Just because you don’t have to lay out money for software, that doesn’t necessarily make it “free.” In the last few days, users of Windows 10 have noticed full-screen ads on their lock screen if they happen to be using “Windows Spotlight” to put pretty pictures there. Fortunately, you can banish the ads from your screen, without even having to pay.

Microsoft is pushing Windows 10 even more aggressively on the users of the positively ancient Windows 7 and 8, and there’s plenty to like about the upgrade, or so we hear. Some people find the prospect of lock screen ads irritating and intrusive, though: if you’re one of them, the “feature” is pretty easy to turn off.

There’s no setting in Windows 10 that says “hey, quit showing me ads.” It’s more subtle than that, of course. According to The How-To Geek, what you need to do is find the “Settings” menu, click on “Personalization,” and then find the section where you personalize your lock screen.

You can choose the same picture, a slide show, or whatever you want here, but the important part to look for is where you have the choice to get “fun facts, tips, tricks, and more” on your lock screen. Turn that switch off.

How to Disable Ads on Your Windows 10 Lock Screen [The How-To Geek] (via Lifehacker)