If you don't want to upgrade to Windows 11 you still have options. Take advantage of this free option, or you can pay for another year of Windows 10 security updates.
Microsoft wants to draw users' attention to the AI contained in Windows and encourage them to use the function. If this annoys you though, you can simply remove the menu entry via the registry.
Type "Registry Editor" in the search window of the taskbar and click on the hit Registry Editor. Click through to the folder "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Shell Extensions\" and open the key Blocked.
If this key does not exist, right-click on Shell Extensions, go to New - Key and give the new key the name "Blocked".
Hey, I'll be honest: I found some surprises in my own Microsoft account settings recently, and that's why I want to share these tips with you. For example, I had no idea Microsoft was sharing my personal data with third-party partners for advertising-related purposes.
Some of these tips are straightforward, others are less obvious. To find your Microsoft account settings, head to account.microsoft.com and sign in with your Microsoft account credentials.
Control which apps can access your data
You can give third-party apps direct access to your Microsoft account. That one email tool you used back in 2018? Yeah, it might still have access to your Microsoft account emails. Lots of other online account systems, like Google accounts, work the same way. (It's called OAuth.)
As a result, small-time developers will not have to share their payment details with Microsoft, BleepingComputer reports.
"Developers will no longer need a credit card to get started, removing a key point of friction that has affected many creators around the world," Microsoft writes in the statement.
"By eliminating these one-time fees, Microsoft is creating a more inclusive and accessible platform that empowers more developers to innovate, share and thrive on the Windows ecosystem."
According to Microsoft, the Microsoft Store currently has over 250 million monthly active users, and this change is meant to spur more active development of apps for the ecosystem—most notably small-time apps and utilities that could help fill out gaps on the Microsoft Store.
Individual developers still need to sign in with a personal Microsoft account and provide a selfie plus a valid government-issued ID before they can submit to the Microsoft Store. This change is now active across nearly 200 markets worldwide. All app types are welcome, including Win32, UWP, PWA, .NET MAUI, and Electron apps.
