Edit and Remove MSN Widgets on Windows 11 Lock Screen, Also Available for Windows 10
In July, Microsoft introduced MSN-powered widgets for the lock screen across all Windows 11 and Windows 10 devices. However, a significant drawback of this feature is the lack of user control over the displayed content. Users cannot opt to see a blank lock screen while still cycling through Bing wallpapers.
Although the widgets board on Windows 11 hasn’t garnered widespread usage, Microsoft chose to replicate a similar concept for the lock screen. Currently, the MSN widgets on the lock screen are live for every user, yet many are dissatisfied with the restricted customization options available, as the only way to disable the integration involves selecting another app to replace it.
In an exclusive statement to Windows Latest, Microsoft acknowledged the feedback and confirmed its plans to implement a feature that will allow users to customize the lock screen content, including the ability to edit widgets.
According to Microsoft representatives, this upcoming feature will enable users to decide if only the MSN weather widget should be displayed, with options to hide other widgets such as MSN Money and Sports.
While this functionality has not yet been released for Windows 10 or Windows 11, several new references found in Build 27747 suggest a public preview may be on the horizon:
- Customization options for lock screen widgets
- Management tools for your lock screen widgets
- Ability to add widgets
- Adding multiple widgets to your lock screen
These findings corroborate previous reports indicating that a future release of Windows 11 24H2 will allow users to manage or modify widgets, thus selectively determining what shows up on their lock screens.
The GIF above illustrates how these MSN widgets aggregate on the lock screen when the “Weather” option is selected. The MSN widget collection comprises Weather, Money, Sports, and Traffic.
While this arrangement can clutter the lock screen, some users may prefer to display just the weather widget while eliminating the others. Preferences vary, but many users are voicing this desire.
Moreover, to turn off these widgets, users must select a different app to display content on the lock screen. Although this will remove the Weather and other widgets, it necessitates that some other app can take their place on the lock screen.
Currently, Microsoft has not provided a “None” option, which means users must choose between Weather (which activates all widgets), Mail, Calendar, and Dev Home.
Depending on the applications installed on your system, additional choices may be available, but setting the lock screen to show completely blank content remains impossible.
It’s also important to highlight that MSN integration is present in Windows 11 Enterprise and is available in public releases of Windows 10.
Microsoft is still assessing integration options in preview builds, meaning it may take some time before the ability to manage MSN lock screen widgets becomes available in the stable versions of Windows 11, followed by Windows 10.
We anticipate that this functionality will likely emerge in stable builds early next year.
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