Widgets in Windows 11 can show weather, stocks, and a rotating news feed directly from the Taskbar, which is convenient for quick updates but often adds distraction and accidental pop-ups during normal work.
Windows 11 exposes Widgets as a taskbar item that can be toggled on or off from the Taskbar settings page. Turning it off removes the taskbar entry point, so the Widgets button (and its hover/click behavior) no longer appears on the taskbar.
Hiding the Widgets button does not uninstall the Widgets components, and the Widgets board may still be reachable via shortcuts such as Windows+W (or touch gestures on some devices). On organization-managed PCs, the Widgets toggle may be locked by policy, preventing changes without administrator control.
Steps to disable Widgets in Windows 11:
- Right-click an empty area of the Taskbar.
- Select Taskbar settings.
- Locate the Widgets toggle under Taskbar items.
- Toggle Widgets to Off.
This removes the Widgets button from the taskbar and stops the Widgets panel from opening via the taskbar entry point.
- Confirm the Widgets icon no longer appears on the Taskbar.
Mohd Shakir Zakaria is a cloud architect with deep roots in software development and open-source advocacy. Certified in AWS, Red Hat, VMware, ITIL, and Linux, he specializes in designing and managing robust cloud and on-premises infrastructures.
