Windows 11 desktop becomes a full-page Harry Potter ad and Bing Wallpaper users rebel by uninstalling the app in droves

Date:
Tue, 08 Sep 2026 10:50:51 +0000

Description:
'I have uninstalled Bing Wallpaper with extreme prejudice': Windows 11
desktop becoming a giant Harry Potter ad has provoked a rebellion.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter The Bing Wallpaper app is serving an ad in Windows 11 The advert is for a Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts movie collection There's a rebellion against this blatant advertising, with a significant number of users saying they've immediately removed Microsoft's wallpaper app Some Windows 11 users who've installed the Bing Wallpaper app have been treated to an unpleasantly in-your-face advert for Harry Potter.

To be precise, it's an ad for a collection of 11 Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts movies, and, as Windows Latest reports , this appears as a full-page promotional image that becomes your desktop background. This isn't happening for every Bing Wallpaper user, and it appears to be a regional rollout; but based on the plentiful Reddit feedback of the negative variety, it's being piped to quite a number of PCs. Latest Videos From TechRadar Watch full video here:

For the uninitiated, Bing Wallpaper is an app that serves up daily wallpapers to those who've installed the software and note that it isn't installed by default; this is something you have to elect to have on your Windows 11 PC.

Nevertheless, it's an over-the-top move by Microsoft to shovel something like this onto the desktops of those who've chosen Bing to pick their backgrounds. You may like Windows 11's Weather app comes under fire for using too much RAM Microsoft sabotages its fix Windows 11 drive with a nasty OneDrive misfire Microsoft kills annoying McAfee ad served via LG monitor app in Windows 11

As one annoyed Redditor says , filing the Harry Potter wallpaper under the 'unskippable ad' category in the 'Mildly Infuriating' subreddit: "I had it [Bing Wallpaper] installed since up until this point it was a fairly harmless program that gave a variety of animals, environments or pattern backgrounds that rotate daily. Wtf?"

Replying, another Redditor observes : "Free software from a trillion dollar company means you are the product." Some folks responded to that to say that Windows 11 isn't free, but this Redditor isn't talking about the OS itself, but rather the Bing Wallpaper app, which is a free add-on for Windows, of course. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. Analysis: Bing begone (Image credit: Grammmaphone on Reddit / Microsoft) Windows Latest notes that the terms and conditions of the Bing Wallpaper app allow for "promotional offers" from Microsoft, but what's happening here goes well beyond that. Frankly, this isn't acceptable in any way and Microsoft really should know better than to serve a blatant advert in this manner.

I'd say I was shocked, but ads have always been a problem in Windows 11. On top of that, about a year ago Bing Wallpaper was used to perform another underhand trick with desktops that made me cringe. In that case, an
accidental click on the Windows 11 background fired up a Bing search (yes, really), and I called this "a new low" for Microsoft at the time.

This, however, represents Microsoft plumbing fresh depths. A notable number
of those complaining on Reddit have said that they've immediately uninstalled Bing Wallpaper due to this incident (generally with a sprinkling of added curse words). What to read next Microsoft's latest move to pay people to use Edge smacks of desperation Windows 11 update packs some much-wanted features and very-much unwanted bugs Copilot ad shows how marketing can undermine the effort to fix Windows 11

One of the politer comments notes : "Honestly if they cut out text and just left the base [image] with the option to right click to get more info and it took the user there it would be passable. But current state just time to remove Bing Wallpaper."

This is very much representative of Microsoft's different departments not talking to each other. On the one hand, there's a big drive to fix Windows 11 and try to please users with all sorts of nifty changes and long-awaited features. On the other, the Bing Wallpaper team thinks it's fine to deploy what might be the worst example of advertising I've ever seen in the Windows ecosystem and there's quite some competition for that accolade, sadly.

At any rate, I assume this won't be happening again, Microsoft, given the reaction here right? Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a
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Read our full guide to the best laptops 1. Best overall: Apple MacBook Air 13-inch M5 2. Best budget: Apple MacBook Neo 3. Best Windows 11 laptop Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch 4. Best thin and light: Lenovo Yoga Slim 9i 5. Best Ultrabook Asus Zenbook S 16



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/computing/windows/windows-11-desktop-becomes-a-full- page-harry-potter-ad-and-bing-wallpaper-users-rebel-by-uninstalling-the-app-in -droves


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