Windows 10 introduced the “News and Interests” widget to provide users with quick access to weather updates, news, and other information. However, many users find it distracting and resource-intensive, especially when working on important tasks. If you’re looking for ways to disable this feature, this guide will walk you through three methods, including temporary and permanent solutions.
1. Disable News and Interests via Windows Settings.
If you only want to temporarily disable the “News and Interests” widget, follow these steps:
- Open Windows Settings: Click on the Start Menu and select “Settings” (gear icon).
- Navigate to Personalization: In the Settings window, click “Personalization” and then select “Taskbar” from the left panel.
- Find the News and Interests Option: Scroll down to the bottom of the Taskbar settings until you find the “Show News and Interests on the taskbar” option.
- Turn It Off: Click the dropdown menu and select “Turn off“. The widget will immediately disappear from the taskbar.
- Note: If you ever need to re-enable it, simply follow the same steps and select “Show icon and text” or “Show icon only“.
2. Disable News and Interests via Taskbar Right-Click Menu.
If you prefer a quicker way to disable the widget, you can do it directly from the taskbar:
- Right-Click on the Taskbar: Find an empty space on the taskbar and right-click to open the context menu.
- Select “News and Interests”: From the menu, locate “News and Interests” and hover over it.
- Choose “Turn Off”: Click on “Turn off“, and the widget will immediately disappear from the taskbar.
- Tip: This method only temporarily disables the feature. A future Windows update may re-enable it, so if you want a permanent solution, use Method 3.
3. Permanently Disable News and Interests via Group Policy Editor.
If you want to permanently remove the “News and Interests” widget and prevent it from being re-enabled, you can do so using the Group Policy Editor.
- Open the Local Group Policy Editor: Press `Win + S`, type `gpedit.msc`, and press Enter to open the Group Policy Editor.
- Navigate to the Correct Policy Setting: In the left panel, navigate to:
Computer Configuration → Administrative Templates → Windows Components → News and Interests
- Disable News and Interests: Locate “Enable News and Interests on the taskbar“, double-click it, and set the policy to “Disabled“. Click “OK” to save changes.
- Restart Your PC: To apply the changes, you must restart your computer. After rebooting, the “News and Interests” widget will no longer appear, and the option to enable it will be grayed out in Settings.
4. Conclusion: Choose the Best Method for You.
If you just want to hide it temporarily, use Method 1 or 2. However, for a permanent solution, using the Group Policy Editor is the best approach.
5. Demo Video.
You can watch the following demo video by select the subtitle to your preferred subtitle language.