How to use the Windows 10 news and interests taskbar widget
The “news and interest” widget is coming to Windows 10 version 1909 and newer releases, and here’s how to get started to get the most out of the experience.
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On Windows 10, “news and interests” is a new widget available in the taskbar that gives you quick access to local weather and traffic information, trending news, sports, stocks, and more in stackable blocks similar to theLive Tiles pane in the Start menu.
The feature appears in the form of an icon representing the current weather from your location next to the notification area, and it has been designed for easy access onWindows 10without having to switch to your phone or open an app.
The “news and interests” taskbar widget is very customizable, which means that you can adjust the content that appears in the experience. When you find something interesting but do not have enough time, you can always save it for later viewing or share it.
The feature was initially expected to arrive with the feature update that Microsoft is planning for the fall of 2021. However, the widget is now slowly rolling out for Windows 10 version 1909 and higher releases, including version 2004, 20H2, and 21H1.
In this Windows 10 guide, we’ll walk you through the steps to customize and get started with the news and interests taskbar widget.
How to navigate news and interests widget on Windows 10
On Windows 10, news and interests is a straightforward widget. It appears on the right side of the taskbar with an icon that shows the current weather.
You can open the widget by hovering over or clicking the icon. The experience is similar to the Start menu title section with two columns of cards.
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On the right side, you will find the weather and other information cards (such as finance, sports, and traffic). If you want to hide any of these cards, you can click theMore settings(three-dotted) button in the top-right corner and select theHideoption.
In the case of the weather and traffic cards, you can also change location as needed. If you use the finance card, the context menu also allows you to add new symbols to follow.
If you see a story you like, you can click the thumbs-up button to like it. You can also click theMore settings(three-dotted) button and select theSharebutton to grab the link or share it via social media platforms. You can also choose theSave for lateroption to view it later in theMy Saves section of your account.
On the left side, you will find the top stories card with the most interesting stories at that particular moment. There are also additional cards that include content from different publications.
Although the content in the feed will update automatically, you will also find theRefreshbutton to update the content at the top of the experience.
You can click theSee more newsbutton to open your full personalized feed on MSN too. The experience is the same as the widget, but you have access to more content.
How to customize news and interests widget on Windows 10
The news and interests taskbar widget also offer a number of ways to customize the experience.
Sign in (local account only)
If you use Windows 10 with a local account, you can still access the experience. However, if you want to see more personalized content and roam the settings across devices, you will need to sign in with your Microsoft account.
To connect news and interests with your Microsoft account, use these steps:
Once you complete the steps, you will experience a more personalized feed, and the customization settings will sync across all your devices.
Manage interests
You can also manage your interests to tell the feed your topics of interest and specify the publishers you want to see in the experience.
To manage your interests for the taskbar widget, use these steps:
Once you complete the steps, the content in the feed change based on your chosen configuration.
Hide content you don’t like
Although the settings page does not give you an option to prevent content you may not like from appearing in your feed, you can train the widget to only show the content based on your interests by hiding stories or publications from the card context menu.
To hide posts or publications you do not like, use these steps:
You can always tune the feed content by also using theMore settingscontext menu and selecting theMore stories like thisor theFewer stories like thisoption.
How to change news and interests settings on Windows 10
In addition, to adjust the interests, the widget also includes various other settings tooptimize the space in the taskbar, use a click to open the widget instead of hovering over the icon, and you can disable the feature if you do not find it helpful.
Show icon only
To show only the icon instead of the icon and text in the taskbar, use these steps:
After you complete the steps, you will only see the icon with the weather status in the taskbar.
Reduce taskbar updates
The news and interests widget also includes an option to minimize the data usage when the system updates the content in the feed. Usually, you will find the option useful when connected to a capped internet connection and want to prevent going over the limits.
To minimize data usage when using the news and interests widget, use these steps:
Once you complete the steps, news and interests will update the content in the feed less frequently.
Prevent open widget on hover
To stop the widget from opening when you accidentally hover over the icon, use these steps:
After you complete the steps, the taskbar widget will only open when you click the icon.
How to disable news and interests widget on Windows 10
The news and interests widget will come enabled by default on Windows 10, but if you do not find the taskbar widget useful, you can disable it quite easily.
To disable the news and interests widget, use these steps:
Once you complete the steps, the news and interests taskbar widget will be permanently disabled on Windows 10.
More Windows 10 resources
For more helpful articles, coverage, and answers to common questions about Windows 10, visit the following resources:
Mauro Huculak has been a Windows How-To Expert contributor for WindowsCentral.com for nearly a decade and has over 15 years of experience writing comprehensive guides. He also has an IT background and has achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft, Cisco, VMware, and CompTIA. He has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years.
