The new start page for Windows 11 Settings is one of the novelties of the latest version for Insider testers that Microsoft has just released to the beta channel. And to put it mildly, it’s not very useful.

Microsoft continues to tweak Windows 11 every now and then while it waits for Windows 12 to offer real news next year, and while most “windows” users keep their PCs on Windows 10. Like other controversial design decisions, what we refers to, aimed rather at promote Microsoft’s own services rather than improving the user experience.

Windows 11 Settings home page

Settings is one of the most important tools in Windows because it controls most Windows features, system, networks, security, accounts, screen and more. Especially since the control panel has been described as “legacy” and is in the process of disappearing or being minimized.

Microsoft has added a new section as a splash page that automatically opens when users open the Settings app, from the general Start menu or by using the Windows + I keyboard shortcut. The page contains following interactive cards:

• Recommended settings: Selection of settings based on user activity.
• Cloud storage: Shows OneDrive storage.
• Account recovery when you use a Microsoft account.
• Personalization – Displays various customization options, for example to change the theme or color mode.
• Microsoft 365 – Displays your subscription status and/or Microsoft 365 subscription benefits.
• Xbox: Shows the status of your Xbox subscription and how to manage it
• Bluetooth Devices: Quick options for device management.

As you will see, four of the seven options are directly linked to Microsoft’s own services, in a promotion that spreads to other parts of the system. Storage for selling OneDrive subscriptions, Office for selling bundles, Xbox for the gaming ecosystem, and an account for users to link their data to a brand ID. The other three interactive cards aren’t very useful either.

The start page in Windows 11 Settings isn’t a bad idea if it’s focused on including options that are genuinely useful and not just advertising. And that you can add cards that the user wants and that can be edited, which is not possible at the moment. As they say in ghacks, (in the present state) “Half Promotion, Half Uselessness”.