⚙️🪟💻CP - User Experience - Disable News and Widgets
What this policy is about 🚫
Look, we get it. Windows thinks widgets and news feeds are super helpful. Microsoft wants you to stay "informed" about the weather, sports scores, and trending clickbait.
But here's the thing: We're running a business, not a digital newsstand.
This policy does one thing and does it well:
"No widgets. No news feed. Just a clean, distraction-free taskbar."
Your users will survive without knowing it's partly cloudy with a chance of meatballs.
Why disable them? 🤔
Because:
- Focus matters — Nobody needs live stock tickers while writing a quarterly report
- Bandwidth isn't free — News feeds pull data constantly, even when nobody's looking
- Security hygiene — Widgets can load third-party content. That's a risk vector we don't need
- Consistency — A clean taskbar looks professional and reduces support tickets ("Why is my taskbar so cluttered?")
Plus, let's be honest: the widgets are rarely useful and mostly just... there. Like that bowl of decorative fruit nobody eats.
🛠️ Configuration Settings
Below you'll find the settings that make this magic happen. Simple, clean, effective.
| Setting | Value | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Enable News and interests | Not allowed | Disables the news feed on the taskbar |
| Allow widgets | Not allowed | Disables the widgets panel completely |
👥 Group Assignments
✅ Included groups:
All Devices
❌ Excluded groups:
Why? Because IoT devices and W365 Boot devices have their own special configurations. Let's not muddy the waters.
Final Thoughts 🧘
Sometimes the best feature is the one you turn off.
Widgets and news feeds might be fine for personal devices, but in a managed environment? Hard pass.
Keep it simple. Keep it clean. And let your users focus on what actually matters.
Standardize like a pro. Configure with intent. And remember: not every feature needs to be enabled.