most used apps' on or off depending on whether you prefer the system to prioritize those apps or not consider them for suggestions.
• Turn off 'Show recently opened items in Start, shortcut lists, and File Explorer' to stop recent documents from appearing in Recommended, Jump Lists, and Explorer.

Important tipIf you find it helpful to locate newly installed apps, you might not want to turn off the recently added setting. You can try disabling only recently opened items and keeping new apps visible.

After these changes, Recommended is left without content or reduced to a minimum.For practical purposes, you'll see a start with your anchors and, below, a blank space or one with much less noise, which was exactly the idea.

Method 2: Remove specific items from the Recommended section

If you don't want to disable anything globally, you can go to scalpel and hide only what bothers you.It's slower, but it lets you keep useful suggestions and delete those that don't help you.

From the start menu itself, open Start, locate the item under Recommended, right-click it, and choose Remove from list. This will remove it from the list. If it's an app you don't use and don't want to see again, you can also use Uninstall from that same context menu.

This method is selective, so it does not clean all at once.It takes a couple of sessions to get Recommended to your liking, but it maintains some automaticity in case you find certain recent accesses useful.

Consider combining it with method 1: For example, disable recent system items, and still check what appears from time to time and delete it with a right click if it doesn't fit.

How to leave Recommended blank: settings to review

For those looking for a clean start, there are three key switches that are worth checking. within Personalization > Home. These have the greatest impact on the Recommended section.

• Show recently added apps: If enabled, each new installation appears under Recommended. Turn this off to prevent this.
• Show the most used applications: governs app prioritization by frequency. Turn it off if you don't want it to influence suggestions.
• Show recently opened items in Start, shortcut lists, and File Explorer: is the big switch to clear recent history system-wide, including Recommended.

With that combination, the Recommended block is completely empty. or with minimal residual content. This is the preferred configuration for those who value privacy and minimalism.

Remember that even with Recommended empty, Search and Jump Lists may show suggestions. if you don't also disable the recent items feature and search suggestions, which we discuss in the next section.

Turn off search suggestions as you type

The search engine suggestion panel can display suggestions based on what you type.If you prefer a silent search box, you can turn off these search prompts so that automatic suggestions don't appear.

In Settings, go to the Search section and uncheck the option to Show search suggestions as you type. This will stop the system from offering real-time predictions when you start typing.

Please note that these search suggestions remain disabled until you delete your cookies or re-enable them.. Additionally, some of the features described may not be available in your country or region, depending on the edition of Windows and the services enabled.

If you use the built-in search engine together with cloud servicesAlso, review your cloud content permissions and search highlights to keep privacy and recommendations aligned with your preferences.

What's new in the Start menu in Windows 11 (Insider): more control over Recommended

Microsoft is testing a new Start menu that insiders can now use. in the Beta and Development channels. The idea is to improve navigation and, at the same time, provide more room to customize or disable the recommendations section.

The two-page system is eliminated and vertical scrolling arrivesInstead of switching to another view to see all your apps, the list moves within the menu itself, making everything easier to access from the same surface.

The Recommended section can be completely disabled for greater clarityUnder Personalization > Start, you'll see visible options to hide recommendations and recently added apps, with more straightforward labels like Show recommended files in Start or Show recently added apps, which you can turn off with a click.

The All Apps section now has two display modes.. Category mode, which automatically groups by type and prioritizes the most used items in each group when there are enough similar apps, and grid mode, which sorts alphabetically, making better use of the width for faster visual searches.

The menu adapts to the screen sizeOn large screens, it shows more columns of pinned apps, more recommendations, and more categories; on small screens, it reduces the columns to keep things compact. If you have only a few pinned apps, that area shrinks to one row to give space to the rest.

Additionally, there is quick integration with the Phone Link panel and minor improvements., such as a dedicated button next to the search box to expand or collapse mobile integration, and an optimized keyboard that allows PIN login using a game controller on compatible devices.

Good practices and little tricks for a more useful Start

If you turn off Recommended, you can take full advantage of pinned appsMove items you use daily to the front row and organize them into groups: work, leisure, and tools. Right-clicking on a pinned item gives you useful options like Move to Top.

Avoid accidental installations by reviewing what appears after installing softwareEven if you've disabled recently added apps, after installing an app, it's a good idea to open All Apps, locate it, and pin it yourself to keep track of it.

Combine minimalist Home with a clean search engineIf you've turned off recent items and typing suggestions, you'll gain focus and privacy, especially useful on shared or work computers.

Remember that some changes require continued use to settle.If you notice that residual items still appear under Recommended, log out and back in, or restart your computer after changing the Startup switches so Windows refreshes the menu settings.

One last practical noteIf you need to reactivate recommendations from time to time, go back to Personalization > Home and turn on the switches you turned off. You can switch between the two modes without losing your pinned settings.

Leaving the start menu to your liking is not just a matter of aesthetics, but also of productivity and privacy.With Start settings, clearing recent items, and disabling search suggestions, you can create a visually clutter-free environment where everything is just a click away and nothing distracts or appears without your permission.