Windows 10: Microsoft is testing these Windows 11 Widgets Board changes

Microsoft released a new test Windows 11 test build to the Canary Insider channel yesterday. Along with other changes comes an "evolved Widgets Board" and at least one unmentioned change.

Microsoft introduced the Widgets Board in Windows 11. What surprised many was that the company promoted Widgets in Windows 11 quite aggressively. Microsoft centered the taskbar icons on Windows 11, but placed the Widgets Board as the sole icon on the leftmost location on the taskbar.

That place was formerly occupied by the Start Menu. Microsoft made the Widget icon activate on hover, with no option to disable the functionality in the beginning. Microsoft lifted the Microsoft Account requirement as well recently.

Tip: find out how to uninstall Widgets here.

Windows 11 Build 25324




With the latest Windows 11 build come several changes to the Widgets Board. Microsoft has this to say about the changes on the official Windows Insider Blog: "We are beginning to preview a revamp of the widgets board experience with a larger canvas (3-columns if supported by the device) and dedicated sections for widgets and feed content with a clear separation between them. This will provide users with quick access to glanceable content from their apps and services as well as enable users to take a high-value break with personalized news content".

The two main changes that Microsoft highlights expand the Widgets area to three columns on devices with a high enough resolution.

The current Widgets interface displays content in two columns. The new three columns layout displays additional widgets above the fold (without scrolling). Considering that third-party widgets will reach a wider audience in the years to come, it is improving the display on devices with large enough screens.

Microsoft does not reveal the resolution that is required to get the three column layout. The new layout is not the only change that Microsoft is testing. The updated Widgets Board features dedicated columns for widgets and a user's feeds.

The example screenshot that Microsoft published has Widgets displays in the leftmost column and the user's feed taking up the other two columns on the Widgets Board.

Feed refers to news sources, such as stock market data or articles. Widgets include a selection that is activated automatically, but users have some options to enable feeds to customize it.

Microsoft is testing another change, which it did not reveal in the blog post. PantomOcean3 revealed the change on Twitter.

When users align the taskbar icons on the left, which is the traditional location for the Start Menu button and icons, Microsoft adds the widgets icon to the list of icons. With the new change, Microsoft is placing the Widgets icon on the right side of the taskbar, just next to the System Tray area.

Windows 11 testers may enable the change by running the command vivetool /enable /id:43214488, after downloading ViVeTool.

Closing Words

The changes won't convince Windows 11 users who have disabled widgets to give it a try, but users who do use the feature may appreciate the changes.

Now You: do you use Widgets on Windows?

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Remove News from widgets board.

Sure, I can explain further and provide some screenshots to help you out.

The News/Interests section is a feature in Windows 11 that displays news and other information on your Widgets Board. It appears as a section with a news feed and a weather widget, located at the bottom of the Widgets Board, as shown below:

Windows 11 News/Interests section

If you don't see this section on your Widgets Board, it may not be enabled yet. To enable it, click on the Widgets button on your taskbar, and if you see a prompt to turn on News/Interests, click "Yes" to enable it.

If you've already enabled News/Interests and want to remove the news feed from your Widgets Board, you can follow the steps I provided earlier. Here they are again, with some screenshots to help:

1-Right-click on the News/Interests section of the Widgets Board.

2-Hover over the "News and interests" option, and then select "Turn off" from the

After you've selected "Turn off," the news feed should disappear from your Widgets Board. The button to open News/Interests will still be available on your taskbar in case you want to turn it back on later.

 

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

 

Remove News from widgets board.

Hi, and thanks for reaching out. My name is Saeid. I'll be happy to help you out today.You can try the following steps to resolve the issue:

Certainly! Here are the steps to remove the News/Interests section from your Windows 11 Widgets Board:

First, click the Widgets button on your taskbar, located on the bottom right corner of your screen.

If you haven't already enabled the News/Interests feature, you'll see a prompt to turn it on. Click "Yes" if you want to turn it on or "Not Now" if you want to keep it off.

Once the News/Interests feature is enabled, you'll see a preview of the news on your Widgets Board. Right-click on the news section.

From the context menu that appears, select "News and Interests."

From the submenu, select "Turn off."

That's it! You have successfully removed the news section from your Widgets Board, and the button will still be present in your taskbar in case you want to turn it back on later.