How to Disable Windows 11 Lock Screen Ads and Spotlight Tips

Your lock screen is showing trivia blurbs, “try this app” suggestions, or flat-out ads stacked over your background photo. That’s Windows Spotlight. Microsoft scattered the off switches across four different Settings pages.

Most guides only fix one piece. Skip a step and the ads sneak right back in through a setting nobody checked.

What Causes Lock Screen Ads in Windows 11?

Windows Spotlight rotates scenic photos on your lock screen. It also injects “fun facts,” feature tips, and app suggestions on top of them. It’s on by default for most Windows 11 Home and Pro installs, though the exact default can vary by edition and OEM. Two other settings, tailored experiences and notification suggestions, push similar promotional content elsewhere in Windows 11. Turn off just one of the three and the other two keep running.

Prerequisites

Make sure you have:

• A PC running Windows 11 (Home, Pro, or Enterprise)
• An administrator account, or at least permission to change Personalization and Privacy settings
• Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise, or Education if you want to use the Group Policy method (Fix #5)
• About five minutes; none of this requires a restart except the Group Policy step

Requirement	Details
Device	Any Windows 11 desktop, laptop, or tablet
OS version	Windows 11, any edition
Admin access	Required for Group Policy; not required for Settings-only fixes
Software to install	None; everything is built into Windows

Fix #1: Switch the Lock Screen From Windows Spotlight to Picture or Slideshow

Spotlight is the source of the ads and tips. Replace it and they’re gone.

• Press Windows + I to open Settings.
• Click Personalization in the left sidebar, then click Lock screen.

• Click the dropdown under Personalize your lock screen.
• Select Picture to use a single static image, or Slideshow to rotate through a folder of your own photos.
• If you chose Picture, click one of the sample images or Browse photos to pick your own.

Tip: Slideshow lets you point Windows at a specific folder, like your Pictures library. Your lock screen stays personal instead of pulling random Microsoft-curated images.

Fix #2: Turn Off “Get Fun Facts, Tips, Tricks, and More on Your Lock Screen”

This checkbox is what most people are searching for when they land here. It stays hidden until you finish Fix #1.

• Stay on Settings > Personalization > Lock screen.
• With Picture or Slideshow selected, scroll down until you see the checkbox labeled Get fun facts, tips, tricks, and more on your lock screen.
• Uncheck it.

• If a Lock screen status option appears (set to “Weather and more” or similar), click its dropdown and choose None for a plainer, distraction-free screen.

That checkbox only shows up when the background source is Picture or Slideshow. Microsoft buried it there instead of removing it. That’s why so many people swear it doesn’t exist.

Fix #3: Turn Off Tailored Experiences in Privacy & Security

Even with Spotlight gone, Windows can still use your diagnostic data to personalize ads, tips, and app recommendations. This shows up in the Start menu, Settings, even File Explorer. Tailored experiences is the setting responsible.

• Open Settings > Privacy & security.
• Scroll down and click Diagnostics & feedback.
• Click Tailored experiences.

• Turn the toggle Off.

This won’t touch your lock screen directly. It’s the setting behind most “recommended for you” and personalized-tip content elsewhere in Windows 11.

Fix #4: Turn Off Windows Suggestions in Notifications Settings

Windows also nudges you with “welcome experience” popups and feature tips. These come through the notification system. That’s separate from the lock screen and tailored experiences.

• Open Settings > System > Notifications.
• Scroll down and click Additional settings to expand it.

• Uncheck Show the Windows welcome experience after updates and occasionally when I sign in.
• Uncheck Suggest ways I can finish setting up my device to get the most out of Windows.
• Uncheck Get tips and suggestions when I use Windows.

Fix #5 (Pro/Enterprise): Use Group Policy to Block Microsoft Consumer Experiences

If you manage a shared family PC or an office machine, Group Policy is the better fix. It blocks Spotlight suggestions and related consumer content for every account on that device. This requires Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise, or Education. Home edition doesn’t include the Local Group Policy Editor.

