If you recently updated Windows 10, you may have already noticed that Microsoft added a new taskbar option. Yes, we’re talking about the “News and interests” widget. This feature offers you real-time weather information and news but not all Windows 10 users like it. Unfortunately, disabling the widget is a bit counter-intuitive. In this guide, we’ll list the steps you need to follow to disable weather and news from your taskbar permanently.
How Do I Get Rid Of News and Weather on the Windows 10 Taskbar?
- Right-click on your taskbar.
- Go to News and Interests.
- Hover your mouse cursor over the option to enable additional options.
- Click on Turn off.
If the widget returns next time you update your computer, follow the same steps to get rid of it.
If you’re an admin, you can use the Registry Editor to disable “News and interests” for all users.
- Launch the Registry Editor.
- Then navigate to
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Feeds.
- Locate ShellFeedsTaskbarViewMode.
- If the entry is not visible, create it yourself.
- Right-click on Feeds, select New, click Dword (32-bit), and name it ShellFeedsTaskbarViewMode.
- Set the entry’s value to 2 to disable the widget.
Learn More About News and Interests
Keep in mind that News and Interests are available only in certain regions. So, if the widget is not available on your taskbar, consider yourself lucky because many users actually hate this feature anyway.
But this doesn’t mean that other users won’t find value in the information provided by the widget. The information is localized, and having the weather conditions displayed on the taskbar saves you the trouble of going to the weather service website.
You can also customize the widget and change the language and region settings and the content that gets displayed.
Conclusion
If you want to disable News and Interests, right-click on your taskbar, select the option and click “Turn off.” Additionally, you can also launch the Registry Editor and set ShellFeedsTaskbarViewMode’s value to 2. Do you think News and Interests is a useful taskbar feature? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Annoyed says
Bloody microsoft interfering in our lives again.
Just STOP pushing stuff like this onto us!
A tooltip is ok. STOP changing my preferences!