How do I Disable or Remove Widgets on Windows 11?

The newly announced Windows 11 comes with a Widget that takes up a lot of space on the left side of the screen, immovable, and cannot be resized. In this article, we will show you various methods to remove widgets on Windows 11.

Content Summary

Method 1: Disable in Group Policy
Method 2: Personalize taskbar setting
Method 3: Windows settings
Method 4: Unpin from the taskbar
Method 5: Modify TaskbarDa Registry Key

Method 1: Disable in Group Policy

Step 1: Press Windows + R key to open the Run box.

Step 2: Type gpedit.msc and press Enter to open the Local Group Policy Editor.

Step 3: Navigate to the following path:
Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Widgets

Step 4: Double-click on the Allow widgets policy.

Step 5: Click on the radio button for Disabled.

Step 6: Click on the Apply then OK button.

Method 2: Personalize taskbar setting

Step 1: Right-click on the taskbar and click on the Taskbar settings option.

Step 4: Toggle Off the Widgets under the list of Taskbar items to remove the Widgets button.

Method 3: Windows settings

Step 1: Press Windows + I keys to open the Settings app.

Step 2: Click on the Personalization option at the sidebar.

Step 3: Click on the Taskbar section.

Step 4: Toggle Off the Widgets under the list of Taskbar items to remove the Widgets button.

Method 4: Unpin from the taskbar

Step 1: Right-click on the Widgets button at the Taskbar.

Step 2: Click on the Unpin from taskbar option in the context menu.

Method 5: Modify TaskbarDa Registry Key

Step 1: Press Windows + R key to open the Run dialog.

Step 2: Type regedit, and click on the Run as administrator option.

Step 3: Click on the Yes button if the User Account Control dialog box prompts.

Step 4: Navigate to the following path:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced

Step 5: Double-click on TaskbarDa REG_DWORD registry key. If you can’t find it, right-click on the Advanced > New > DWORD (32-bit) Value and name it as TaskbarDa.

Step 6: Set the Value data to 0.

Step 7: Restart the Windows 11.

Note: Above changes only affect the current user account.

The Widgets button will no longer appear in the taskbar after performed the above-mentioned methods, but it will still be functional when pressing the Windows + W key.

According to Microsoft Blog > Announcing the first Insider Preview for Windows 11:

Widgets bring you closer to information you both want and need. Just click on the widgets icon on the Taskbar, swipe from the left using touch, or hit WIN + W on your keyboard, and your widgets slide out from the left over your desktop. You can personalize your experience by adding or removing widgets, re-arranging, resizing, and customizing the content. The set of widgets we provide currently focus on your calendar, weather, local traffic, your Microsoft To Do lists, your photos from OneDrive, sports and esports, your stock watchlist, and tips.