One of the many joys of a new operating system is the selection of new features that it brings. And Windows 11 brings a handful of them, including a new Widgets system.
This is integrated right in the Taskbar, letting you quickly access a range of information related to the latest news developments, sports happenings, weather updates and stocks changes — all the usual stuff you might want to keep tabs on.
It is also possible to only show the widgets you want.
But what if you don’t want widgets? If these little applets are not your cup of tea, then there are some methods you can use to remove. Disabling this feature is a simple enough process.
Remove Widgets from Windows 11 Taskbar
Widgets have their utility, but this is a feature that takes up valuable screen real estate. This may not be convenient for some of you, and for others it may be the cause of hindrance. You may also sometimes run into the issue of widgets not working.
If you don’t want the Widgets icon to appear on the Windows 11 Taskbar, these are the methods you can try to disable it:
Disable Widgets from Taskbar
This is clearly the simplest way. Although Microsoft does not provide a way to disable the Widgets engine altogether in the operating system, it does allow for the ability to remove the icon from the Taskbar, which is the next best thing.
Just right-click on the Widgets icon on the Windows 11 Taskbar, and choose Unpin from taskbar.
Disable Widgets in Settings
The redesigned Settings app in Windows 11 also has an option to disable the Widgets feature. A handy little toggle switch in the Personalization section lets you do the deed.
- Press Winkey + I to launch Settings.
- Click Personalization in the left sidebar.
- Navigate to the Taskbar section.
- Find Widgets here, and switch the toggle to Off.
Alternatively, you can also right-click the Taskbar, and choosing Taskbar settings to directly go to this panel. Find the toggle and slide it to turn the Widgets feature off.
Disable Widgets via Registry
If you are unable to use the two methods mentioned above for some odd reason, or they fail to do the job, then there is another way to remove Widgets in Windows 11 using the Registry Editor. This will not be required in most cases, but the option to disable the feature this way is there.
- Press the Winkey + R keys to open the Run dialog.
- Type regedit, and hit Enter.
- Navigate to the following path, or copy and paste its address in the Registry Editor:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced - Find TaskbarDa and double-click it.
- Set its value data to 0 to hide the Widgets icon.
That should disable the Widgets icon in the Taskbar on Windows 11. If you change your mind and want to show the icon again, simply change the value data to 1.
Conclusion
Widgets are an excellent new addition to Windows 11, replacing the Live Tiles that were part of the OS in versions prior. However, they are not for everyone. Whether you don’t like the way they take up space on your Desktop, or find them a distraction during work, disabling them is the way to go.
The three simple methods outlined above are all you need to get rid of them.
