remove personalized website recommendations from start menu using a GPO

Andy Cerasoli 20 Reputation points
2025-02-25T10:46:23.1933333+00:00

Hi i am following the CIS Benchmark for Windows 11 and trying to set the GPO

Computer configuration\polices\Administrative templates\start menu and taskbar\remove personalized website recommendations.

But the option is not there. Does anyone know has it been moved? I have looked on the user configuration but again its not there. I am using the latest Windows 11 24H2 GPOs

Thanks

Andy

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A set of directory-based technologies included in Windows Server.
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  1. Zunhui Han 3,410 Reputation points Microsoft Vendor
    2025-02-26T14:32:59.41+00:00

    Hello,

    Thank you for posting in Q&A forum.

    If you are unable to find this option in the Group Policy Editor, you can manually set the registry key to achieve the same effect. Here are the steps:

    1. Open the Registry Editor by typing regedit in the search box and pressing Enter.
    2. Navigate to the following path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer
    3. If the Explorer key does not exist, you will need to create it.
    4. Create a new DWORD (32-bit) Value named HideRecommendedPersonalizedSites.
    5. Set the value to 1 to hide personalized website.

    Note If you modify the registry incorrectly, you can cause serious problems. Therefore, follow these steps carefully. For additional protection, back up the registry before you modify it. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, see How to back up and restore the registry in Windows.

    I hope the information above is helpful.

    Best regards

    Zunhui

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