Microsoft recently updated the lock screen in Windows 11 by adding widgets. A similar change arrived in Windows 10’s lock screen. However, the biggest problem with the new lock screen widgets or cards is the inability to change them. At the moment, it’s not possible to turn off one of these MSN widgets on the lock screen.

This could change, as Microsoft plans to offer full control over what appears on the lock screen. Microsoft told us the Widget cards will be customizable in a future release, but the company won’t provide ETA. The company will also let you easily control the content that appears in these cards.

The lock screen widgets powered by MSN are available as an optional update. But they will become the default for everyone after installing the patch Tuesday update released in April 2024. The mandatory April 2024 Patch Tuesday update will begin rolling out on April 9, and turn on MSN integration.

As shown in the above GIF, all MSN widgets appear by default on the lock screen when the Weather option is enabled in Settings.

In a future release, you’ll be able to select which card appears on the lock screen. For example, you can have Weather and Sports and remove your Money/finance card.

Not everyone is excited about the MSN-powered widgets as some users might prefer to keep MSN content away from the lock screen. MSN content is already inside the Widgets board; some might prefer it to stay away from the lock screen.

Thankfully, it’s possible to completely disable MSN integration.

You can block the lock screen widgets by navigating to Personalization > Lock screen> Lock screen status and picking any other app from the list. Still, you must choose an app, which is another thing Microsoft should think about.

However, Microsoft should consider adding a “None” option for the Lock screen status setting to eliminate clutter from the screen.

The feature is also available in the Enterprise editions of Windows, which raises another question about its usefulness in a work environment.

Apart from the lock screen widgets, the Widgets app in Windows is also becoming more customizable.

Windows 11 Widgets test a new navigation pane, feed customization

In Windows 11 24H2, Microsoft is experimenting with the Widgets panel layout. It added a navigation pane to the left side, allowing you to switch between feed and widgets.

There is also a UI overhaul that brings the settings icon to the bottom left-hand side and removes the extended view option. As a result, you cannot go full screen in the widgets app anymore.

My feed, which pulled content from Microsoft Start, can now be easily turned off in the settings. Microsoft is also opening new interoperability points in Windows, but that’s an EEA-exclusive feature, with little hope for worldwide roll-out.

Microsoft added notification badges to Widgets in the Moment 5 update for Windows 11, released last month. The next version update will likely bring these experimental features to the stable channel users.

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