Widgets in Windows 11 are small glanceable cards for weather, calendar, traffic, news, photos, To Do, sports, and similar information. The panel opens from the taskbar or a shortcut and can be personalized or turned off entirely.
This guide applies to Windows 11. Windows 10 had a related News and interests feature, but this article covers the Windows 11 Widgets panel.
Does This Affect You?
Use Widgets if you want quick information without opening separate apps. Turn it off if the feed is distracting, slow to load, or simply not useful for your workflow.
Open the Widgets Panel
- Click the Widgets icon on the taskbar. It often shows weather and temperature.
- Press Windows key + W to open it from the keyboard.
- On a touchscreen, swipe in from the left edge.
- Click outside the panel or press Esc to close it.
Customize Your Widgets
- Open the Widgets panel.
- Click your profile icon, settings icon, or the more menu, depending on your Windows 11 version.
- Choose Manage widgets or Add widgets.
- Add cards such as Weather, Calendar, To Do, Photos, Sports, or Traffic.
- Remove unwanted widgets from the management view or from the card’s own menu.
- Reorder widgets by dragging them in the panel or management view when available.
- Use story settings and topic controls to fine-tune news and interest recommendations.
Widget Settings to Know
Turn Widgets Off
Right-click the taskbar, open Taskbar settings, and turn off Widgets. You can turn it back on from the same page.
Microsoft Account Personalization
Widgets can show generic content without a Microsoft account, but location, interests, and personalized content work better when signed in and configured.
Lock Screen Widgets Are Separate
Some widget content can appear on the lock screen. Control that under Settings > Personalization > Lock screen > Widgets or the older lock-screen status setting.
Web Content Can Load Slowly
The feed pulls current information from the web. The first open after a while can take longer on a slow connection; later opens during the same session are usually faster.
Sources
- Microsoft Support: Use widgets on your Windows 11 taskbar
- Microsoft Support: Personalize your taskbar
- Microsoft Learn: Widgets in Windows 11 overview