Apps Enable or Disable Widgets Feature in Windows 11


  • Staff
Widgets_banner.png

Widgets are small windows that display dynamic info on your Windows desktop. They appear on the widgets board, where you can add, remove, arrange, resize, and customize them to reflect your interests and the way you work. Widgets help you stay on top of what’s important to you by bringing together personalized content from your favorite apps and services so you can have the latest info at a glance throughout your day. So say goodbye to constantly switching between apps and devices and websites—now you can stay connected to the things you care about without losing focus on your most important tasks.

Your widgets board consists of two sections: your widgets and your news feed. Your widgets are all located at the top of the widgets board. The news feed can be found below your widgets. The following sections describe how to use the widgets board.

To use the widgets board, you need to be signed in to your Microsoft account, your work account, or your school account.

Updated content will appear in your news feed when there is new content to show that meets your personalization settings. Your news feed learns about you over time, so you might not always see changes right away. Signing in to Windows 11 and Microsoft Edge with the same Microsoft account will help ensure your news feed personalization is available across Widgets, apps, and devices.

See also:

How to update the Windows Web Experience Pack in the Microsoft Store

If the Weather widget isn't working in Windows 11, you might need to update it.
support.microsoft.com support.microsoft.com

This tutorial will show you how to enable or disable the widgets feature for all users in Windows 11.


You must be signed in as an administrator to enable or disable the widgets feature in Windows 11.

Widgets is not available in Windows 11 SE.



Contents

  • Option One: Enable or Disable Widgets in Local Group Policy Editor
  • Option Two: Enable or Disable Widgets using REG file


EXAMPLE: Widgets feature enabled and disabled

Widgets_enabled.jpg
Widgets_disabled.png





Option One

Enable or Disable Widgets in Local Group Policy Editor


The Local Group Policy Editor is only available in the Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise, and Education editions.

All editions can use Option Two below.


1 Open the Local Group Policy Editor (gpedit.msc).

2 Navigate to the policy location below in the left pane of the Local Group Policy Editor. (see screenshot below)

Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Widgets​

Widgets_gpedit-1.png

3 In the right pane of Widgets, double click/tap on the Allow widgets policy to edit it. (see screenshot above)

4 Do step 5 (Enable) or step 6 (Disable) below for what you would like to do.


5 To Enable Widgets

This is the default setting.


A) Select (dot) Not Configured, click/tap on OK, and go to step 7 below. (see screenshot below)​

Widgets_gpedit-2.png


6 To Disable Widgets

A) Select (dot) Disabled, click/tap on OK, and go to step 7 below. (see screenshot below)​

Widgets_gpedit-3.png


7 You can now close the Local Group Policy Editor if you like.




Option Two

Enable or Disable Widgets using REG file


1 Do step 2 (enable) or step 3 (disable) below for what you would like to do.


2 To Enable Widgets

This is the default setting.


A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 4 below.​

Enable_widgets_feature_for_all_users.reg​


(Contents of REG file for reference)
Code: 
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Dsh]
"AllowNewsAndInterests"=-

3 To Disable Widgets

A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 4 below.​

Disable_widgets_feature_for_all_users.reg​


(Contents of REG file for reference)
Code: 
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Dsh]
"AllowNewsAndInterests"=dword:00000000

4 Save the .reg file to your desktop.

5 Double click/tap on the downloaded .reg file to merge it.

6 When prompted, click/tap on Run, Yes (UAC), Yes, and OK to approve the merge.

7 Either restart explorer process, sign out and sign in, or restart the computer to apply.

8 You could now delete the downloaded .reg file if you like.


That's it,
Shawn Brink


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Last edited:
Click to expand...
P

pberthel

New member
Local time
9:05 PM
Posts
1
OS
Windows 11
Tried enabling registry with
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Dsh]
"AllowNewsAndInterests"=dword:00000001
to no vain.
Installed MicrosoftEdgeWebview2Setup.exe with success. Widgets are back.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
Brink

Brink

Administrator
Staff member
MVP
Thread Starter
Local time
2:05 PM
Posts
3,791
OS
Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
pberthel said:
Tried enabling registry with
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Dsh]
"AllowNewsAndInterests"=dword:00000001
to no vain.
Installed MicrosoftEdgeWebview2Setup.exe with success. Widgets are back.
Click to expand...

Hello, :)

The Widgets feature is enabled by default.

You normally should only need to enable Widgets if you disabled it first.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self build
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    16 GB (8GBx2) G.SKILL TridentZ DDR4 3200 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G75 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 980 PRO M.2,
    1TB Samsung 970 EVO Plus M.2,
    6TB WD Black WD6001FZWX
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3 wall mounted
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gbps Download and 35 Mbps Upload
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    Linksys EA9500 router,
    Motorola MB8611 cable modem,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Spectre x360 2in1
    CPU
    i7-1065G7 3.9 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB LPDDR4-3200
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Plus
    Sound Card
    Intel SST
    Monitor(s) Displays
    13.3" 4K UWVA AMOLED multitouch
    Screen Resolution
    3840 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    512 GB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
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