How to Remove New Lock Screen Widgets in Windows 11
If you’ve recently updated your Windows 11 PC, you might be surprised to see three new widget boxes at the bottom of the lock screen, where there was nothing before. You haven’t been hacked: This is part of Microsoft’s ongoing efforts to place annoying ads and widgets where they don’t belong.
Honestly, I really like the weather widget. But Microsoft also bundles it with things like stock market news, NBA updates, and other news bulletins right on the lock screen. And the worst thing is that you can’t customize it. In other words, it is impossible to keep a weather widget and discard the rest. If you’re not interested in any of these widgets, that’s too bad. The only thing you can do to clear your lock screen is to disable the entire feature completely.
Disable widgets on the Windows 11 lock screen
Microsoft began rolling out this new feature in March with Windows 11 update KB5035942 and Windows 10 update KB5035941. But not everyone had it enabled. It wasn’t until May that Microsoft began phasing it in for all users.
In typical Microsoft style, the new feature isn’t clearly labeled, so you’ll have to spend a lot of time in Settings to find the appropriate menu for it.
If you’re using Windows 11, open the Settings app using the Start menu, the search function, or the Windows key + I shortcut. Select Personalization from the left sidebar and go to the Lock screen menu. Here, select the drop-down next to the Lock Screen Status option. By default , the weather and more are displayed. This is a sublime description that combines finance, sports news and more into a weather widget.
In this menu, switch to the “None” option.
While you’re here, I also recommend you uncheck ” Get fun facts, tips, tricks, and more on your lock screen” to keep your lock screen clean and focused.
The next time you visit the Windows lock screen, you will find that there are no new widget fields on it.
How to remove widgets from the lock screen in Windows 10
Just because you’re still using Windows 10 doesn’t mean you’re safe from the new lock screen widgets. Open the Settings app in Windows 10 and go to Personalization . Select “Lock Screen” from the left sidebar and look for the text ” Select one app to show detailed status on your lock screen.” A Weather icon will appear below it. Click on the icon (you’ll see the text ” Weather and more “) and switch to the “None” option.