Microsoft accidentally reveals it’s testing ads in Windows Explorer

Windows 11 testers regularly find new features in Windows 11 that Microsoft hasn’t been ready to show anyone yet. Sometimes that means digging up a new task manager or tabbed browsing for File Explorer. And sometimes that means looking for ads for other Microsoft products when you browse your own locally stored files.

Microsoft MVP Florian Beaubois found an example of the latter when he saw an advertisement for Microsoft Editor while viewing his Documents folder in a build of Windows 11. In a statement to The Verge, Microsoft senior program manager Brandon Leblanc acknowledged that the advertisement banner was genuine, but said that it was “experimental”and “not intended for external publication and has been disabled.”

As The Verge points out, “we didn’t want anyone to see this” is not a promise to never run ads in Windows Explorer, but Microsoft’s behavior with the Edge browser, Microsoft account requirements, and offers to try OneDrive and Microsoft 365. indicate that the company has no problem with this kind of aggressive internal promotion of its own products and services. It’s the unfortunate reality of using big company products: You’ll get promotional notifications for Apple TV+ on your iPhone, offers to switch to Chrome when using Gmail, or prominent ads for Alexa-based products every time you try to buy a $6 cable on Amazon..

I especially don’t want to see hints for Microsoft Editor in the Documents folder or a banner suggesting trying Clipchamp in the Videos folder (the latter didn’t happen – just a possible example that comes to mind). But, in my opinion, there is a line between these sorts of general suggestions based on system folders and banners based on actual files or file types that I work with in File Explorer. A broad assumption like “you are in the documents folder; let me suggest other things related to documents”is annoying but doesn’t seem particularly intrusive. Any suggestion that Microsoft collects and uses information about your locally stored files to better advertise you might cross that line.