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![](data:image/svg+xml, %3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' height='64' class='font-weight-bold' style='font: 600 30.11764705882353px "SegoeUI", Arial' width='64'%3E%3Ccircle fill='hsl(281.6, 76%, 37%)' cx='32' cy='32' r='32' /%3E%3Ctext x='50%25' y='55%25' dominant-baseline='middle' text-anchor='middle' fill='%23FFF' %3EGW%3C/text%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Changing Group Policy to remove "Recommendations" section from the Start menu has no effect. This is an ongoing issue for many that surely has a resolution.
![](data:image/svg+xml, %3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' height='64' class='font-weight-bold' style='font: 600 30.11764705882353px "SegoeUI", Arial' width='64'%3E%3Ccircle fill='hsl(204.8, 33%, 29%)' cx='32' cy='32' r='32' /%3E%3Ctext x='50%25' y='55%25' dominant-baseline='middle' text-anchor='middle' fill='%23FFF' %3EMK%3C/text%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Hi Gordon
The Open Specifications tags are related to Open Specifications documentation issues.
The Open Specifications can be found at: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/openspecs/main/ms-openspeclp/3589baea-5b22-48f2-9d43-f5bea4960ddb . Your question does not appear to be related to the Open Specifications documentation set.
I've changed the Open Specifications tag to Windows 11 Settings to provide better assistance.
![](data:image/svg+xml, %3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' height='64' class='font-weight-bold' style='font: 600 30.11764705882353px "SegoeUI", Arial' width='64'%3E%3Ccircle fill='hsl(278.4, 80%, 36%)' cx='32' cy='32' r='32' /%3E%3Ctext x='50%25' y='55%25' dominant-baseline='middle' text-anchor='middle' fill='%23FFF' %3EVM%3C/text%3E%3C/svg%3E)
I can confirm this is also an issue on Server 2025 as of build 24H2 (OS Build 26100.6584). I tried both the GPO and registry tweaks and the recommended section is still appearing even after a reboot
![](data:image/svg+xml, %3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' height='64' class='font-weight-bold' style='font: 600 30.11764705882353px "SegoeUI", Arial' width='64'%3E%3Ccircle fill='hsl(102.4, 27%, 19%)' cx='32' cy='32' r='32' /%3E%3Ctext x='50%25' y='55%25' dominant-baseline='middle' text-anchor='middle' fill='%23FFF' %3EJT%3C/text%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Based on my knowledge, to reliably hide Recommendations, I think you can try the following approaches:
1. Group Policy (Preferred):
gpedit.msc → User Configuration → Administrative Templates → Start Menu and Taskbar → Remove Recommendations → set to Enabled.gpupdate /force in an elevated Command Prompt and sign out/sign back in.2. Registry (Reliable if Group Policy alone doesn’t work):
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer.NoRecommendations and set it to 1.3. Quick Script Option:
@echo off
REG ADD "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer" /v NoRecommendations /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f
echo Recommendations section should now be hidden. Please sign out and sign back in.
pause
.bat → Run as Administrator → sign out and back in.=> Note: Some Windows 11 builds may briefly show Recommendations even after applying these settings; a full restart usually ensures the section is removed.
=> These methods cover both the standard Group Policy approach and a more reliable Registry/script approach in case the policy doesn’t take effect immediately.