Should You Use Windows 11 Widgets or Turn Them off Completely

The Pros of Using 🪟 Windows 11 Widgets

The pros of using Windows 11 widgets include having instant access to live weather, sports scores, and news updates directly from your taskbar 🖥️. These small info cards let you check daily information without opening a web browser, which helps speed up your daily computer routine if you set them up properly.

Quick Information at a Glance

Windows 11 widgets provide quick information at a glance by displaying live weather, calendar events, and sports scores right on your screen. Pressing a simple keyboard shortcut opens this real-time data instantly, saving you time when you need a fast answer without launching a web browser.

Personalized News and Updates

If you enjoy keeping up with the news, financial markets, or your top sports teams, the widget board works like a custom feed. You can hide stories you do not like, follow subjects you care about, and pick the kind of headlines you view every day.

Integration with Microsoft Services

For people who use Microsoft tools a lot, the widgets work smoothly with your Microsoft account. You can view your upcoming calendar events, check your tasks, and look at recent pictures from your cloud storage without digging through menus or folders.

The Cons: Why Many Users Turn Widgets Off

Even with the perks, a huge number of Windows 11 users turn off the widget feature right after setting up a new PC. Here are the main reasons why people choose to switch them off.

Performance Impact and Resource Usage

The performance impact and resource usage of Windows 11 widgets can slow down your computer and drain battery life. Even when the widget board is closed, background processes consume RAM (random-access memory) and CPU cycles, which often causes small lags on older or cheaper laptops.

Distractions and Clutter

Windows 11 widgets can cause major distractions and screen clutter because the board is tied directly to loud news feeds, clickbait articles, and ads. Opening this panel to check a basic piece of information often leads to endless scrolling, making it hard to stay focused on your actual work.

Privacy Concerns

Because the news and content feeds match your browsing habits, Microsoft tracks the stories you click and the subjects you read. Users who care about privacy often prefer to turn off features that collect this kind of usage data.

How to Customize 🪟 Windows 11 Widgets Instead of Turning Them Off

You can customize Windows 11 widgets instead of turning them off to keep helpful tools while removing annoying news feeds. Cleaning up your widget board lets you display only useful items like your weather and calendar instead of endless clickbait articles.

Follow these steps to clean up your widget board:

1. Press the Windows Key + W on your keyboard, or click the widget icon on your taskbar to open the board.
2. Look at the top of the board for the toggle switch that says Discover or look for the news section below your personal widgets.
3. To remove an unwanted widget (like sports or finance), click the three dots in the top-right corner of that specific widget box.
4. Select Unpin widget from the menu.
5. To add something useful, click the Plus (+) icon at the top of the board and choose a tool you actually want to use, such as the weather or your calendar.

By removing the news feed and keeping only practical tools like the weather or your to-do list, you can enjoy the benefits of widgets without the annoying distractions.

How to Turn Off 🪟 Windows 11 Widgets Completely

You can turn off Windows 11 widgets completely to hide the shortcut button from your taskbar and stop unnecessary background activity. Clearing out this feature takes just a few clicks through your taskbar settings if you prefer a cleaner computer interface.

Follow these steps to hide the widget button from your taskbar:

1. Right-click any empty space on your taskbar at the bottom of your screen.

   

2. Click on Taskbar settings from the menu that appears.

   

3. Look for the section labeled Taskbar items.
4. Find the toggle switch next to Widgets and click it to turn it Off.

Once you complete these steps, the widget button will immediately disappear from your taskbar. You can no longer open the widget board by accident.

Advanced Control: Uninstalling the Windows Web Experience Pack

Uninstalling the Windows Web Experience Pack gives you advanced control by completely removing the underlying software that powers the widget engine. This step goes beyond hiding the taskbar button to free up system resources by getting rid of the background app package entirely.

Follow the steps carefully.

Follow these steps to completely remove the widget system app:

1. Click the Start button, type PowerShell into the search bar.

   

2. Right-click Windows PowerShell in the search results and choose Run as administrator.
3. If a window pops up asking if you want to allow this app to make changes to your device, click Yes.
4. Type or paste the following exact command into the PowerShell window and press Enter:

   ⬛PowerShell

   Copy

   Get-AppxPackage *WebExperience* | Remove-AppxPackage

5. Wait a few moments for the command to finish running. Once it completes, the core widget application is fully removed from your system.

If you ever change your mind and want widgets back in the future, you can simply open the Microsoft Store app, search for "Windows Web Experience Pack," and install it again.

Summary

Deciding whether to use Windows 11 widgets or turn them off completely depends on your personal preference for speed and a clean screen. While the tools offer fast weather and news updates, they can also drain your battery and cause distractions with background activity.