Microsoft is finally giving up on showing the junk feed of MSN news when you open the widgets feature in Windows 11. After allowing users to disable the MSN feed more than two years ago, Microsoft says it will soon hide it by default as part of an effort to make widgets "quiet by default."
What changes
The update targets three specific annoyances:
- No more hover-triggered panel. Microsoft is disabling the widgets panel from opening when you hover over its taskbar icon. This eliminates the most common source of accidental interruptions.
- No more default MSN feed. The widgets panel will open to widgets instead of the MSN feed by default. This is the core change — the legacy content pipeline that pushed stocks, weather, and MSN news notifications is being replaced with a cleaner, user-focused layout.
- Fewer taskbar badges. Microsoft is turning off distracting taskbar badges by default and limiting "taskbar alerts until you choose to open and engage with the Widgets experience."
Why it matters
The MSN feed has been a persistent source of notification spam in Windows 11 since launch. Many users avoided the widgets panel entirely because it felt like an ad delivery system rather than a useful dashboard. These changes should make the taskbar less annoying and hopefully make widgets a more useful part of the operating system.
Broader context
The widgets overhaul is part of Microsoft's ongoing effort to improve Windows 11 throughout 2026. Other changes rolling out each month include removing "unnecessary" Copilot buttons from apps, modernizing the Run prompt, fixing File Explorer performance, and improving the memory footprint of Windows.
Bottom line
If you've been disabling the MSN feed manually or avoiding widgets altogether, this update removes that friction. The new defaults go live gradually throughout 2026. No action required — the junk feed will simply stop being the default.