Enable/Disable Windows 11 Lock Screen Widgets

This article explains how to enable or disable Widgets on the Lock screen in Windows 11.

The Lock screen is the screen or curtain you see before the sign-in screen when you turn on your computer. It is also displayed once your computer is locked after you step away or press the Windows key + L.

Beginning with Windows 11 build 22635.4870 (beta), a hidden feature that adds support for Lock screen widgets (previously referred to as “Weather and more”) to Windows Insiders in the European Economic Area (EEA) was included.

This policy is only supported in EEA regions now but will expand to include other areas.

You can add, remove, and rearrange lock screen widgets such as Weather, Watchlist, Sports, Traffic, and more. Any widget that supports the small sizing option can be added here.

To try this experiential feature, use the ViVeTool and enable it with the command below.

vivetool /enable /id:50179255,53672489

Enable or disable Widgets on the Lock Screen

As mentioned, a new experiential feature that supports Widgets on the Lock Screen can be enabled using the ViVeTool.

Here’s how to do it.

First, learn how to download and use the ViVeTool in Windows.

Then, open ViVeTool using the Command Prompt or Windows Terminal. Run the command below to enable it and restart your computer.

vivetool /enable /id:50179255,53672489

Once enabled, open the Windows Settings app.

You can do that by clicking on the Start menu and selecting Settings. Or press the keyboard shortcut (Windows key + I) to launch the Settings app.

When the Setting app opens, click the Bluetooth & devices button on the left.

On the right, click the Lock screen tile to open its settings.

Then, turn on or off Widgets on the Lock screen on Windows 11.

Close the Settings app when you’re done.

Turn on or off Widgets on the Lock screen using the Registry Editor

Another way to enable or disable displaying Widgets on the lock screen is to use the Windows Registry Editor.

Remember to back up your registry before making any changes or create a System Restore point as a precaution.

First, open the Windows Registry and navigate to the folder key path below.

Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Lock Screen

Right-click Lock Screen > New > DWORD (32-bit) Value and name the new DWORD LockScreenWidgetsEnabled.

Double-click and open the LockScreenWidgetsEnabled name and set the value to 1 to enable displaying Widgets on the Lock screen

To disable it and not display Widgets, set the value to 0.

You may have to reboot your computer to apply the changes.

That should do it!

Conclusion:

• Enabling or disabling Widgets on the Lock screen in Windows 11 is straightforward.
• You can do this using the ViVeTool command line for quick enablement.
• Alternatively, the Windows Registry Editor offers a more manual method for customization.
• Remember to back up your registry or create a System Restore point before making changes to avoid potential issues.
• Lock screen widgets enhance your user experience by providing quick access to critical information at a glance.