If you recently updated your Windows 11 PC, you might be surprised to see three new widget trays at the bottom of your lock screen, where there used to be nothing. You haven’t been hacked: this is part of Microsoft’s ongoing effort to put annoying ads and widgets where they don’t belong.
How to Disable New Lock Screen Widgets in Windows 11 23H2
To be honest, I actually like the weather widget. But Microsoft also bundles it with things like stock news, NBA updates, and other news bulletins right on the lock screen. And the worst part is that you can’t customize it. In other words, there’s no way to keep the weather widget and ditch the rest. If you don’t care for any of these widgets, too bad. The only thing you can do to make your lock screen look plain is to disable the feature altogether.
Microsoft began rolling out this new feature in March, with the Windows 11 KB5035942 update and the Windows 10 KB5035941 update. But it wasn’t enabled for everyone. It wasn’t until May that Microsoft began gradually turning it on for all users.
As usual with Microsoft, the new feature isn't clearly labeled, so you'll have to spend a lot of time in the Settings menu to find the right one.
