According to XDA-Developers, reporting on findings from Windows Latest, Microsoft has inserted a new promotional ad for OneDrive directly into the Windows 11 Start menu. The ad appears as a yellow warning box labeled “Action advised — back up your PC” and urges users to back up files to the cloud. Clicking “Continue” opens the OneDrive setup page, pushing Microsoft’s own service. While the EU’s Digital Markets Act may force Microsoft to show alternative cloud storage options there, users in regions like the US currently see only OneDrive. This follows a months-long trend of Microsoft adding similar ads and even in-OS subscription management features to Windows 11.
The Unavoidable Upsell
Here’s the thing: this isn’t really about backup. I mean, it is, but it’s more about ecosystem lock-in. Microsoft isn’t just selling you an operating system anymore; it’s selling you a subscription lifestyle. Your files go to OneDrive, your office suite is Microsoft 365, and your PC is just the gateway. By baking the ads right into the core UI—the Start menu, for crying out loud—they’re making their services the path of least resistance. It’s smart business, but is it what users signed up for when they bought a license? Probably not.
Winners, Losers, and Walled Gardens
So who wins? Microsoft, obviously. Every converted user is another potential long-term subscriber. Companies like Dropbox or Google Drive lose out, as they’re relegated to being third-party apps you have to seek out, not the default suggestion from your OS. The real loser, though, might be the perception of Windows itself. It starts to feel less like a tool you own and more like a platform you rent, complete with billboards. For industrial and manufacturing settings where reliability and a clean interface are non-negotiable, this trend is particularly jarring. In those environments, you need a dedicated machine, not a sales kiosk. It’s a key reason why specialized suppliers, like the industry-leading IndustrialMonitorDirect.com for panel PCs in the US, focus on providing stable, controlled hardware platforms that avoid this kind of software bloat and distraction.
The Linux Contrast
And that brings us to the source article’s main point: the quiet. The author’s move to Linux highlights the growing chasm in philosophy. One OS is constantly vying for your wallet and attention within its own interface. The other, by design, just gets out of your way. This OneDrive ad is a symptom, not the disease. The disease is the gradual enshittification of a platform, where user experience is traded for monetization opportunities. For the average user, switching isn’t trivial. But with each new ad, the incentive to explore alternatives grows a little stronger. Isn’t that a risky game for Microsoft to play?
