Microsoft is changing the way the Widgets panel works in Windows 11. With the newly tested default settings, the panel will directly show the widget experience instead of the MSN news feed on first launch. The Widgets area on the taskbar will also run quieter; Automatic opening, badges and unexpected warnings when hovered over with the mouse will be off by default. A quieter period begins in the Windows 11 Widgets panel.
Microsoft started testing new default settings in the Widgets experience with Windows 11 Insider Experimental Preview Build 26300.8346. According to the release notes dated May 1, 2026, the company is moving the Widgets section to a less distracting structure. This change directly covers the opening behavior of the panel, taskbar notifications and badges. In the new layout, the Widgets panel will highlight the widget experience instead of welcoming the user with the news feed at first opening.
The MSN news feed, which has been criticized for a long time in Windows 11, is thus removed from the center of the default view. Previously, users could turn off the MSN stream, but this time Microsoft offers the panel with a simpler setting from the beginning. Automatic opening of the Widgets icon on the taskbar when hovered over with the mouse is also disabled by default. This behavior was found annoying by many users, especially since it caused the panel to open with accidental cursor contact on the taskbar.
In the new test setting, the panel remains more in the background unless the user specifically opens it. Microsoft also turns off taskbar badges by default. In the widgets area, notification badges related to weather, stock market, news or similar content will no longer constantly warn the user during the first installation. The company is also limiting taskbar alerts until the user interacts with the Widgets experience.
These changes do not mean a completely closed system. Users who want to receive more active notifications will be able to turn on features such as taskbar badges again from the Widgets settings. In other words, while Microsoft makes the Widgets panel silent by default, it leaves the choice to the user. The new settings are currently being tested by Windows Insiders. In Microsoft’s notes, this build is among the changes gradually distributed to Windows Insider users in the Experimental channel.
The same release notes also include some visual and usage fixes for File Explorer, a renewed Run window, innovations for the Windows Share page, new zoom options for the Magnifier tool, and support for specifying the size in GB on the storage side. The release notes also state that these tests are run on Build 26300.8346 based on Windows 11 version 25H2. Microsoft also reminds that features included in Insider builds may change over time, be removed, or may never be released to the public.
Therefore, the new default behavior in the Widgets panel is currently in the testing phase.
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