Windows 10: Meta's Messenger is the first third-party Windows 11 Widget

Microsoft released a new Windows 11 build to the Developer Insider channel this week. It includes the first third-party widget for Windows 11's Widget feature next to plenty of fixes.



Microsoft launched the Widgets app in Windows 11 as a central hub featuring news, tips, weather information, and several Microsoft-specific promotions and highlights.

Third-party widgets were not supported back then, but Microsoft promised that support would be added eventually.

Fast forward to January 2023, and the first third-party widget is now available in Developer builds.

Microsoft has a strong partnership with Meta, parent company of Facebook, and the launch of widget support in Messenger confirms that the partnership is still going strong.

Windows 11 users need to install the Messenger app on their device and make sure that it is up to date. Afterwards, it is necessary to add it as a widget by selecting the plus-icon in the Widgets interface and selecting the Messenger widget to pin it to the Widgets board.

Windows 11's Widgets board displays the last few messages that users have received in Messenger from that moment on whenever it is opened.

The data is limited to just a few words, the name of the contact and the time. A click opens the full message in the Messenger application on the device.

Microsoft announced that more widgets will become available in the foreseeable future as "more developers create and release widgets for their apps".

Not all applications make good targets for placement on the widgets board, and it remains to be seen if third-party support will increase the attractiveness of Widgets, or if it remains a niche feature, despite it being promoted heavily by Microsoft.

Expect more chat, cloud-based, and entertainment apps to come with widgets support in the coming years.

Microsoft never revealed numbers regarding widgets. It is unclear if the feature is popular or if most Windows 11 users ignore it by removing the icon from the taskbar.

To remove the Widgets interface, right-click on a blank space on the Windows 11 taskbar, select Taskbar Settings and flip the switch next to Widgets to off. Disabling Widgets may save system resources, actually.

You may also check out Ashwin's guide on uninstall widgets in Windows 11.

Now You: do you use Widgets? If not, would you if Microsoft would make changes to the feature?

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Windows Messenger Confirmation Email

No It didnt appear in my spam box but I updated to Windows live Messenger which sent the confirmation email and also verified windows messenger. Ty everyone for there suggestions

 

Widgets in Windows 11

One of the new features in Windows 11 is Widgets, coined by Microsoft as a place for content and entertainment where you can see information at one go. Widgets feature is the next evolution of the News and Interests feature that was introduced with Windows 10, where you can quickly check News, Calendar, weather, etc, without interrupting your workflow.





How to use Widgets in Windows 11

To invoke the widgets screen, simply press Win+W keys on the keyboard. You can also press the

button on the Taskbar.

Available Widgets in Windows 11

There are multiple widgets in Windows 11 that are available, and the list would be updated over time. As of now, the following Widgets are available:

• Weather: As the name suggests, it allows you to see the weather in your area. Clicking at the three dots menu to customize and resize the widget. Unlike Windows 10, you cannot see Temperature on the taskbar though.
  
• News: This widget shows News, which is powered by MSN, just like News and Interests in Windows 10.
  
• Outlook: To see your upcoming events added to your Calender of Microsoft account.
  
• Stock Watchlist/Movers: This widget is for stocks that you wish to watch. To add a stock to the watchlist, click the 3 dots menu and click customize.
  
• Photos: Photos widget shows the recent photos from your Microsoft Account synced to Onedrive.
  
• Windows 11 Tips: This widget gives tips regarding Windows 11.
  
• To do: The to-do widget helps you in Tasks management, synced to your Microsoft Account.
  
• Family Safety: This widget is helpful for those who have added a Child to their Family. It allows you to see recent activity from members of your Microsoft family group.
  
• Traffic: To see Traffic in your area - Location access must be given.
  
• Sports: The Sports widgets show live scores of the sports you are interested in.
  
• Office 365 for Enterprise customers only: This widget brings relevant documents, news, and meeting recordings to enterprise users. This widget will only be available if you are signed in with your AAD account on your PC running Windows 11.
  
• Entertainment: Only available in US, UK, CA, DE, FR, AU, JP.
  

The top bar has a web search option as well, which allows you to quickly search if you want.

Customize Widgets

To customize the Widgets screen, click your profile picture at the top right to open Widget Settings.





If you want to customize the news, you need to open MSN settings, which are located on this page. MSN News is now referred to as Microsoft Start.

Microsoft Start (msn.com)

Common questions Regarding Widget Board:

1. Widget opens Microsoft Edge instead of my browser for Settings: This is by design. Like News and Interests, Widgets settings and everything else open in Microsoft Edge instead of your default browser.
   

• Can I add multiple accounts in the Calendar widget: You cannot add multiple accounts as of now.
  
• Can I add 3rd party widgets: No, as of now 3rd party widgets are not supported.
  
• Cannot remove a Stock from the watchlist widget: This is by design. Microsoft is looking into it.
  
• Watchlist Widget does not sync with MSN watchlist: This is by design. You need to create a separate watchlist.
  
• Make the widget board full screen: It is not supported yet.
  

Troubleshooting Windows 11 widgets

At certain times, the Widgets feature may not work properly. In that case, the following troubleshooting may help:

Reinstall Windows Web Experience pack: Microsoft delivers content in Widgets through an app from Microsoft Store, called Windows web experience pack. Basically, this app is responsible for web content inside the Operating system. If WWEP is missing, the Widgets feature would disappear. If this is the case for you, please perform the steps below:

• Right-click Start>Windows Powershell(admin).
  
• Type the following command to remove traces of the Windows web experience pack: winget uninstall "windows web experience pack"
  
• Wait for the process to complete. When it is done, go to the following page
  
• Windows Web Experience pack from Microsoft Store.
  
• Click Get>Install.
  
• When the installation is complete, restart your computer and see if the issue is resolved.
  

Reinstall Edge Webview2: Widgets board uses EdgeWebView2 to render content. If in case the same is crashing, you can try reinstalling the EdgeWebView2 component from here. Choose Standalone installer. Also, make sure Edge is installed on the machine.

• Webview2 - Microsoft Edge Developer
  

Reinstall Display drivers: In certain scenarios, the display driver may be causing issues for the Widget board to load. Please try reinstalling them from the manufacturer and try again. Make sure to install the latest ones. For troubleshooting purposes, you can remove the display driver and see if the widget board opens with the basic display driver.

Check Microsoft Store for available updates: Make sure all the apps, specifically the Web experience pack and else are updated in the Microsoft Store.

To send Feedback about Widget features to the Windows team, press Windows key+F. The relevant category is Desktop environment>Widgets.

You can know more about Widgets in this video:



Also read:

• Repair Install Windows 11 using an ISO file (yourwindowsguide.com)
  
• Windows 11: FAQ (microsoft.com)
  
• How to: Use Snap Layouts and Snap groups in Windows 11 (microsoft.com)
  
• Check Windows 11 compatibility using these tools - Your Windows Guide
  
• How to change the default apps in Windows 11? - Your Windows Guide
  

Sumit (@_sumitdhiman) / Twitter

 

Getting rid of Windows Messenger? How?

It's a component service, not in add/remove programs.

To turn on the Do not allow Windows Messenger to be run option, follow these steps:
1. Click Start, click Run, type gpedit.msc, and then click OK.
2. In Group Policy, expand Local Computer Policy, expand Computer Configuration, expand Administrative Templates, expand Windows Components, and then expand Windows Messenger.
3. Double-click Do not allow Windows Messenger to be run, and then click Enabled.
4. Click OK.