Windows 11 widgets not working properly? 15 ways to fix it

How to Fix Windows 11 Widgets Not Working 15 Ways

Widgets may be buggy or corrupted due to issues with Microsoft Edge and its companion components, or, due to operating system level errors or may be missing system files, you may experience widget issues. All these problems can be solved using the methods listed below. We recommend that you start with the first fix and work your way through the list until you manage to resolve your issue.

Method 1: Turn Widgets Off and On

We first recommend that you try switching widgets from the Settings app again. You may have encountered a small bug, switching the widget again will help restart the background service. Please follow the steps below to help you through the process.

Use keyboard shortcuts to open the Settings app. Windows iNow click Personalization.

Select Taskbar.

Now turn off the Widgets switch under Taskbar items.

#We now recommend that you restart your PC to apply changes and clear all cache files.

After the PC restarts, go to Settings > Personalization > Taskbar as above, and turn on the switch for Widgets .

Now use the Windows W keyboard shortcut to access the widgets panel. You can also click the weather icon in the lower left corner of the taskbar or click the Widgets icon next to the Start menu icon.

#If you encountered a temporary error, the widget should now be fixed on your PC.

Method 2: Manually kill the Widget's task

You can now try to manually terminate the Widget's task/process. Accessing the widget panel after terminating the task will help restart it. Follow the steps below to manually terminate the Widgets task on your PC.

Press on the keyboard to open Task Manager. Ctrl Shift EscClick and select Windows Widgets from the list of applications on the screen.

Click End task.

Widget tasks will now be terminated manually. You can now try accessing the widget panel again, which will restart the widget process.

That's it! If you're having issues with the widget process in the background, widgets should now be fixed for you.

Method 3: Restart the File Explorer application (explorer.exe)

You can now try restarting the File Explorer application. The File Explorer application is responsible for most UI elements in Windows, including widgets. Restarting it may help fix widgets on your PC. Please follow the steps below to help you through the process.

Use keyboard shortcuts to open Task Manager. Ctrl Shift EscNow click and select explorer.exe from the list on the screen.

#Click in the upper right corner of the screen to restart the task.

#Windows Explorer will now restart on your PC. If you are facing issues with Widgets due to a bug in Windows Explorer, then the issue should be fixed for you by now.

Method 4: Repair Microsoft Edge

You can try to repair Microsoft Edge now. Widgets use Edge to get and display the latest information for all widgets added to the widget console. You may encounter issues with Microsoft Edge and its other components. Here's how to fix Microsoft Edge on your PC.

Use keyboard shortcuts to open the Settings app. Windows iNow click on Applications on the left.

Select Installed Applications.

Now click on the three dots ( ) menu icon next to Microsoft Edge.

Click

Modify.

Now click

Repair.

Microsoft Edge will now download a new copy and use it to restore the current installation. Once the process is complete, click

Close.

That's it! If Microsoft Edge is causing issues with widgets, it should be fixed on your PC by now.

Method 5: Log back in using your Microsoft account

According to some user reports, it appears that a Microsoft account is required so that the widget panel can get accurate information and display correctly. Users with local accounts have managed to fix the widget by logging in with a Mircosoft account. Therefore, we recommend that you try signing in with a Microsoft account, or if you are already signed in with a Microsoft account, sign out and sign back in to your account. If you're already signed in, use the first section to sign out of your Microsoft account. If you are using a local account, you can skip this step and skip directly to the next section.

Step 5.1 – Sign out of your Microsoft account

Use the keyboard shortcut to open the

Settings app. Windows iNow click on Account on the left.

Click

your information.

Click

to log in with a local account instead.

Click

Next in the pop-up window on your screen.

#Verify your identity using your PIN or Windows Hello.

Now select your username and password in their respective fields.

Click

Next step when completed.

Click

Logout and complete.

You will now be logged out. We now recommend that you restart your PC and log back into your local account. You can now sign in again with your Microsoft account using the following section.

Step 5.2 – Sign in with your Microsoft account

Press to open

Settings AppsWindows i. Click Account.

Scroll down and click

Your Information.

Click Sign in with a Microsoft account instead.

#Sign in using your Microsoft account credentials in the pop-up window on your screen.

