To stop suggested apps in Windows 10, open Settings > Personalization > Start and switch off Show suggestions occasionally in Start. Close and reopen the Start menu to confirm that app suggestions no longer appear. This is a per-user setting for the standard Windows 10 desktop and is separate from Windows privacy settings that track app launches or show recommendations elsewhere.
What the Windows 10 Start suggestion switch does
Windows 10 can reserve space in the Start menu for app recommendations. These entries can look like ordinary items in the app list or Start layout, but they are suggestions rather than applications you deliberately installed. The setting named Show suggestions occasionally in Start controls those occasional app suggestions.
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Turning off that switch prevents Windows from trying to show app suggestions in Start for the account you are using. It does not uninstall applications, remove items that you pinned yourself, or change recommendations in every other part of Windows. Those are separate behaviors with separate controls.
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Turn off suggested apps from Settings
- Open the Start menu and select the Settings gear. You can also open Settings with the
Windows+Ikeyboard shortcut. - Select Personalization.
- In the left-hand navigation, select Start.
- Find Show suggestions occasionally in Start.
- Turn the toggle Off.
Open Start again after changing the switch. New suggested-app entries should no longer be offered in the Start menu. Existing pinned shortcuts and installed programs remain available; the setting affects suggestions, not your software inventory.
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Use the related privacy controls only when you need them
Windows 10 has two privacy options that are often confused with the Start suggestion switch. They affect personalization or recommendations, but they are not replacements for the setting under Personalization.
Stop Windows from tracking app launches for Start and search
- Open Start > Settings.
- Select Privacy.
- Select General in the Privacy navigation.
- Turn off Let Windows track app launches to improve Start and search results.
This prevents Windows from using your app-launch history to personalize Start and search results. It does not, by itself, replace the Show suggestions occasionally in Start control. If your goal is specifically to stop suggested apps, disable the Personalization > Start switch first; disable launch tracking only if you also do not want that activity used to tailor results.
Remove suggested content in the Settings app
- Go to Start > Settings > Privacy > General.
- Turn off Show me suggested content in the Settings app.
This removes recommendations displayed inside Settings. It is independent of Start-menu suggestions, so changing it will not control the app recommendation area in Start.
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Why Windows 10 shows recommendations after you turn one option off
Several Windows features use the word “suggested” even though they are controlled separately. A clean Start menu therefore requires identifying where the entry appears:
- Inside the Start menu: use Settings > Personalization > Start > Show suggestions occasionally in Start.
- Personalization based on programs you open: use Privacy > General > Let Windows track app launches to improve Start and search results.
- Inside the Settings application: use Privacy > General > Show me suggested content in the Settings app.
Disabling the Start switch does not guarantee that every Microsoft feature, service, tip, or notification disappears. Microsoft’s Experience Policy controls third-party app and content suggestions, including suggested apps in Start and Windows tips, but its documentation notes that users may still see suggestions for Microsoft features, apps, and services. That distinction explains why a Start menu can remain free of third-party app recommendations while a Microsoft feature prompt still appears.
Consumer setting versus organization policy
On a personally managed PC, the Settings toggle is normally the right solution. An organization-managed Windows 10 device can apply Start policies through administrative tools, and those policies may override or restrict what an individual user can change.
| Approach | Ease | Scope | Who controls it | What it can change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Personalization > Start toggle | Simple graphical setting | Start suggestions for the current user | Individual user | Turns Show suggestions occasionally in Start on or off |
| Privacy > General controls | Simple graphical settings | App-launch personalization or suggested Settings content | Individual user, unless restricted | Controls tracking-based personalization and Settings recommendations |
| Start management policy | Requires administrator planning and deployment | Broader Start layout and list behavior | Organization administrator | Can force the Most used list visible or hidden and control whether the All apps list is collapsed, removed, or disabled |
| Experience Policy CSP | Requires MDM or other device-management tooling | Third-party app/content suggestions and Windows tips | Organization administrator | Can manage suggestion behavior, but does not promise removal of every Microsoft recommendation |
Administrative policies are intended for organization-controlled devices rather than the ordinary home-user fix. If a policy disables a Start feature, users may be unable to turn it back on. Conversely, a policy that only controls the Most used or All apps lists is broader than the single app-suggestion toggle and can alter the Start layout in ways a home user may not want.
