Why Should You Remove the Weather Widget from Windows 11 Taskbars in Enterprise Environments?
The weather widget in Windows 11 appears by default in the lower-left corner of the taskbar, displaying current weather conditions and providing access to news feeds. While useful for personal devices, many enterprise environments prefer to disable this feature to reduce distractions, improve productivity, and maintain a cleaner interface. Microsoft Intune provides a centralized way to manage this setting across all your Windows 11 devices through configuration policies.
This tutorial walks you through creating and deploying an Intune policy using the Settings Catalog feature - Microsoft's modern approach to device configuration management. You'll learn how to disable the weather widget across multiple devices simultaneously, monitor deployment progress, and troubleshoot common issues.
How Do You Access Microsoft Intune Admin Center for Policy Creation?
Start by logging into the Microsoft Intune administration portal where you'll create the configuration policy.
Open your web browser and navigate to https://endpoint.microsoft.com. Sign in using your Global Administrator or Intune Administrator credentials. Wait for the dashboard to load completely - you should see the main Intune overview with device statistics and recent activity.
Verification: Confirm you can see the left navigation pane with options like "Home", "Devices", "Apps", and "Tenant administration". If you don't see these options, verify your account has the correct permissions.
Where Do You Find Device Configuration Options in Microsoft Intune?
Access the configuration policy creation area within the Intune console.
In the left navigation pane, click Devices. Then select Configuration from the submenu (you might see this as "Manage devices" > "Configuration" depending on your interface version). Click the Create button at the top of the configuration policies list, then select New Policy from the dropdown menu.
Verification: You should now see the "Create a profile" wizard with platform and profile type selection options. The page title should read "Create a profile" or similar.
What Platform and Profile Type Should You Select for Windows 11 Widget Management?
Set up the foundational settings for your weather widget removal policy.
In the profile creation wizard:
- Select Windows 10 and later for the platform (this covers Windows 11 devices)
- Choose Settings Catalog for the profile type - this is the current recommended method for Windows configuration management
- Click Create to proceed to the next step
Verification: The wizard should advance to the "Basics" tab where you'll enter policy details.
How Do You Configure Basic Policy Information for Weather Widget Removal?
Provide descriptive information for your policy to ensure easy identification and management.
Fill in the following fields:
- Name:
Remove Weather Widget from Windows 11 Taskbar - Description:
Disables the weather widget (Widgets feature) from appearing on the Windows 11 taskbar for improved productivity and reduced distractions
Click Next to proceed to the configuration settings.
Verification: Ensure the name and description clearly indicate the policy's purpose. You should now be on the "Configuration settings" tab.
Which Specific Setting Controls the Weather Widget in Windows 11?
This is the core step where you'll disable the weather widget through the Settings Catalog interface.
In the Configuration settings section:
- Click Add settings to open the Settings picker
- In the search box, type
Widgetsand press Enter - From the search results, expand the Widgets category
- Select the checkbox next to Allow Widgets
- Click Close to return to the configuration page
- In the newly added setting, set Allow Widgets to Not Allowed
The "Allow Widgets" setting is the registry-backed configuration that controls whether the widgets feature appears on the Windows 11 taskbar. When set to "Not Allowed", it prevents the weather widget from displaying and blocks user access to the widgets panel.
Verification: You should see "Allow Widgets: Not Allowed" listed in your configuration settings. Click Next to proceed to assignments.
How Do You Assign the Weather Widget Policy to Windows 11 Devices?
Deploy the policy to your Windows 11 devices by assigning it to appropriate Azure AD security groups.
In the Assignments section:
- Under Included groups, click Add groups
- Search for and select your Windows 11 device security groups (e.g., "Windows 11 Corporate Devices" or "All Company Devices")
- Choose Required for the assignment type to ensure mandatory application
- Click Select to confirm your group selection
Leave Excluded groups empty unless you need to exclude specific devices from this policy.
For mixed environments with both Windows 10 and Windows 11 devices, you can create a single policy that handles both operating systems. Add both the "Allow Widgets" setting (for Windows 11) and the "Enable News and Interests" setting (for Windows 10), setting both to "Not Allowed".
Verification: Your selected groups should appear in the "Included groups" list. Click Next to review the policy.
What Should You Review Before Deploying the Intune Weather Widget Policy?
Perform a final review of your configuration before deploying the policy to your devices.
On the Review + create tab, verify:
- Policy name and description are correct
- Platform shows "Windows 10 and later"
- Profile type shows "Settings catalog"
- Configuration shows "Allow Widgets: Not Allowed"
- Assigned groups are correct
If everything looks correct, click Create. You'll see a confirmation message: "Policy created successfully".
Verification: The policy should now appear in your Device configuration policies list with a status of "Not assigned" initially, which will change as devices sync.
How Do You Monitor Weather Widget Policy Deployment in Microsoft Intune?
Track the deployment progress and ensure devices are receiving and applying the policy correctly.
To monitor your policy:
- Navigate back to Devices > Configuration
- Click on your "Remove Weather Widget from Windows 11 Taskbar" policy
- Select the Device status tab to see deployment progress
- Check the User status tab for user-specific deployment information
Policy application typically occurs during the next device sync cycle (usually within 8 hours) or can be forced by running this PowerShell command on the target device:
Get-ScheduledTask | Where-Object {$_.TaskName -eq "PushLaunch"} | Start-ScheduledTaskYou can also force a manual sync from the Intune portal by selecting the device and clicking Sync.
Verification: Devices should show "Succeeded" status. Users may need to sign out and back in or restart their devices to see the weather widget disappear from the taskbar.
What Are Common Issues When Removing Weather Widgets via Intune?
Several issues can prevent successful policy deployment. Here are the most common problems and their solutions:
Policy Not Applied to Devices:
- Ensure devices are properly enrolled in Intune and show as compliant
- Verify the target security groups contain the correct devices
- Check that devices have synced recently (within the last 24 hours)
- Allow sufficient time for policy propagation - it can take up to 8 hours
Weather Widget Still Visible After Policy Deployment:
- Restart the affected devices or have users sign out and back in
- Verify the policy shows "Succeeded" status for the specific devices
- Check for conflicting policies that might override the widget setting
- Ensure you're using the correct "Allow Widgets" setting, not "News and Interests"
Mixed Environment Conflicts:
If you have both Windows 10 and Windows 11 devices, create a comprehensive policy that includes both settings:
- "Allow Widgets" set to "Not Allowed" (for Windows 11)
- "Enable News and Interests" set to "Not Allowed" (for Windows 10)
The policy changes take effect immediately upon device sync, but the visual change (widget disappearing) may require a user session restart or device reboot to become visible.