#After logging in, enter your PC’s password to confirm your identity.

You will now be asked to set up Windows Hello. Click Next.

That's it! You will now be logged in with your Microsoft account. You can now try using Widgets again. If you had an issue with your Microsoft account, it should be resolved by now.

Method 6: Check and enable Widgets in the Registry Editor

It may also be that Widgets are disabled in the Registry Editor. If it is disabled on your PC, we recommend you to check and enable the same. Please follow the steps below to help you through the process.

Press to open Run Windows R.

Now enter the following and press Enter.

regedit

Use the left sidebar to navigate to the following path in the Registry Editor. You can also copy and paste the path below into the address bar at the top.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft

Now look for the name under Microsoft The key of Dsh. If it exists, click and select the same. If it is not present, the widget will not be disabled on your PC using Registry Editor. In this case, you can skip this fix and move on to the next one.

Double-click AllowNewsAndInterests on the right.

If the value data is set to 0, the widget is currently disabled. Replace 0 with 1.

Now click OK.

Restart your PC to apply the changes. After the PC restarts, press to open SettingsApplicationsWindows i. Now click Personalize on the left.

Select

Taskbar.

Now enable the toggle for

Widgets.

That's it! Once enabled, the widget should now run as expected on your PC.

Method 7: Check and enable the widget in Group Policy Editor

It is also possible that the widget is disabled on your PC using Group Policy Editor. If you are using a work-issued PC, this setting may be managed by your IT administrator and you may need to contact them to access the Group Policy Editor and resolve this issue. Use the following steps to help you through the process.

Use keyboard shortcuts to open

Run. Windows R

Now enter the following and press Enter.

gpedit.msc

Use the left sidebar to navigate to the following path.

Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Widgets

Now double-click on the Allow Widgets on the right side.

If Disabled is selected at the top, click and select Not Configured.

Click OK.

The changes will now be applied and we now recommend that you restart your PC. Once your PC has restarted, use the steps in Method 1 above to enable Widgets on your PC.

That's it! If you disabled the widget using the Group Policy Editor on your PC, this should have fixed the issue for you by now.

Method 8: Try setting Microsoft Edge as your default browser

Widgets use your default browser to get and display information from the Internet in a widget panel. It may be that you are using a third-party browser as your default browser and the widget is not working as expected. If you encounter this, we recommend that you set Microsoft Edge as your default browser and try accessing the widget again. Use the following steps to help you through the process.

Use keyboard shortcuts to open the Settings app. Windows iNow click on Apps on the left.

#Click and select Default Application.

Scroll down and click Microsoft Edge in the apps list.

Click at the top to set the default value.

#We now recommend that you restart your PC as a precaution.

That's it! You can now try to access the widget again. If you're having issues with third-party default browsers, that issue should now be resolved for you.

Method 9: Reinstall the Windows Web Experience Pack

We now recommend that you try to reinstall the Windows Web Experience Pack. This is an important component used by widgets to get information from the Internet. Issues with the Windows Network Experience Pack can also cause problems with widgets, and reinstalling the widgets should help eliminate any errors. Please follow the steps below to help you through the process.

Press Open on your keyboard to run. Windows R

Now enter the following and press Ctrl Shift Enter on your keyboard.

#cmd

Type the following command to uninstall Windows Web Experience Pack from your PC.

winget uninstall "Windows web experience Pack"

We now recommend that you restart your PC. Once the PC boots up, use the steps above to launch the Command Prompt as administrator again. Then use the command below to reinstall Windows Web Experience Pack on your PC.

winget install "Windows web experience Pack"

Once the process is completed, close the command prompt using the following command.

exit

# Now restart your PC just in case. You can now try to access the widget again. If you're having trouble using the Windows Web Experience Pack, it should be fixed for you by now.

Method 10: Fix Microsoft Edge Webview2 Runtime

Microsoft Edge webview2 runtime is another important component that is required for widgets to work properly. You may also have issues with this component and fixing it should help resolve the same issue. Please follow the steps below to help you through the process.

Use Windows i keyboard shortcuts to open the Settings app. Now click Apps on the left.

Click and select Installed apps.

Now scroll down the right side and click on the three dots next to Microsoft Edge Webview2 Runtime( )menu icon .

