How to Stop Widgets Opening on Hover in Windows 11
- 15 steps
- Includes a restart or sign-out
Widgets in Windows 11 no longer open when you rest the pointer over the taskbar icon once your PC has the update described in KB5095093. Widgets is the panel that holds the weather, your feed, and other small cards. Before this change, it slid open as soon as the mouse touched its icon.
The quickest way to stop it is to install that update from Settings Windows Update, restart if prompted, and test the icon. The steps below cover the install, how to confirm you have the update, and what to check if Widgets still opens on hover.
Install update KB5095093 from Settings Windows Update Check for updates, then restart when prompted. Once it is installed, Widgets no longer open on hover; you click the taskbar Widgets icon to open the panel. The change has no switch to turn hover back on, so the update is the fix.
What Microsoft changed in the quieter Widgets experience
To stop Widgets opening on hover in Windows 11, install the update that lists KB5095093 and restart the PC. After that, the panel opens only when you click its taskbar icon.
Microsoft’s release notes for KB5095093 (the Knowledge Base article number for the update) describe a “Quieter Widgets experience.” Three things change with it.
- Widgets no longer open on hover. You open the panel by clicking its taskbar icon.
- The update minimizes notifications and taskbar badges (the small markers on the Widgets icon) by default.
- Widgets open to the Widgets dashboard by default on first use.
The same notes say you can change the defaults by selecting Settings in the Widgets navigation bar. The notes do not describe a switch that brings hover back, so treat the hover change as a fixed part of the update.
That shapes the fix. On a PC that has the update, there is nothing left to turn off. On a PC that does not have it yet, installing the update is the fix. If you want background on what the panel does, Windows 11 Taskbar: What Is the Widgets Feature explains it.
How to stop Widgets opening on hover in 🪟 Windows 11
- Open Settings. Press Win+I, or right-click Start and choose Settings. The Settings app opens with a list of categories on the left.
- Select Windows Update. It sits at the bottom of the left-hand list. The Windows Update page opens and shows your current update status.
- Select Check for updates. Windows contacts Microsoft and lists anything available. If it shows “You’re up to date,” go to the section on confirming the update is installed below before moving on.
- Install the update that lists KB5095093. Select Download & install or Install now next to it. A progress indicator shows the download and installation. Keep the PC plugged in if it is a laptop.
- Restart the PC when prompted. Select Restart now on the Windows Update page. Save your work first. Many updates finish installing only during the restart, so the old hover behavior can remain until it completes.
- Move the pointer over the Widgets icon. Rest it there for a few seconds without clicking. The panel should stay closed.
- Click the Widgets icon. This is now the way to open the panel. The Widgets dashboard appears on first use after the update.
- Select Settings in the navigation bar. The navigation bar is the strip of icons along the Widgets panel. Widgets settings open, where you can change the defaults Microsoft describes.
- Review the defaults. Adjust anything you want to change, then close the panel by clicking outside it.
That’s it. Your PC now has the quieter Widgets experience, and the panel opens only when you click its icon.
If Windows Update shows no matching update, or offers a different set, don’t worry about the exact list. Install what Windows offers, restart, then repeat the hover test from the steps above. The process is the same on Windows 11 Home and Pro.
Confirm the update is installed
Windows Update sometimes says “You’re up to date” while you are still unsure whether you have the change. The update history gives a clearer answer.
- Open the update history. Go to Settings Windows Update Update history. A list of installed updates appears, grouped by type.
- Expand the update lists. Look through each group for KB5095093.
- Read the status. If it shows Successfully installed, your PC has the quieter Widgets experience. If it is missing, go back to Check for updates and install anything pending. If it shows Failed, retry from the Windows Update page and restart before testing again.
That’s it. You now know whether the update is on your PC, and what to do next if it is not.
If Widgets still opens on hover
Work through these checks in order. Each one covers a common reason the old behavior remains.
The update has not finished installing
A pending restart is the most common cause. Updates often finish installing only when the PC restarts, so the old behavior stays until then.
