[falcolas]

Counter data point: I maintain a windows 11 PC for gaming, and there are ads everywhere. Most of the ads point back to Microsoft products, but not all.

Launcher ads. Live desktop ads. News ads. Weather ads. Settings page ads. Game bar ads. Lock screen ads.

I turn them off as I run across them, but I can never seem to catch them all.

[orangepurple]

Remove 11 and install Windows 10 LTSC IOT edition until the equivalent for 11 drops.

Make Windows shut up for good with Tinywall (https://tinywall.pados.hu/) and whitelist applications as needed.

[andyjohnson0]

Is this Windows 11 Home?

I have a Windows 11 Pro machine and the only intrusive thing I've ever seen was the small weather box on the taskbar, which I immediately turned off. I've never seen any of the others you mention.

If its relevant I use Firedox and Kagi rather than Edge and Bing/Google.

[LegitShady]

I don't see any of that, on a plain old windows 11 home license. Not sure why the experience is so different.

If you have the ability to install explorerpatcher I'd recommend it.

[mostlysimilar]

Perhaps you're in an A/B test. Hardly surprising the experience isn't consistent from person to person.

[LegitShady]

mine is also a retail license rather than an oem included license, but I don't know if that matters.

[maxbaines]

Same for me.