Select Modify.

Click Repair.

Microsoft Edge Webview2 Runtime will now fix itself. When finished, click Close.

#We now recommend that you restart your PC as a precaution.

That's it! If the widget is facing issues due to a bug in Microsoft Edge Webview2 runtime, then the issue should be fixed for you by now.

Method 11: Downgrade the Web Experience Pack to v421.20050.505

A recent update to the Web Experience Pack appears to have broken widgets for many users from around the world. Downgrading the Web Experience Pack to v421.20050.505 appears to have resolved the issue for many users. We recommend that you try downgrading the Network Experience Pack on your PC to see if that fixes the widget for you. Please follow the steps below to help you through the process.

Use keyboard shortcuts to open Run. Windows R

Now enter the following and press Ctrl Shift Enter on your keyboard.

cmd

#Use the following command to uninstall the current Web Experience Pack installed on your PC.

winget uninstall "Windows web experience Pack"

Once completed, close the command prompt using the command below.

exit

We can now download older versions of the Web Experience Pack. Start by copying the Web Experience Pack Microsoft Store listing link below.

• Microsoft Store Link|Web Experience Pack

Now visit the Store adguard link below and paste the copied link into the dedicated text at the top box.

• Store Adguard | Association

Click the drop-down menu to the right of the text box and select RP.

Click the Check icon when finished.

Scroll down and click the link for Web Experience Pack v421.20050.505. It should be the first package in the list.

##

Note: Make sure you click and download the .appxbundle and not the .BlockMap file.

The download will be initiated for the package. Save it to a convenient location on your PC.

#After downloading, double-click the package to install it on your PC.

Click Install in the lower right corner.

#The package will now be installed on your PC. Once completed, we recommend restarting your PC just in case.

That's it! The older Web Experience Pack should now help get the widget up and running again on your PC.

Method 12: Run an SFC scan

We now recommend that you run an SFC scan. You may be facing issues with corrupted or missing system files, and SFC scan can help identify and fix the same issues on your PC. Please follow the steps below to help you through the process.

Press Open on the keyboard Run. Windows R

Enter the following and press Ctrl Shift Enter on your keyboard.

cmd

Now use the command below to run SFC scan on your PC.

sfc /scannow

Once the process is complete, use the following command to close the command prompt.

exit

We now recommend that you restart your PC to apply changes and clear all temporary files.

That's it! If missing or corrupted system files are the cause of the problem, you should now be able to use Widgets without any issues.

Method 13: Run a DISM and Chkdsk scan

We now recommend that you run a Chkdsk and DISM scan. These can help fix errors and corrupted files on your current Windows installation, as well as file system errors related to your startup disk. Please follow the steps below to help you through the process.

Use keyboard shortcuts to open Run. Windows R

Now enter the following command and press Ctrl Shift Enter.

cmd

Use this command to run a DISM scan.

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /restorehealth

After the scan is complete, use the following command to run the Chkdsk scan. Replace [LETTER] with the letter currently assigned to your boot drive.

chkdsk [LETTER]: /r /scan /pref

After the scan is complete, use the following command to close the command prompt.

exit

We now recommend that you restart your PC as a precaution.

That's it! If the widget is facing issues due to Windows file corruption or file system errors on your PC, it should now work again.

Method 14: Wait for Microsoft Edge to update

As mentioned above, it is a known issue that Widgets are not working after the recent Windows Web Experience Pack update. We now recommend that you simply wait for a future update, which will most likely resolve this issue on your end. Microsoft is aware of this issue and is likely working on a fix. We also recommend that you regularly check for updates to Microsoft Edge. You can use the following steps to easily check and update Edge on your PC.

Open Microsoft Edge on your PC and visit the following address.

edge://settings/help

You will now be on Edge’s About page , the browser will automatically check and display available updates for your PC. We recommend that you install any pending updates, which will also update the web experience and webview2 runtime packages.

This should help eliminate known bugs and eventually fix the widget.

Method 15: Contact Microsoft Support

If you are still experiencing widget-related issues, you should contact Microsoft Support now. You may be facing issues or errors specific to your setup, and a support executive will be able to better diagnose your issue. You can easily contact Microsoft support in your region using the link below.

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