Microsoft puts ads in Explorer, claims it was a test

Microsoft appears to be testing a new type of ad inside File Explorer on Windows 11. Microsoft MVP and Twitter user Florian Beaubois discovered an ad in the latest test build of Windows 11, prompting users to check out the Microsoft Editor. While the ads might have appeared for some Windows 11 users, Microsoft says it was a mistake.

This was an experimental banner that was not intended to be published externally and was turned off," says Brandon LeBlanc, senior program manager for Windows, in a statement to The Verge.

Almost every week there's a news story about something plain dreadful happening to Windows users, and this is just the latest in a long string of ads Microsoft is plastering all over its operating system. I really don't understand how users just accept this - they sit back, get bombarded with ads in their operating system, and just... Accept it.

Baffling.