Microsoft recently released a new optional preview update for Windows 11, which will be incorporated into the May 2024 cumulative security update. The changes introduced in this update were tested and rolled out quickly, initially limited to users in the United States and there were hints of the possibility of the change being pulled before being made available in stable versions of Windows 11. A modified version of the feature has now been included in the optional update for Windows 11 Stable. In this update, advertised apps are marked with a “promoted” label to distinguish them from user-installed apps.

The screenshot provided in the announcement displayed a promotion for the Opera Browser, featuring the promoted label and the description “browse safely.” However, it is unclear which party adds the descriptions to listings, whether it is the product’s owning company or Microsoft. Beyond this change, the Recommended section of the Start menu will now showcase some Microsoft Store apps from a curated selection of developers. This aims to help users discover high-quality apps available on the platform.

Additionally, there is an option to disable this feature within the Windows 11 Start menu. Overall, the update brings these new features and changes to the Windows 11 experience.