In December 2022, Microsoft released a preview build of Windows 11 with the ability to use Windows widgets without a Microsoft account. This is a much needed change that makes widgets more user-friendly, especially thanks to third-party offerings now slowly popping up in the Microsoft Store. After months of testing, Microsoft’s no-account widgets have arrived in a stable release and bring changes to all Windows 11 users.

If you prefer to use Windows 11 with a local account, you will see a typical widget layout and news feed when you open the widget panel. You can remove existing widgets and add new ones by clicking the button with the plus icon. Of course, the company still wants you to use a Microsoft account, so you get an extra banner asking you to sign in.

To get the latest enhancements in Windows widgets, you need to install Windows Web Experience Pack version 423.3000.10.0 or later. You can download it from Microsoft Store using this link. If you are not a fan of Windows widgets and would prefer not to use them, uninstalling Web Experience Pack using winget is one way to get rid of them.

Unfortunately, Windows widgets remain a mixed bag of often low-quality articles that do not improve the user experience to say the least. The ability to turn off the feed is a top user request, and we can hope that Microsoft will eventually deliver what its customers want.