- Microsoft has toned down ads and annoyances with the Windows 11 widget panel
- In testing, the new default settings are much less direct and distracting
- This is part of a big work to improve Windows 11 over the last month, and Microsoft has also promised that another major change is coming to the taskbar soon.
Microsoft has taken a helpful step to control ads in the Windows 11 widget dashboard (as previously promised) and has updated us on the general progress in fixing the operating system so far, reassuring that the big change to the taskbar that some people are desperate for is coming soon.
Windows Latest reports that in a preview released a few days ago on the new Experimental channel, which hosts the first test builds, ahead of the beta, there’s a change to make the widget dashboard “quieter,” which is Microsoft-speak for less direct ads and promoted news.
Microsoft tells us: “We’re working to make widgets less distracting and overwhelming by making the experience quiet by default. To do this, we’re testing a new set of default settings designed to reduce unexpected alerts and visual interruptions.”
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These new defaults mean that hovering over the widget section in the taskbar will no longer display the panel. More importantly, when the widget panel is invoked, you will get the “widget experience on first launch”, which means that by default the panel will be widget-only, with no MSN feed.
That MSN (Microsoft Network) feed is where Microsoft makes money from widgets in the interface, serving news and ads, and it’s not something many people want to see, at least not by default. However, if you want to turn it back on, it’s entirely possible with the new way of working, as you’d expect.
Microsoft is also graying out the taskbar badges for the widget panel, which is when little notification dots appear, for example, for breaking news.
Please remember that these changes are still only in testing for now and also at an early stage in that process.
Analysis: ‘Major improvements’ are being pushed
Basically, Microsoft is removing a lot of distractions with the widget panel here and turning off some of the advertising in Windows 11 by default. That’s great news for everyone, and it’s also a positive sign that, in its big Windows 11 revamp, Microsoft isn’t afraid to make the changes users really want, even if they might interfere with its revenue stream.
I recently wrote about my doubts about Microsoft calming down its upselling activities on Windows 11, so I’m glad to see that steps are being taken to remove some of the promotional nonsense that is included by default as part of the operating system.
These widget changes are mentioned in a lengthy blog post Microsoft wrote about the “major improvements” that started rolling out in testing, and it’s quite a list, from making File Explorer faster and improving overall system performance, to a bunch of important changes to Windows Update.
Another key piece of information included here is Microsoft saying, “We know there’s a lot of enthusiasm for taskbar customization, and that’s coming soon.”
So the ability to move the taskbar further away from the bottom of the screen (and other useful customization options) isn’t far away, and that’s good to hear. It seems that the rumors that this was a priority for Microsoft were right.
Overall, it’s good to see that Microsoft wants to remain committed to Windows 11 users, keeping us all updated regularly and pushing through promised changes fairly quickly, including controlling some ad-related pests in the operating system.
Fixing Windows 11 is still a huge task, don’t get me wrong, but I’m starting to have more faith that Microsoft can actually pull it off.
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