Hate the widgets board in Windows 11? Microsoft hopes you might change your mind
Windows 11 is bringing the ability to banish the clutter from the widgets panel to all users, which I'm sure you'll be happy to hear – perhaps this part of the interface will be opened up for use by many more people.
We previously heard that the option to remove the news feed and ads from the widgets panel – making it purely the host for widgets and nothing else – would be part of a package of measures for Windows 11 users in the European Economic Area. (HONOR).
However, it appears this is a change that is being made all Windows 11 users, as Microsoft advised in a blog post for the new preview build in the beta channel (22635.2841), as part of some new widget board settings introductions.
Microsoft tells us, “One of the new settings allows you to display only widgets on your widget board,” adding, “The new settings experience is not limited by region.”
Please note that this is currently rolling out, so not all testers in the beta channel will have this yet. It will obviously take even more time to be pushed to the Release Preview channel, and then to the finished version of Windows 11 (hopefully).
Other tweaks to the widget settings include the ability to change the Microsoft account used to browse the News Feed (if you want), so you don't have to be stuck with the account signed into Windows 11.
There are also some tweaks for Copilot, including the AI now appearing in the Alt-Tab menu (for quickly switching between apps in Windows 11) and the ability to use Copilot on multiple screens.
For the full breakdown of all the bits and pieces Microsoft is working on with this preview build, check out the blog post.
Analysis: a hopeful sign?
It seems that Microsoft is listening to feedback, because while widgets can be a useful extra for Windows 11, there are certainly users who have shunned the widgets panel due to its pollution with news content coming from MSN (and ads to make matters even better) . worse).
It's interesting to see that this is happening on the heels of the negative reaction to the changes being made for the EEA, and not for other Windows 11 users who would really like these choices. So perhaps more of these options will be widely rolled out after all. We're still not convinced of that – because the motivation behind it is to comply with regulations in Europe – but who knows.
These are some very useful features, such as the ability to remove the Windows 11 search box from Bing (and the web results), or the choice to be able to remove Microsoft's Edge browser. Time will tell, but the test channels are worth keeping a close eye on in the future.
As for the widgets themselves, another useful change that has been rumored in the past is the ability to remove them from their panel and pin them to the desktop.
Through Windows Central