Disable Windows 11 Widgets Permanently: 4 Ways to Do It

Disable Widgets by making few quick system changes


How to remove widgets on Windows 11
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Widgets are one new feature of Windows 11, but they aren’t very useful, which is why many want to know how to disable widgets on Windows 11.

The process is not too complicated, and in today’s guide, we will show you a couple of ways to do that.

How do I permanently disable Windows 11 widgets?

Note icon NOTE
Disabling Windows 11 widget will not only remove them from view, but also permanently stop related background processes. This frees up memory space and can improve performance.

1. Use Group Policy Editor

  1. Press Windows key + R and enter gpedit.msc. Click OK.
    GPEDIT MSC RUN -Your Virus and threat protection is managed by your organization
  2. Navigate to Computer Configuration and expand Administrative Templates. Next, navigate to Windows Components and expand Widgets. In the right pane, double-click on Allow widgets.
    widgets group policy
  3. Set it to Disabled and save changes.
    allow widgets
  4. Restart your PC.

2. Modify registry with Command Prompt or Powershell Command Line

  1. Press the Windows key + S and type cmd. Choose Run as administrator.Or Press Windows+R to open the Run dialog box, and then type powershell.
    cmd elevated
  2. Next, run the following command: reg add "HKLM\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Dsh" /v "AllowNewsAndInterests" /t REG_DWORD /d "0" /f
    software policies command
  3. Close the Command Prompt and restart your PC.

Also, keep in mind that this whole process can be simplified with the help of professional repair tools. These will automatically scan and repair any Windows system issues in just a few minutes.

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Fortect Windows 11 general
This software can also help you by creating a restore point before starting the repairs, enabling you to easily restore the previous version of your system if something goes wrong. It also has a log that shows you what files have issues.

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  1. Install and launch Fortect.
  2. Launch the application.
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  5. Restart your PC for all the changes to take effect.
As soon as the fixing process is completed, your PC should work without problems, and you will not have to worry about system files errors.

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Disclaimer: This program needs to be upgraded from the free version in order to perform some specific actions.

3. Use a reg file

  1. Open Notepad.
  2. Paste the following lines:
    Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
    [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced]
    "TaskbarDa"=dword:00000000
    [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\PolicyManager\default\NewsAndInterests\AllowNewsAndInterests]
    "value"=dword:00000000

    [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Dsh]
    "AllowNewsAndInterests"=dword:00000000
  3. Click on File and choose Save as.
    save as notepad
  4. Set Save as type to All files. Set the name to script.reg.
    save as notepad 
  5. Now locate script.reg file you created and run it to add changes to the registry.

4. Remove Windows web experience pack

  1. Press the Windows key + S, type cmd, and choose Run as administrator.
  2. Run the following command: winget uninstall "windows web experience pack"uninstall web experience pack windows 11
  3. Alternatively, you can use winget uninstall MicrosoftWindows.Client.WebExperience_cw5n1h2txyewy

If asked for confirmation, just press Y and then Enter.

Note icon NOTE
Remember that this solution will uninstall components necessary for Widgets to run, but you can always install them back if needed.

How do I turn off widgets on hover in Windows 11?

  1. Open Settings.
  2. Navigate to Personalization and then Taskbar.
  3. Lastly, set Widgets to Off.
    set widgets off

Removing widgets in Windows is wasy, right? There’s no need to get frustrated when customizing your desktop as long as you follow our guides. Annoying widget notifications like money insights can also be disabled. And if the widgets follow you to your lock screen, you can also disable them.

Still, if you’re not completely happy about the new design, learn how to make Windows 11 look like Windows 10.

Prefer classic desktop widgets from the older setup? Explore options to bring back Windows 10 desktop gadgets and customize your workspace more traditionally.

Want to know how to make your desktop even cooler? You can make your Taskbar transparent in a few simple steps.

If you have any questions or suggestions, use the comments section below and let us know your thoughts.

More about the topics: widgets, Windows 11 guides

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