To remove widgets from the Windows 11 taskbar, right-click the taskbar, select Taskbar settings and turn Widgets off. That hides the weather and news button. Windows key + W still opens the widget board, though, so this guide also covers turning off the news feed, disabling widgets completely with Group Policy or the registry, and uninstalling the feature.
| Method | What it removes | Editions | Easy to undo? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Taskbar toggle | The taskbar button only | All | Yes |
| Turn off Discover feed | News stories inside the board | All | Yes |
| Lock screen setting | Weather and widgets on the lock screen | All | Yes |
| Group Policy "Allow widgets" | The whole widgets feature | Pro, Enterprise, Education | Yes |
| Registry policy value | The whole widgets feature | Home (unofficial) | Yes |
| winget uninstall | The Windows Web Experience Pack | All | Reinstall from Microsoft Store |
How do I remove the widgets button from the taskbar?
Right-click an empty part of the taskbar, choose Taskbar settings, and under Taskbar items switch Widgets off. The weather and news button disappears at once, in every edition of Windows 11. The widget board itself remains, so pressing Windows key + W or swiping in from the left edge still opens it.
- Right-click an empty area of the taskbar and select Taskbar settings. You can also go to Settings > Personalization > Taskbar.
- Under Taskbar items, turn the Widgets switch Off.
For most people, this is all they need. The button is gone, and the feature doesn't get in the way unless you call it up deliberately. Microsoft's widgets support page describes the same toggle.
What we commonly see: people hide the button and then find the board opening when they hover near the bottom-left corner or swipe on a touchpad. That's because hiding the button doesn't disable the feature. If you want it gone completely, use the Group Policy or registry methods further down.
How do I turn off the news feed in widgets?
Open the widget board with Windows key + W, select the settings (gear) button, and under Dashboards turn Discover off. The board then shows only the widgets you've pinned, such as weather, calendar or to-do, without the stream of news stories and trending headlines below them. Turning Discover back on restores the feed.
- Press Windows key + W to open the widget board.
- Select the Settings (gear) button on the board's navigation bar.
- Under Dashboards, set Discover to Off.
This is a good middle ground if you like a glanceable weather or calendar panel but find the news feed distracting. You can remove individual widgets you don't use from the board too, by opening the … menu on each one.
How do I remove weather and widgets from the lock screen?
Go to Settings, then Personalization, then Lock screen, and turn off the Widgets option. This removes the weather and other widget cards from the lock screen while leaving your wallpaper and clock in place. On older Windows 11 builds, the equivalent setting is Lock screen status, which you set to None.
- Press Windows key + I and go to Personalization > Lock screen.
- Turn off Widgets. If you see Lock screen status instead, set it to None.
- Press Windows key + L to lock the PC and check the result.
Cause and effect: the lock screen widgets and the taskbar widget board are controlled separately. Hiding the taskbar button doesn't remove the lock screen weather, and turning off lock screen widgets doesn't hide the taskbar button. If you want both gone, change both settings.
How do I disable widgets completely in Windows 11 Pro?
In Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise and Education, open the Local Group Policy Editor with gpedit.msc. Go to Computer Configuration, Administrative Templates, Windows Components, Widgets, and set Allow widgets to Disabled. After a restart or sign-out, the widget board, its shortcut and the taskbar button are all switched off for every user on the PC.
- Press Windows key + R, type
gpedit.mscand press Enter. - Go to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Widgets.
- Double-click Allow widgets, choose Disabled and select OK.
- Restart the PC, or sign out and back in.
To bring widgets back, set the policy to Not configured. According to Microsoft's NewsAndInterests policy documentation, this policy applies to the whole widgets experience and is supported on Pro, Enterprise, Education and IoT Enterprise editions.
The Group Policy Editor is one of the management tools that sets Pro apart from Home. If you'd like it on a Home PC, a Windows 11 Home to Pro upgrade key unlocks it without reinstalling. On a new build or an unactivated PC, a full Windows 11 Pro licence is the right choice. Our guide to upgrading Home to Pro without reinstalling shows the process, and our Windows 11 Pro vs Home comparison lists the other differences.
How do I disable widgets in Windows 11 Home?
Windows 11 Home doesn't include the Group Policy Editor, but you can create the same policy value in the registry. Add a DWORD named AllowNewsAndInterests with the value 0 under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Dsh, then restart. Microsoft documents the policy for Pro and above, so treat this on Home as an unofficial method.
