How to Completely Disable Widgets in Windows 11 [4 Ways]

Learn how to toggle the Widgets section on and off in one click

by Vladimir Popescu
Vladimir Popescu
Vladimir Popescu
Managing Editor
Being an artist his entire life while also playing handball at a professional level, Vladimir has also developed a passion for all things computer-related. With an innate fascination... read more
Updated on
Reviewed by Vlad Turiceanu
Vlad Turiceanu
Vlad Turiceanu
Editor-in-Chief
Passionate about technology, Windows, and everything that has a power button, he spent most of his time developing new skills and learning more about the tech world. Coming... read more
Affiliate Disclosure
  • After upgrading to the new OS, more and more users started looking for ways to disable widgets in Windows 11.
  • Because the feature takes up a lot of space on the screen, it can get quite frustrating for some people.
  • In this article, you'll learn how to remove the widget in Windows 11.
  • You can perform this action in two steps, using the taskbar, but that's not the only possible option.
How to remove widgets on Windows 11
XINSTALL BY CLICKING THE DOWNLOAD FILE
A message from our partner

Fix Windows 11 OS errors with Fortect:

  • Download Fortect and install it on your PC
  • Launch the tool and Start scanning to find broken files that are causing the problems
  • Right-click on Start Repair to fix issues affecting your computer’s security and performance
Download Now Fortect has been downloaded by 0 readers this month, rated 4.4 on TrustPilot

There is a lot of excitement regarding Windows 11. Quite a few users think of making the switch to the new OS version but not without questions.

Most users like the cool features and sleek design, but when it came to widgets, some users just want to know how to disable them.

Even though widgets are customizable and you can resize them from small to large, they still take up a lot of space on the screen, and that can be quite a nuisance.

Why did Microsoft bring widgets to Windows 11?

It looks like Microsoft really took into consideration users’ feedback and opinion when designing the new OS.

A lot of features have been removed or even deprecated, to leave room for a new and improved OS, with new partners, more apps, and a personalized feed powered by AI.

Yes, we are talking about widgets. According to Panos Panay, Chief Product Officer at Windows + Devices, widgets are here to make our lives easier by delivering us the information we most care about:

How we test, review and rate?

We have worked for the past 6 months on building a new review system on how we produce content. Using it, we have subsequently redone most of our articles to provide actual hands-on expertise on the guides we made.

For more details you can read how we test, review, and rate at WindowsReport.

Even when we’re at our most focused and creative we still need breaks – a moment to check in with the outside world or give ourselves a mental reset. Today, we often pick up our phones to check the news, weather or notifications. Now, you can open a similarly curated view directly from your desktop. 

With this feature, you get personalized information from multiple sources and apps to keep up with all current events from around the world,

Widgets were first presented to the public as News and Interests, as they currently are in Windows 10, but neither then nor now the response wasn’t the one expected.

On that note, follow our simple guide below and find out how to get rid of the Widgets when making the jump to Windows 11 and enjoy a clean desktop.

How to turn off widgets in Windows 11?

1. Use the taskbar settings

  1. Right-click on the taskbar to select Taskbar settings.taskbar settings
  2. Turn the toggle Off to remove the Widgets button.

2. Make the changes directly from Windows Settings

You can easily disable widgets from your taskbar via Windows Settings. The Personalization menu allows you to toggle widgets visibility on and off in just a click.

1. Click on Start and choose Settings from the menu.

windows 11 settings control panel

2. Navigate to the Personalization section.

windows 11 personalization section

3. Scroll down and click on Taskbar.

Personalization - Taskbar

4. In the Taskbar items section, you will see the widgets option with a toggle next to it.

Widgets Off

5. Toggle the option off to disable widgets from showing on your taskbar.

6. Close the window when you finish.

3. Use the Taskbar Context Menu

  1. Right-click on the Widgets button from Taskbar.
  2. Click on Hide from taskbar.Hide from taskbar
  3. This will disable the Widgets button.

4. Use the Registry Editor

  1. Press Windows + R keys and type regedit to open the Registry.Regedit command
  2. Navigate to: Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advancedregedit_advanced_taskbar
  3. Locate TaskbarDa and change its value from 1 to 0.

Easy, right? There’s no need to get frustrated when customizing your desktop as long as you follow our guides.

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

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, just use the comments section below and let us know what you think.