Microsoft has commenced ad testing of its other products in the File Explorer app. The feature is only available on devices running the latest Windows 11 Insider build.
The feature was revealed by a Windows 11 user. The user shared a screenshot of an advertisement notification displayed above the listing of folders and files to the File Explorer.
The screenshot also showed that Microsoft plans to use such ads to promote other Microsoft products.
The feature has drawn different reactions in terms of commendations and criticism from users. Some users criticized Microsoft stating that File Explorer is “one of the worst places to show ads.”
Those who commended Microsoft for the feature stated that it was the best option for Microsoft to make people ditch Explorer for something else.
This is not the first time Microsoft is running ads on File Explorer. In 2016, the company showed a OneDrive ad in the Windows application. In 2020, Microsoft also tested ads in the menu bar for the Windows 10 Wordpad application.