How to Remove Recommended from the Windows 11 Start Menu (3 Methods)

The Windows 11 Start menu includes a Recommended section that surfaces recently added apps, frequently used apps, recent files, browsing history, and Microsoft tips. It’s enabled by default and can’t be removed with a single toggle. Here are three ways to get rid of it — pick the one that fits your setup.

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What Is the Recommended Section?

Every time you open the Start menu, Windows 11 automatically shows personalized suggestions pulled from your activity. This includes:

• Recently installed apps
• Most-used apps
• Recent files from File Explorer and Jump Lists
• Websites from your browsing history
• Microsoft tips and app recommendations

If you manage shared or enterprise devices, this section can expose sensitive file names or browsing activity to other users. Removing it is a reasonable hardening step.

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Method 1 — Settings (Works on All Editions)

This is the quickest route, but there’s no master toggle. You need to disable each item individually.

1. Open Settings → Personalization → Start
2. Turn off each of the following:
   • Show recently added apps
   • Show the most used apps
   • Show recommended files in Start, recent files in File Explorer, and items in Jump Lists
   • Show websites from your browsing history
   • Show recommendations for tips, shortcuts, new apps, and more

This works on all Windows 11 editions with no admin rights required. However, users can re-enable these at any time — so it’s not suitable for managed environments.

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Method 2 — Group Policy Editor (Pro and Enterprise Only)

If you’re on Windows 11 Pro, Education, or Enterprise, Group Policy gives you a single switch that handles everything.

1. Press Win + R, type gpedit.msc, and hit Enter
2. Choose your scope:
   • All users: Computer Configuration → Administrative Templates → Start Menu and Taskbar
   • Specific users: User Configuration → Administrative Templates → Start Menu and Taskbar
3. Find and double-click Remove Recommended section from Start Menu
4. Set it to Enabled → click OK
5. Restart Explorer via Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc → find Windows Explorer → right-click → Restart), or reboot

To undo this, go back to the same policy and set it to Not Configured.

Note for Intune admins: This policy maps to a CSP setting you can push via a Configuration Profile using the Settings Catalog. Search for Hide Recommended Section under the Start menu node.

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Method 3 — Registry Editor (Works on All Editions)

This is the most powerful option. The registry value overrides the Settings toggles, meaning users can’t re-enable the section from the UI. Use this for unmanaged Home edition devices or when you need a locked-down result.

Before you start: Back up the registry or create a restore point.

1. Open Registry Editor as administrator
2. Navigate to:
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\ExplorerIf the Explorer key doesn’t exist under Windows, create it manually.
3. Right-click empty space → New → DWORD (32-bit) Value
4. Name it exactly: HideRecommendedSection
5. Double-click it → set base to Hexadecimal, value to 1 → click OK
6. Reboot, or restart Windows Explorer from Task Manager

To revert, delete the HideRecommendedSection DWORD and restart.

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Which Method to Use

Method	Edition	User Can Undo	Admin Required
Settings	All	✅ Yes	❌ No
Group Policy	Pro / Enterprise	❌ No	✅ Yes
Registry Editor	All	❌ No (UI locked)	✅ Yes

For home users, the Settings method is fast and non-destructive. For managed devices, use Group Policy or push the registry key via Intune to enforce the setting at scale and prevent users from reverting it.