Microsoft recently released a new optional preview update for Windows 11, which introduces a new feature. The changes included in this update will be rolled out to all Windows 11 devices as part of the May 2024 cumulative security update. The testing and rollout of these changes happened at a record pace, initially being limited to Windows 11 users in the United States.

There were hints that these changes might be pulled before landing in stable versions of Windows 11. A modified version of the feature has now been included in the optional update for Windows 11 Stable. This update introduces a “promoted” label for advertised apps to help distinguish them from user-installed apps.

For example, the screenshot shows a promotion for the Opera Browser with the promoted label and the description “browse safely”. It is unclear whether the company that owns the product or Microsoft adds the descriptions to the listings. Other than these changes, there do not appear to be any significant updates.

The Recommended section of the Start menu will now display some Microsoft Store apps from a curated set of developers, allowing users to discover great apps that are available. This feature can be disabled in the Windows 11 Start menu.