Microsoft is Bringing Ads to the Microsoft Store Search Box

Microsoft has released a new Microsoft Store update that includes a change some may find as quite intrusive: The Store search box now shows app recommendations at the bottom. This is one of the “improvements” that’s now rolling out to Windows Insiders on all channels, along with new game categories at the top of the Store’s Gaming page.

According to the Windows Insider team, this new flyout at the bottom of the Store search box “suggests content you may be interested in.” This isn’t too different from the new app recommendations that Microsoft has started testing in the “Recommended” section of the Start Menu, though the latter won’t appear on commercial devices.

As usual, Windows Insiders can share their feedback about these Store Search suggestions with the Windows Insider team. However, these new “ads” are probably a minor annoyance compared to all the items in Paul’s Windows 11 enshittification checklist.

The Windows Insider team also announced today that a new Paint update is rolling out to Insiders in the Canary and Dev Channels. The new bits will let pen users switch to erase by just flipping their pen or pressing on the eraser button. Users of pens with a side button will also be able to click it when they hover their pen over the screen to access the free-form selection tool.