With Windows 11 Insider build 22518, Microsoft introduced changes including Spotlight desktop wallpapers and Voice access. Alongside these, accessing widgets has been tweaked. Going forward, a weather icon appears on the taskbar, akin to Windows 10’s News and Interests widget. However, the implementation is intrusive, triggering the widget page automatically when hovering over the weather icon. If you aren’t interested in monitoring weather from the taskbar or want to remove the annoyance, here’s how to disable the weather widget on Windows 11.
Disable Weather Widget on Windows 11 (2022)
Mentioned earlier, the new weather widget icon on the taskbar is only available in the latest Windows Insider build 22518. However, we’ve also included steps to force-enable the feature on the stable build, as it’s still in A/B testing. You can try out the feature before its official release and save this resource to disable the new weather widget once it’s included in the next Windows 11 update.
Force Enable Taskbar Weather Widget on Windows 11
1. Since the new weather widget isn’t widely available yet, you can use Albacore’s ViveTool to enable it manually. To begin, download the latest ViveTool release from GitHub.
2. After downloading the ZIP file, right-click it in the file explorer and select “Extract All.”
3. Click the “Browse” button to change the destination folder.
4. From the file picker, navigate to Windows -> System32 and choose “Select Folder”.
5. After picking the path, click “Extract” to move the contents.
6. Now, set up ViveTool. Press the Windows key once, type “cmd”, and click “Run as administrator” to open Command Prompt with administrative privileges.
7. In Command Prompt, paste the following commands individually and wait for confirmation. After running all commands, restart your Windows 11 PC.
vivetool addconfig 36553793 2 vivetool addconfig 36226456 2 vivetool addconfig 36226054 2 vivetool addconfig 34301415 2
8. One last step: update the Windows web experience pack. Open Microsoft Store, go to the “Library” section, and click “Update”. If the update isn’t visible, install Winget and use this command to manually update:
winget upgrade 9MSSGKG348SP
9. If you’ve centered the taskbar, the weather widget will appear at the bottom-left. If you’ve moved taskbar icons left, the new weather icon will replace the existing one at the center.
Disable Windows 11 Weather Widgets from Taskbar Settings
1. Right-click on the taskbar and select “Taskbar settings”.
2. Disable the “Widgets” toggle on the Taskbar settings page. Done. The weather widget will vanish from the Windows 11 taskbar.
Removing Windows 11 Weather Widget via Windows Settings
1. Remove the weather widget through the Settings app. Launch Settings with the Windows 11 keyboard shortcut “Win+I” and go to Personalization -> Taskbar.
2. Disable the widgets toggle to eliminate Windows 11 widgets.
Uninstalling Windows 11 Weather Widget with Winget
1. Opt for uninstalling widgets by removing the Windows web experience pack. Initially, press the Win key, type “cmd”, and open Command Prompt as administrator.
2. Execute the command below and press Enter to uninstall the Windows Web Experience Pack from your Windows 11 PC. To reinstall widgets later, download the pack again from the Microsoft Store.
Enhancing Weather Widget Experience on Windows 11 PC
The weather widget serves a purpose, yet simplifying access to weather information directly from its icon would improve user experience. We anticipate adjustments from Microsoft regarding trigger behavior before the widespread release in the stable channel. In the meantime, explore our guides to personalize the Windows 11 taskbar and refine the Start Menu.
Pritam Chopra is a seasoned IT professional and a passionate blogger hailing from the dynamic realm of technology. With an insatiable curiosity for all things tech-related, Pritam has dedicated himself to exploring and unraveling the intricacies of the digital world.
