Windows 10 has started showing ads in the lock screen, but you can disable them

The price of freedom just keeps getting higher and higher. Microsoft did release Windows 10 for free, but they’re finding more and more ways to extract a price from their users. Reports have surfaced online that users are now encountering ads on their Windows 10 lock screen. We already know that Microsoft extracts a lot of metadata from your PC and we know that it can’t be stopped, at least not easily. They’re shoving updates down users throats whether they want them or not. Fans of Solitaire will of course remember the ad-supported version of Solitaire that was initially bundled with Windows 10. This latest intrusion has so far been very mild—a full-screen Tomb Raider wallpaper for example—but it’s not something that we’re very keen on and we’re sure, many of you don’t want any part of. Thankfully, as How-to Geek pointed out, it’s very easy to disable these ads. Just press your Windows key, search for “lock screen settings” and click to open. Once there, head over to the “background” section and replace “Windows Spotlight” with anything else. Next, scroll down to the bottom of the page and disable “Get fun facts, tips, tricks, and more on your lock screen” by clicking on the switch. That’s it, you shouldn’t see anymore ads on your lock screen! Why Microsoft persists in trying to extract a price for something that they gave away for free is beyond us. Especially when they’re not very upfront about it in the first place. But then, calling Windows 10 “ad-supported” won’t do much for their image, will it?