How to remove the ads from Windows 10

If you've been using Windows 10, you might have noticed that advertisements have started to pop-up in your start menu and on your lock screen. While these aren't overly intrusive, it's always a bit frustrating to have a product you paid for (whether it's a retail version of Windows 10, your computer, or a previous version of Windows you've upgraded) spout ads at you. Fortunately, these aren't too hard to remove.

How to disable ads on the Windows 10 lock screen 
Disabling ads on the Windows 10 lock screen simple requires you to disable a setting called Windows Spotlight. You can find this by following the steps below.

1. Open the start menu and open the Settings app
2. Select "Personalisation"
3. Select "lock screen" from the menu on the side
4. Under background, change "Windows Spotlight" to either "picture" or "slideshow"
5. Toggle "get fun facts, tips, tricks and more on your lock screen" to off

How to disable ads in the Windows 10 start menu 
Windows 10 will occasionally show "suggested" apps in your start menu. Once again, these are fairly easy to get rid of.

1. Open the start menu and open the Settings app
2. Select "Personalisation"
3. Select "start menu" from the menu on the side
4. Toggle "occasionally show suggestions in Start" to off

How stop Windows 10 tracking you for targeted ads 
This is a bit more ominous than it sounds, but Windows 10 is able to track your usage across apps you've gotten from the Windows Store. This information is then used to provide you with more personalised ads in other apps. If you want to switch this off, you can do this be following the steps below.

1. Open the start menu and open the Settings app
2. Select "Privacy"
3. Toggle "let apps use my advertising ID for experiences across apps" to off