- Open the update page. Go to Settings Windows Update and look for a Restart now button or a message that a restart is required.
- Restart the PC. Select Restart now, then sign back in.
- Test the icon. Hover over the Widgets icon again. The panel should stay closed.
You should now have a PC that has finished installing the update. If Widgets still opens on hover, move to the next check.
The update is missing from your update history
Check Settings Windows Update Update history as described above. If KB5095093 is not listed, your PC has not received it yet. Select Check for updates again.
Availability can differ between PCs, and the release notes do not say how quickly the update reaches every device. Checking again later is reasonable if nothing is offered today.
Your PC is managed by an organization
Work and school PCs often receive updates on a schedule set by IT staff. If Windows Update shows a message that some settings are managed by your organization, you may have to wait for your administrator to approve the update.
Contact them and ask them to approve the update instead of working around the rules they set.
The behavior is the same after a successful install
The release notes state that Widgets no longer open on hover, and they do not describe any other cause. If the update is installed, you restarted, and the panel still opens on hover, Microsoft’s release notes name no other cause or fix, so there is no further step to suggest here.
Because one update makes this change, check the update history again and make sure the restart actually happened.
How to undo the change or get hover back
The release notes describe hover-to-open as removed, and they mention no setting that restores it. So there is no reliable way to bring hover back on a PC that has the update.
On a PC that has not received the update, a hover option may still be available in the Widgets settings. How to Enable or Disable Open Widgets Board on Hover in Windows 11 covers that setting for those builds.
Uninstalling is possible only if the update appears under Settings Windows Update Update history Uninstall updates. Warning: uninstalling also removes everything else in the update, including security fixes. Do this only if you have a specific reason.
Other defaults that changed with the same update
The same release note changes two other defaults, and both can look like a bug if you do not expect them.
Notifications and taskbar badges are minimized
After the update, the Widgets icon shows fewer alerts and badges. Fewer interruptions are the intent.
If you want more, open Widgets and select Settings in the navigation bar, then look for the notification options there. How to Configure Widgets Notifications on the Taskbar in Windows 11 walks through the taskbar notification side.
Widgets open to the dashboard
On first use, Widgets now opens to the Widgets dashboard. The same Settings entry in the navigation bar is where you change this default.
If the dashboard looks different from what you remember, that is the cause. To control what the feed shows, see How to Show or Hide Your Feed in Widgets in Windows 11.
Do not confuse this with other hover features
Windows 11 has several hover behaviors, and they use different settings. Stopping Widgets from opening does not change any of them.
- Preview cards that appear when you point at taskbar apps are separate. How to Enable or Disable “Show Hover Cards for Inactive and Pinned Taskbar Apps” in Windows 11 covers them.
- Phone notification previews in the Start menu are also separate. See How to Enable or Disable Mobile Device Notification Previews on Hover in Start Menu on Windows 11.
If the thing popping open is not the Widgets panel, one of these is the likelier cause.
If you want Widgets gone, not just quieter
Stopping hover removes the accidental openings, but the Widgets icon stays on the taskbar. If you never use the panel, two posts can help you decide. Should You Turn Off Widgets in Windows 11 weighs the reasons, and What Breaks When You Disable Windows 11 Widgets lists what stops working if you do.
What to do next
Rest the pointer over the Widgets icon for a few seconds. The panel should stay closed until you click it.
If you also see Widgets on the sign-in screen, How to Turn On or off Widgets on the Windows 11 Lock Screen is the next setting to review.
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About the Author
Richard
Tech Writer, IT Professional
Richard is a writer at Geek Rewind who turns complex IT tasks into clear, step-by-step guides. He draws on years of hands-on experience in system administration and enterprise IT operations, focusing on Windows, Linux and WordPress: the problems people actually run into, and the fixes that work. His server and WordPress guides come from systems he runs himself. Richard builds and maintains the platform behind Geek Rewind, from its Ubuntu servers and Nginx configuration to its custom WordPress plugins. Many new tutorials start with readers' questions, and he's always glad to answer them in the comments.
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