How to Turn On or off Widgets on the Windows 11 Lock Screen

Who Can Use This?

Update KB5120998 changed what the lock screen shows by default. Weather is now the only widget on it. To add others, go to Settings › Personalization › Lock screen. Microsoft is rolling this change out to existing users, so it may not have reached your PC yet.

How to Turn On or Off Lock Screen Widgets

You can turn Widgets on the Lock screen on or off using one of two methods. Check Settings › Personalization › Lock screen first. If the option is missing there, use one of these:

Method 1Use ViVeTool to Enable Widgets

ViVeTool is a command-line tool that enables hidden operating system features Microsoft hasn’t turned on by default. You can use it to turn on Windows 11 lock screen widgets by running one command in a terminal window. Once the feature is on, you can see weather updates and news headlines on your lock screen before you sign in.

This method works on both Windows 11 Home and Pro. It needs an administrator account, and you must restart the PC for the change to take effect.

1. Learn how to download and use ViVeTool. Come back to these steps once ViVeTool is ready to use.
2. Open Command Prompt or Windows Terminal as an administrator. To do this, search for the app in Start, right-click it, and choose Run as administrator. If a User Account Control prompt appears, click Yes. You should now see a terminal window with a prompt. ⚠️ Admin privileges required
3. Type this command and press Enter:
   
   vivetool /enable /id:50179255,53672489
   
   The terminal should print a message confirming the feature was set. If an error appears instead, check that the terminal is running as administrator and that you are in the folder where ViVeTool is located.
4. Restart your🔄 computer. The change does not apply until you restart.
5. Open the Settings⚙️ app once your PC restarts. Use either of these ways:

   • Click the Start menu and then the Settings gear icon, or
   • Press Windows key + I on your keyboard.
6. Click Personalization in the left menu. Microsoft lists the lock screen settings at Settings › Personalization › Lock screen. Earlier versions of this guide pointed to Bluetooth🔷 & devices, and Microsoft has moved some settings between builds. If you can’t find Lock screen under Personalization, check there.
   
   

   

   
   
7. Click Lock screen on the right side. The lock screen settings page should open.
   
   

   

   
   
8. Scroll down to find the Widgets on Lock screen option and switch the toggle On or Off. Since update KB5120998, Weather is the only widget shown by default, and you can add others from this page. If the option is missing after the restart, the feature may not be available on your Windows build yet. Make sure Windows is fully updated and try again.
   
   

   

   
   
9. Close the Settings⚙️ app. To check the result, press Win+L to lock your PC and look at the lock screen.

That’s it. You should now have lock screen widgets switched on or off, depending on the toggle you chose. To reverse the change, return to Settings › Personalization › Lock screen and flip the toggle back.

Method 2Use Registry Editor (For Advanced Users)

The Registry Editor is a tool for changing low-level system settings. You can use it to turn Windows 11 lock screen widgets on or off by editing a specific system key. This method controls the feature manually and needs no third-party software. Follow the steps carefully, because a wrong change in the registry can affect how Windows behaves.

Registry Editor is included in both Windows 11 Home and Pro, so this method works on either edition. You need an administrator account, and a restart is required at the end.

1. Open the Registry Editor: press Windows key + R, type regedit, and press Enter. Click Yes if User Account Control asks for permission. The Registry Editor window should open. ⚠️ Admin privileges required
2. Go to this folder: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Lock Screen. You can expand the keys in the left pane or paste the path into the address bar at the top of the window. The right pane shows the values stored in that key.
3. Right-click the Lock Screen key, then choose New › DWORD (32-bit) Value. A new value appears in the right pane with its name highlighted for editing.
4. Name the new DWORD: LockScreenWidgetsEnabled. Type the name exactly as shown and press Enter. If a value with this name already exists, skip the creation step and double-click the existing one instead.
5. Double-click the new DWORD and enter one of these numbers in the Value data box:

   • 1 to turn ON Widgets
   • 0 to turn OFF Widgets
6. Click OK and close Registry Editor. The value should now show the number you entered in the right pane.
7. Restart your🔄 computer to apply the changes. Then press Win+L to lock the PC and check the lock screen. To undo the change later, open the same value again and switch it to the other number, or restore the backup you made at the start.

That’s it. You should now have the lock screen widgets setting changed through the registry. After the restart, the lock screen shows widgets or hides them, depending on the number you entered. You can still adjust which widgets appear at Settings › Personalization › Lock screen.

Summary

Turning Windows 11 lock screen widgets on or off takes only a few minutes. Start with Settings › Personalization › Lock screen, where you can also add widgets beyond the default Weather since update KB5120998. If that option is missing, ViVeTool is the quicker fallback, and the Registry Editor gives you more control if you are comfortable making system changes.