What administrators can restrict on managed Windows 10 devices
Most used list
Microsoft’s Start policy documentation allows an administrator to force the Most used list to remain visible or to hide it. This is a list-management decision, not the same as suppressing occasional app suggestions. Hiding Most used changes the list of frequently launched programs; it does not necessarily remove every recommendation elsewhere in Start.
All apps list
Policies can control whether the All apps list is collapsed, removed, or disabled. An administrator can therefore create a more restricted Start experience than the normal per-user setting. A disabled option may prevent users from turning the feature back on, which is useful for a consistent corporate layout but inappropriate if each person should customize Start independently.
Third-party suggestions and Windows tips
The Experience Policy CSP covers third-party app and content suggestions, including suggested apps in Start and Windows tips. Its documented limitation matters: blocking third-party suggestions does not mean that Microsoft feature, app, or service suggestions can never appear. Administrators should define the policy goal precisely instead of promising a completely recommendation-free Windows interface.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Troubleshoot when suggested apps still appear
The toggle is still on
Return to Settings > Personalization > Start and verify that Show suggestions occasionally in Start is off. Windows settings are per user, so changing the option under one account does not change the Start menu for another account on the same PC.
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If you only disabled app-launch tracking or suggested content in Settings, go back to Personalization > Start and disable the dedicated Start toggle. Privacy > General controls do not substitute for it.
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The device is managed by an employer or school
A management policy may enforce a Start layout or hide the control. If the switch is unavailable, keeps reverting, or the Start layout changes after sign-in, ask the organization’s administrator which Start or Experience Policy is applied. Do not assume that resetting the local setting will defeat an enforced policy.
You are seeing a Microsoft feature prompt
The documented policy limitation means that Microsoft feature, app, and service suggestions can remain even when third-party app suggestions are blocked. Identify the wording and location of the prompt before changing more settings; a Microsoft tip is not necessarily the same feature as an app recommendation in Start.
You are following Windows 11 instructions
Windows 11 uses different recommendation controls and Start layout terminology. Confirm that the computer is running Windows 10 before following this path. Instructions written for Windows 11 can send you to settings that do not exist under the same names in Windows 10.
Privacy and usability trade-offs
Turning off Start suggestions is primarily a usability choice: it keeps the menu focused on installed and pinned software. Turning off app-launch tracking is a privacy choice that also reduces the information Windows can use to tailor Start and search results. You can make either change independently.
- Disable only Show suggestions occasionally in Start if you want a cleaner Start menu but still want personalized Start and search results.
- Disable both the Start suggestion switch and app-launch tracking if you do not want Windows using launch history for personalization.
- Also disable suggested Settings content if recommendations inside the Settings app are unwanted.
- On a managed device, check the organization’s policy before changing local settings because administrative controls can have a wider effect.
Windows 10 support status
Microsoft Support states that support for Windows 10 ended on October 14, 2025. The Start-menu procedure remains the documented Windows 10 path, but the operating system no longer receives ordinary support under that lifecycle. When troubleshooting, record the Windows edition and build and distinguish Windows 10 instructions from current Windows 11 guidance.
Quick Recap
Quick verification checklist
- Open Settings > Personalization > Start.
- Set Show suggestions occasionally in Start to Off.
- Reopen Start and check that new app suggestions are no longer offered.
- If personalization based on launch history is also unwanted, turn off Let Windows track app launches to improve Start and search results under Privacy > General.
- If recommendations appear in Settings, turn off Show me suggested content in the Settings app under the same Privacy page.
- If a control is missing or returns after sign-in, determine whether an organization policy is enforcing the Start configuration.
- Remember that Microsoft feature suggestions may remain even when third-party suggestions are blocked.
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