The Windows 11 Widgets board is a panel that provides quick, glanceable information — weather, news headlines, calendar events, stock prices, sports scores, and more — without opening any applications. It slides in from the left side of the screen and can be accessed with a single click or keyboard shortcut.
By default, the Widgets board is cluttered with news stories and content from Microsoft Start that most users never asked for. However, with proper customisation, you can transform it into a genuinely useful information dashboard tailored to your specific needs.
How to Open the Widgets Board
There are three ways to open the Widgets board:
- Keyboard shortcut: Press Windows + W.
- Taskbar button: Click the weather widget on the far left of the taskbar (it shows the current temperature and weather condition).
- Swipe gesture: On a touchscreen device, swipe in from the left edge of the screen.
The Widgets board opens as a semi-transparent overlay on the left side of your screen. Click anywhere outside the panel to close it.
Adding Widgets
- Open the Widgets board.
- Click the + (Add widgets) button at the top of the panel.
- Browse the available widgets and click Pin next to any widget you want to add.
Available widgets include:
- Weather — Current conditions, hourly forecast, and multi-day forecast for your location.
- Calendar — Upcoming events from your Microsoft/Outlook calendar.
- To Do — Your task list from Microsoft To Do.
- Photos — A rotating selection of photos from your OneDrive.
- Tips — Helpful Windows tips and tricks.
- Sports — Live scores and updates for your favourite teams.
- Watchlist — Stock price tracker.
- Traffic — Real-time commute information based on your saved home and work addresses.
- Family Safety — Screen time summaries for family members.
- Outlook calendar — A more detailed calendar view.
Third-party developers can also create widgets, so new options may appear over time as more applications support the Widgets platform.
Removing Widgets
To remove a widget you do not want:
- Hover over the widget in the Widgets board.
- Click the three-dot menu (⋯) in the top-right corner of the widget.
- Select Unpin widget.
The widget disappears immediately. You can always re-add it later through the Add widgets button.
Resizing Widgets
Widgets come in three sizes: Small, Medium, and Large. To resize a widget:
- Hover over the widget.
- Click the three-dot menu.
- Select Small, Medium, or Large.
Larger widgets show more detailed information. For example, the Weather widget in small size shows only the current temperature, while the large version displays an hourly forecast and a five-day outlook. The Calendar widget in large size shows multiple upcoming events with times and details.
Choose your sizes strategically: make frequently referenced widgets larger and less important ones smaller.
Rearranging Widgets
You can drag and drop widgets to rearrange their position in the board. Click and hold on a widget, then drag it to your preferred location. The other widgets will shift to make room.
Place your most-used widgets at the top of the board so they are visible immediately when you open the panel, without scrolling.
Customising Widget Content
Many widgets can be customised to show specific content:
Weather Widget
Click the three-dot menu on the Weather widget and select Customise widget. You can change the location, switch between Celsius and Fahrenheit, and choose between a simple or detailed view.
Sports Widget
After adding the Sports widget, click Customise widget and search for your favourite teams. The widget will then display live scores, upcoming matches, and results specifically for those teams.
Watchlist Widget
The Watchlist widget tracks stock prices. Customise it to add specific stock tickers (company symbols) that you want to monitor throughout the day.
Traffic Widget
Set your home and work addresses in the Traffic widget to get real-time commute estimates. The widget automatically shows the best routes and current traffic conditions for your daily commute.
Controlling the News Feed
Below the pinned widgets, the Widgets board displays a news feed powered by Microsoft Start. This feed is algorithm-driven and often shows clickbait-style headlines that many users find distracting.
You can improve the feed quality by:
- Hiding stories: Click the three-dot menu on any news story and select Hide story.
- Hiding sources: Select Hide stories from [source name] to permanently block a specific news publisher.
- Liking stories: Click the thumbs-up icon on stories you find useful. The algorithm will learn your preferences over time and show more relevant content.
- Managing interests: Click your profile picture at the top of the Widgets board and select Manage interests. You can choose topics you want to see more of (technology, business, sports) and topics you want to see less of.
Disabling the Widgets Taskbar Button
If you decide you do not want the Widgets button on your taskbar at all:
- Right-click on the taskbar.
- Select Taskbar settings.
- Toggle off Widgets.
The weather icon disappears from the taskbar. You can still access the Widgets board using the Windows + W keyboard shortcut, even with the taskbar button disabled.
Tips for a Useful Widgets Board
- Remove everything you do not use: Start by unpinning all default widgets, then add back only the ones you will actually check regularly.
- Use large size for your primary widget: If Weather is the main reason you open the Widgets board, make it large. Everything else can be small or medium.
- Block noisy news sources immediately: The first time you see a clickbait headline, hide the source. The feed improves dramatically after blocking a handful of low-quality publishers.
- Connect your Microsoft account: The Calendar, To Do, and Photos widgets are most useful when connected to a Microsoft account that you actively use.
- Check it instead of opening apps: Instead of opening the Weather app, the Calendar app, or the news, use the Widgets board as a unified glance. This is its primary value.
With a few minutes of customisation, the Windows 11 Widgets board transforms from a distracting news feed into a genuinely useful information panel that gives you exactly the information you need at a glance.