To show or hide Widgets and the weather on the Windows 11 taskbar, right-click an empty part of the taskbar, select Taskbar settings, and turn the Widgets switch on or off under Taskbar items. The weather readout is part of the Widgets button, so one switch controls both. Hiding the button does not uninstall Widgets, and the board still opens when you press Windows key + W.
Labels can differ slightly on older Windows 11 versions, and a work or school PC may have some of these controls locked by its administrator.
A widget is a small card that shows live information from an app or service, such as weather, stocks or photos. The cards live on the Widgets board, a panel that slides out from the side of the screen. The button that opens the board sits on the taskbar and normally displays the current weather for your location.
That means there is no separate weather setting for the taskbar. If you see the temperature and a weather icon in the corner, you are looking at the Widgets button. Turning the button off removes the weather, and turning it on brings the weather back.
The same page also controls Search, Task view and tray icons, and you can learn more about customizing the Windows 11 taskbar.
Before you change anything, decide which of these you want, because each one uses a different control:
- Remove the button and the weather from the taskbar: use the Widgets switch in Taskbar settings.
- Keep the weather but stop the board popping open: turn off the hover option inside the board.
- Keep the board but drop the news stories: turn off the Discover dashboard.
- Remove one card, such as sports or stocks: use that card’s own menu.
- Remove weather from the lock screen: use the Lock screen settings page.
Hide Widgets and weather from the taskbar
- Right-click an empty part of the taskbar and select Taskbar settings. You can also press Windows key + I to open Settings and choose Personalization > Taskbar. Both routes open the same page.
- Look at the Taskbar items section at the top of the page. It lists the buttons Windows can show, including Search, Task view and Widgets.
- Set the Widgets switch to Off. The control is named Widgets; there is no switch labeled Weather.
- Look at the taskbar. The weather and the Widgets button should be gone. The change applies as soon as you flip the switch, so there is no Save button to select.
Microsoft’s taskbar customization guide documents this switch. It only hides the taskbar button. Your pinned apps, desktop shortcuts and lock screen widgets are not affected, and the Widgets feature itself stays installed.
Show Widgets and weather again
- Right-click the taskbar and select Taskbar settings.
- Under Taskbar items, set Widgets to On.
- Check the taskbar for the button, then select it to confirm the board opens.
Microsoft says the button shows weather most of the time. When something happens that relates to one of your widgets, a short announcement such as a sports score or a headline can replace the weather for a moment, and then the weather returns. A different readout does not mean the weather is broken.
If the weather shows the wrong city, open the board, select the more options button (three dots) in the corner of the weather card, and choose Customize widget to change the location. If the weather card is missing from the board altogether, read about adding widgets to the board, which covers the widget picker.
Keep the weather but stop the board opening on hover
Many people like the weather on the taskbar but dislike the board appearing every time the mouse pointer passes over it. You can keep one and turn off the other.
- Press Windows key + W to open Widgets.
- Select the settings button (gear icon) on the board’s navigation bar.
- Turn Open Widgets board on hover off.
The weather stays on the taskbar. The board now opens only when you select the button or press Windows key + W. Turn the same switch back on to restore hover.
If you’d rather keep a to-do list on the screen itself, you can put sticky notes on the desktop instead.
Hide the news feed or a single widget instead
The stream of news stories in the board is a separate dashboard called Discover. To remove it, open the board, select the settings button, and under Dashboards turn Discover off. Your weather and other cards remain. For more detail, read about turning off the news feed in Windows 11.
To remove one card, select the more options button in the upper corner of that widget and choose Remove widget. The same menu offers sizes such as Small, Medium or Large, although some widgets only come in one or two sizes. You can add a removed card again later with the + button on the board.
Red dots on the button are notification badges. To control them, open the board’s settings, select Notifications under More settings, and turn Show badges on the taskbar on or off. Microsoft’s Widgets guide lists each of these controls.
Show or hide weather on the lock screen
The lock screen is the screen you see before you sign in. Its weather is controlled separately, so turning off the taskbar button leaves it in place.
- Open Settings > Personalization > Lock screen.
