Microsoft’s Windows 10 nag screens are back with a vengeance

(Image credit: Future/Microsoft)

Microsoft is once again employing its aggressive tactic of annoying nag screens, with users reporting a surge in unwanted prompts since installing the latest Windows 10 updates. 

After installing the latest software updates, likely Microsoft’s February or March patches, users have moaned that they’re experiencing a deluge of full-screen prompts urging them to “Get even more out of Windows”. 

The annoying pop-up, that worryingly resembles the first boot experience, highlights a number of services that you can use after setting up a Microsoft Account, including Your Phone, Windows Hello, Office 365 and OneDrive. 

That nagging feeling

This nag screen is nothing new, as it was initially launched the alongside Microsoft’s May 2018 Update as a post-set-up ‘experience’ that previously displayed only on the first boot of the device or after the clean installation of Windows 10

Nor is it the first nag screen users have experienced; back in January, Microsoft employed this familiar technique in a bid to get users to upgrade their Windows 7 systems to Windows 10, warning “Your Windows 7 PC is out of support.”

Microsoft, which claims these ‘notifications’ are in no way an annoyance and are simply a way for users to discover more of Windows 10’s features, lets you bypass the prompt with a “Skip for now” button. However, this means it’ll likely show up again after you reboot your machine or install another update.

Thankfully, there’s a way to bypass it completely. Simply head over to Settings > Notifications & actions and uncheck the box next to ‘Suggest ways I can finish setting up my device to get the most out of Windows’. 

News of this latest annoying pop-up from Microsoft comes at an already frustrating time for Windows 10 users. Last week it was revealed that the recently-released KB4540673 update, designed to smooth over a number of issues, is causing some people’s PCs to crash and display the dreaded Blue Screen of Death.

Carly Page

Carly Page is a Freelance journalist, copywriter and editor specialising in Consumer/B2B technology. She has written for a range of titles including Computer Shopper, Expert Reviews, IT Pro, the Metro, PC Pro, TechRadar and Tes.