If the News and Interests feature on the Windows taskbar is just annoying or distracting, don’t worry—you’ve got options to turn it off. Sometimes, it’s pretty straightforward, but other times, it behaves like it has a mind of its own and pops back up after updates or reboots. Knowing how to disable it in multiple ways can save some time and frustration, especially if it’s constantly re-enabling itself. Here are some tried-and-true methods based on real-world experience—one of them should do the trick no matter what.
How to Disable News and Interests on Windows Taskbar
Method 1: Disable via Taskbar Settings
This is the most direct and user-friendly way. Basically, you just right-click and turn off the widgets. The catch? The setting might reset after system updates or a restart, so don’t be surprised if it sneaks back on after a while. Still, it’s quick enough to try first.
- Hover over the widget area on your taskbar and click on Settings (gear icon) in the top right of the news widget popup.
- Pick Show or hide feeds from that menu.
- Toggle off Feed. If you don’t want the entire thing hanging around, also:
- Click on Turn off to fully disable the feed.
And if you want to completely remove the widget area from the taskbar—because, honestly, some setups just look cleaner—this is what you do:
- Right-click on the widget icon and select Taskbar settings.
- Find the toggle for Widgets and switch it off. Done. This will remove the widget panel entirely.
Method 2: Tweak the Registry Using a Command
This one’s a bit more involved, but it works for those who want a more permanent fix. You’re basically telling Windows to hide the news feed completely via registry tweaks. During some tests, this command seems to do the trick in keeping it off, even after updates, but of course Windows can sometimes be unpredictable.
- Open Command Prompt as an administrator. To do that, search for “cmd” or “Command Prompt, ” right-click it, and choose Run as administrator.
- Type in this command and hit Enter:
reg add "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Feeds" /v ShellFeedsTaskbarViewMode /t REG_DWORD /d 2 /f - Once it’s done, restart your PC. The news widget should stay hidden, and you don’t have to worry about it coming back unless you undo this.
Want News and Interests back later? Just run this command to delete the key: reg delete "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Feeds" /v ShellFeedsTaskbarViewMode /f and restart.
Method 3: Use the Group Policy Editor for a more solid lock
This method is more heavy-duty but perfect if you’re tired of Windows just re-enabling News and Interests after updates. It applies a system-wide setting that enforces the disablement, so even after updates, it stays turned off.
- Press Windows + R, type gpedit.msc, and hit Enter to open the Group Policy Editor.
- Navigate through: Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > News and interests.
- Double-click Enable news and interests on the taskbar.
- Set it to Disabled, then click Apply and OK.
- Restart your PC just to be sure that this setting sticks.
Since this creates a system policy, it’s pretty reliable for keeping News and Interests off, especially for machines that keep reverting to default after updates.
Over the years, trying different methods seems to be necessary, because Windows isn’t always consistent—sometimes, the widget just reappears on its own, even after you disable it. Still, these options cover the most common scenarios.