- Find the Widgets section. It lists the widgets that currently appear on the lock screen.
- To hide all of them, set Widgets to Off. To remove only one, select the more options button next to it and remove it.
- Press Windows key + L to lock the PC and check the result.
These labels come from Microsoft’s lock screen customization page. An older Windows 11 version may show a different lock screen option in the same place. For the rest of that settings page, read about setting the lock screen on Windows 11.
Quick reference
| What you want | Where to change it | Setting |
|---|---|---|
| Hide or show the taskbar button and weather | Settings > Personalization > Taskbar > Taskbar items | Widgets |
| Stop the board opening on hover | Widgets board > settings | Open Widgets board on hover |
| Hide the news stories | Widgets board > settings > Dashboards | Discover |
| Remove one card | The card’s more options menu | Remove widget |
| Hide taskbar badges | Widgets board > settings > Notifications | Show badges on the taskbar |
| Hide lock screen weather | Settings > Personalization > Lock screen | Widgets |
Troubleshooting
The Widgets switch is missing or cannot be changed
On a work or school computer, an administrator can turn the whole feature off. The Pro, Enterprise and Education editions have an Allow widgets policy, and it applies to the entire Widgets experience, including the taskbar content. If your organization manages the PC, ask your IT department; the setting is theirs to change. Details are in Microsoft’s policy documentation.
On a personal PC, install pending updates in Settings > Windows Update, restart, and look again.
The switch is on but the weather is blank or the board will not load
Widgets depends on an app called the Windows Web Experience Pack, which updates through the Microsoft Store. Open the Microsoft Store, select Library, find Windows Web Experience Pack, and select Update if the button appears. If there is no update option, you already have the latest version. Microsoft’s Web Experience Pack instructions include a direct link to the Store page.
The board still opens after you hid the button
That is expected. The board remains reachable with Windows key + W, or by swiping in from the side of a touch screen, even when the button is hidden. The switch removes the button and nothing more.
The weather is not where you expected
The button’s position follows the taskbar layout. If you changed the taskbar alignment, the Widgets button moves with it and may look more compact. For the alignment setting, read about moving the Windows 11 taskbar icons to the left.
You are following steps that mention News and interests
Right-clicking the taskbar and choosing News and interests > Turn off is the Windows 10 method. Windows 11 replaced that menu with the Widgets switch, as Microsoft’s News and interests page makes clear.
Frequently asked questions
Can I show only the weather and nothing else?
Partly. The weather on the taskbar always belongs to the Widgets button, so you cannot have it without the button. You can get close by turning off Open Widgets board on hover and the Discover dashboard, which leaves a weather readout that does nothing until you select it.
Does hiding Widgets uninstall it or speed up my PC?
No, it does not uninstall anything. The switch only hides the taskbar button, and Microsoft’s documentation does not describe it as a performance setting, so do not expect a speed gain from it.
Why does the weather sometimes change to a headline or a score?
Those are announcements from your other widgets and dashboards. They are meant to be short and glanceable, and the taskbar goes back to weather if you ignore them. They are also hidden during a focus session. To reduce them, open the board’s settings, select Notifications, and turn off notifications for the dashboards you do not want.
Will the setting apply to other people who use this PC?
The Widgets switch in Taskbar settings is a personal taskbar preference, so each Windows account should check its own setting. Only the administrator policy described above is documented as applying to the whole device.
Does Widgets use my location?
Some widgets tailor content using a location estimate. It can come from the Windows Location service if that is turned on, and otherwise from the IP address of your internet connection. You can set the weather city yourself with Customize widget.
Matthew Burleigh is the founder, head writer, and editor of Solve Your Tech, which he launched in 2012. He has written technology tutorials since 2008 and worked in IT since 2003, including small-business support, IT management, and consulting. He holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Computer Science from Arizona State University.
Matthew writes practical guides for Windows, iPhone and iPad, Microsoft Office, Outlook, Google apps, and Android. Solve Your Tech’s guides are checked step by step against the device or app maker’s own documentation and tested on his own devices whenever he has the hardware or software, with clear steps, sources, and update dates.
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