- Press Windows key + R, type
regeditand press Enter. Approve the User Account Control prompt. - Go to
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft. - Right-click Microsoft, choose New > Key and name it
Dsh. Skip this step if the key already exists. - Select Dsh, right-click the right-hand pane, choose New > DWORD (32-bit) Value and name it
AllowNewsAndInterests. - Leave its value data at
0and restart the PC.
Alternatively, run this single command in an administrator terminal:
reg add "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Dsh" /v AllowNewsAndInterests /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f
Advanced nuance: once this policy value is present, the Widgets toggle in Taskbar settings may disappear or grey out. Windows does this because policies override user settings. To undo it, delete the AllowNewsAndInterests value, or the whole Dsh key, and restart.
Before editing the registry, create a restore point by searching for Create a restore point. Incorrect registry changes can cause problems, and a restore point lets you roll back in minutes.
Can I uninstall widgets from Windows 11?
Yes. Widgets are delivered by a component called the Windows Web Experience Pack, which you can remove with Windows Package Manager. In an administrator terminal, run winget uninstall "Windows Web Experience Pack" and accept the source agreement if prompted. It can be reinstalled later from the Microsoft Store if you change your mind.
- Right-click Start and choose Terminal (Admin).
- Run
winget uninstall "Windows Web Experience Pack". - If asked to agree to the source terms, type
Yand press Enter. - Restart the PC.
To restore widgets later, install the Windows Web Experience Pack from the Microsoft Store. Then turn the Widgets switch off and back on in Taskbar settings. The winget uninstall documentation explains the command's other options.
What we commonly see: a feature update or a Microsoft Store update can quietly reinstall the Web Experience Pack. If widgets return after updating to a new version such as 26H2, the Group Policy or registry method is the more durable choice, because a policy stays in force whatever is installed.
Do widgets slow down Windows 11?
Widgets use a small amount of memory and network data in the background, mainly to refresh the news feed and live cards such as weather. On a modern PC the impact is minor, but on systems with 8 GB of RAM or less, or on metered connections, disabling widgets and the Discover feed frees resources and reduces background traffic.
If performance is your real concern, widgets are unlikely to be the main cause. Startup apps, background sync tools and an outdated Windows version usually have a bigger effect. Our guide to checking your Windows 11 version and updating to 26H2 is a good next step, along with the clean boot guide for tracking down a slow startup.
Frequently asked questions
Is it safe to remove widgets in Windows 11?
Yes. Widgets are an optional feature, and nothing else in Windows depends on them. Hiding the button, turning off the feed or disabling the policy doesn't affect stability. Uninstalling the Web Experience Pack is also safe, though it may remove some related features until you reinstall the pack from the Microsoft Store.
Why did widgets come back after an update?
Feature updates and Store app updates can restore the Windows Web Experience Pack or reset taskbar items, bringing the widgets button back. The taskbar toggle and uninstall method don't block reinstallation. Setting the Allow widgets policy to Disabled, or the AllowNewsAndInterests registry value to 0, keeps widgets off across updates.
Can I keep the weather but remove the news?
Yes. Open the widget board with Windows key + W, select the settings button and turn the Discover dashboard off. The weather widget, and any others you've pinned, remain, while the news stories disappear. The taskbar button keeps showing the current temperature and conditions as before.
What is the Windows key + W shortcut?
Windows key + W opens the widget board in Windows 11, even after you've hidden the widgets button from the taskbar. To stop the shortcut working too, disable widgets completely using the Allow widgets Group Policy on Pro, or the AllowNewsAndInterests registry value on Home, then restart.
Related guides
- Windows 11 taskbar missing or not working? 9 fixes
- How to turn dark mode on or off in Windows 11
- Windows 11 Pro vs Home: key differences
- 15 common Windows 11 problems and how to fix them
Links in this guide
| Link | Type | Why it helps |
|---|---|---|
| Home to Pro upgrade key | Internal | Adds the Group Policy Editor to a Home PC |
| Windows 11 Pro licence | Internal | Full Pro licence for new builds or unactivated PCs |
| Upgrade Home to Pro without reinstalling | Internal | Step-by-step edition upgrade |
| Windows 11 Pro vs Home | Internal | Explains which tools are Pro-only |
| Check version and update to 26H2 | Internal | Keeps the PC on a supported release |
| Clean boot guide | Internal | Finds background apps slowing startup |
| Widgets in Windows | External | Microsoft's guide to the widget board and settings |
| NewsAndInterests policy | External | Official reference for the Allow widgets policy |
| winget uninstall | External | Documentation for the uninstall command |
| Windows Web Experience Pack | External | Reinstalls widgets from the Microsoft Store |