How To Turn Off Annoying File Explorer Ads in Windows 10

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Users who have updated early to the Windows 10 Creators Update (using Insider builds) have noticed a big annoyance: an ad in the File Explorer for Microsoft's own OneDrive service. It's one of the most intrusive self-promotion efforts we've seen in Windows 10 so far.

People use the File Explorer a lot. It's not something you can avoid, so this advertising is particularly annoying and all but unavoidable. That is, unless you turn it off. Paul Thurrott has helped find a way to disable the ads for a return to a serene file manager.

 1. Open File Explorer and go to View > Options > Change folder and search options.

2. Choose the View tab in the "Folder Options" window.

3. Uncheck "Show sync provider notifications" in the advanced settings list. It's towards the bottom.

Go to Thurrot's website for more information, including on how (and why) you can proactively change this before you get the Creators Update.

Ad Screenshot via Reddit

Windows File Explorer Tips

Andrew E. Freedman

Andrew is a contributing writer at Laptop Mag. His main focus lies in helpful how-to guides and laptop reviews, including Asus, Microsoft Surface, Samsung Chromebook, and Dell. He has also dabbled in peripherals, including webcams and docking stations. His work has also appeared in Tom's Hardware, Tom's Guide, PCMag, Kotaku, and Complex. He fondly remembers his first computer: a Gateway that still lives in a spare room in his parents' home, albeit without an internet connection. When he’s not writing about tech, you can find him playing video games, checking social media and waiting for the next Marvel movie.