1. Disable Widgets Through the Taskbar Settings
Let’s get the easiest method of disabling widgets out of the way: the Taskbar’s settings. You can use these settings to customize the Taskbar in different ways, but to use them to disable widgets, follow these steps:
Right-click on any empty space on the Taskbar and select Taskbar settings. Alternatively, you can right-click Start and navigate to Settings > Personalization > Taskbar. Under Taskbar items, locate the Widgets option and turn the toggle to Off.
2. Disable Widgets Using the Registry Editor
If you’re familiar with the Windows Registry Editor, you can use it to disable widgets in Windows 11. As always, we advise caution when using this tool. That’s because it changes values in the Windows Registry, and you can render Windows 11 unusable if you tweak the wrong thing.
With that said, here’s how to open the Registry Editor in Windows 11 and get rid of those bothersome widgets:
Click on the magnifying glass icon on the Taskbar to fire up the search function. Type “registry editor” in the search box and click on Registry Editor from the results to launch the app. Click on Yes on the prompt that shows up. Under HKEY_CURRENT_USER on the left sidebar, navigate to Software > Microsoft > Windows > CurrentVersion > Explorer > Advanced. Double-click on TaskbarDa on the right. In the dialogue box that pops up, set the Value data field to 0 to disable the widgets (setting it to 1 will enable them again). Click OK and close the Registry Editor.
3. Disable Widgets Using the Group Policy Editor
The final method we will look at is disabling widgets using the Group Policy Editor. Think of it as an indirect way of working with the Windows Registry.
To disable the widgets with the Group Policy Editor, follow these steps:
Hit Win + R to launch Run. Type gpedit. msc in the text box and press Enter to launch the Group Policy Editor. Under Computer Configuration, navigate to Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Widgets. Right-click on Allow widgets and select Edit. Click on the Disable radial button to, well, disable all widgets. Click on OK to close the Group Policy Editor.
Bye Bye Widgets on Windows 11
Widgets allow you to stay updated on things that interest you. Windows 11 enables them by default, but you’re not stuck with them. And since you can customize the OS to your liking, you can enable and disable them whenever you like.
