Microsoft recently officially confirmed that Windows 11 widgets will usher in a series of major adjustments. The most eye-catching change is that the system will reduce the display frequency of widgets by default. Officially, this means that when the user moves the mouse over the weather icon on the left side of the taskbar, the MSN News Feed panel that used to pop up automatically will no longer pop up automatically.
Microsoft finally turns off MSN News Feed and ads in Windows 11 gadgets by default
This change has been rolled out with Windows 11 Insider Experimental Preview Build 26300.8346, and Microsoft’s goal is quite clear: make gadgets quieter, less intrusive, and less overwhelming. After all, the current widget panel will slide out entirely as soon as the mouse is swiped, filling it with a lot of low-value content, which is both obtrusive and unnecessary for many users.
Microsoft is obviously aware that users are generally tired of the “Discover” information flow in the gadget panel. However, the widget panel has long been seen as a potential revenue stream for Microsoft due to the inclusion of ads in the feed, so it came as a surprise when Microsoft publicly said it was testing new default settings that “focus on reducing unintended reminders and visual distractions.” To some extent, this also reflects the pressure on Microsoft. Even CEO Satya Nadella admitted that Microsoft must “win back” the trust of Windows 11 users.
Currently, Microsoft is testing a new gadget experience with Insider users by adjusting the default behavior. Here are the major changes coming to Windows 11 gadgets:
- Disable “Open on mouseover”
In the past, as long as the mouse was moved over the weather icon, the widget panel would pop up automatically. In the future, this feature will be turned off by default, and users must manually click on the widget icon to open the panel. - Disable taskbar badges (red dot reminder)
The red notification dot above the gadget icon is turned off by default. These tags often display breaking news or alerts, but are often intrusive and lack real use value. - Limit task column reminder animation
Dynamic reminders that loop on the taskbar (such as weather alerts, stock market changes) will no longer appear automatically unless the user actively opens the gadget panel. - MSN News Feed will no longer be pushed when first opened
The gadget panel will give priority to user-pinned gadgets (such as weather, calendar, system information) instead of directly pushing MSN news. This is one of the most symbolic changes, especially coming from Microsoft, which has always relied on personalized advertising.
Although these settings could be turned off manually in the past, most users were unaware of this and would not specifically adjust it. In the past, Microsoft relied on default behaviors to barely maintain the exposure of gadgets, but now the situation has reversed. Behaviors such as forcing Copilot to be enabled and pushing MSN News Feed have caused a lot of backlash, and even caused some users to abandon Windows 11 directly.
Therefore, Microsoft began to re-adjust its direction, trying to return Windows 11 to the “user needs-centered” route. Of course, these changes are still in the testing phase, and the official push time has not yet been announced.
Source: KOCPC Chinese