• Press Windows + R to open Run.
• Type gpedit.msc and press Enter.

gpedit.msc

• In the left pane, navigate to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Cloud Content.

• Double-click Turn off Microsoft consumer experiences.
• Select Enabled, then click OK.
• Sign out and back in, or restart the PC, for the policy to take effect.

Warning: Group Policy changes apply system-wide to every user account on this PC. On a shared or managed device, confirm with whoever else uses it before locking this down.

Verify the Result

Time to check your work.

• Press Windows + L to lock your PC.
• Confirm the lock screen shows only your chosen picture or slideshow image. No trivia text, no app suggestions, no promotional overlays.
• Sign back in and spot-check Settings > System > Notifications and Privacy & security to confirm your toggles held.

Why Lock Screen Ads Come Back After a Windows Update

Major Windows 11 feature updates can silently reset Personalization, Notifications, and Privacy settings back to Microsoft’s defaults. Spotlight, tailored experiences, and notification suggestions can all flip back on without warning. You didn’t do anything wrong. It’s a known side effect of how feature updates rebuild the settings database. Group Policy settings usually survive updates better than Settings-app toggles. Still, it’s worth a quick recheck.

Set a reminder to revisit these four spots any time you install a feature update (not a routine monthly patch; those don’t usually touch personalization):

• Settings > Personalization > Lock screen
• Settings > System > Notifications > Additional settings
• Settings > Privacy & security > Diagnostics & feedback > Tailored experiences
• gpedit.msc > Cloud Content (Pro/Enterprise only; confirm it still shows Enabled)

Common Issues

The fun facts checkbox is missing

Why it happens: Your lock screen background is still set to Windows spotlight. That toggle only appears under Picture or Slideshow.

Fix: Go back to Fix #1 and switch the background first. The checkbox appears immediately after.

Ads still show up after changing lock screen settings

Why it happens: One of the other three settings (tailored experiences, notification suggestions, or Spotlight itself) is still active.

Fix: Walk through Fixes #1 through #4 in order. They control different parts of Windows, and skipping one leaves a gap.

The personalization dropdown is greyed out

Why it happens: The PC is managed by a workplace or school account that enforces its own lock screen policy.

Fix: You generally can’t override this yourself. Contact your organization’s IT admin.

gpedit.msc won’t open

Why it happens: The Local Group Policy Editor isn’t included in Windows 11 Home.

Fix: Stick to Fixes #1–#4 in Settings. There’s no Home-edition equivalent for Group Policy.

Tips and Hidden Features

• Registry alternative exists but isn’t recommended first: The DisableWindowsConsumerFeatures value under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\CloudContent mirrors the Group Policy setting. Editing the registry directly carries more risk for non-technical users, though. Stick with Group Policy or Settings unless you’re already comfortable in there.
• Slideshow beats Picture for variety: If you liked Spotlight’s rotating photos but not the ads, point Slideshow at a personal photo folder. You get similar variety without the promotional layer.
• Lock screen status set to None: This removes the small weather/calendar widget area too, giving you the cleanest possible lock screen.

Wrapping Up

Fix #1 and Fix #2 clear up the ads for almost everyone. Switching away from Spotlight and unchecking the fun-facts box takes under a minute.

If promotional content still shows up elsewhere in Windows, run through Fix #3 and Fix #4 too. Fix #5 is worth the extra steps on a shared PC. Check the four spots above after any feature update, since Microsoft has a habit of quietly flipping them back on.

Step	Action	Applies To
1	Switch lock screen from Spotlight to Picture/Slideshow	All editions
2	Uncheck “fun facts, tips, tricks”	All editions
3	Turn off Tailored experiences	All editions
4	Turn off Notifications suggestions	All editions
5	Enable “Turn off Microsoft consumer experiences” via Group Policy	Pro/Enterprise/Education

Resources

• Microsoft Q&A: How do I turn off lock screen ads even though personalization is off?
• Microsoft Q&A: Windows 11 has started showing me adverts on the lock screen
• Microsoft Q&A: How do I stop Microsoft propaganda
• Microsoft Windows Support