How Do I Disable Microsoft Start in Windows 11?

To disable the Microsoft Start news feed articles in Windows 11's Widgets board, allowing you to still access your widgets and weather information without the news stories, you need to adjust the settings within the Widgets panel itself. This doesn't entirely remove the service but stops the display of the article feed.

Here's how to turn off the news articles from Microsoft Start within Windows 11 Widgets:

Steps to Hide Microsoft Start Articles

You can easily hide the news articles section from your Widgets board. This keeps the functional widgets like weather and calendar visible while removing the distracting news feed.

1. Open the Widgets Board: Click on the Widgets icon located on your taskbar (it usually looks like a small icon with weather information or two panes). Alternatively, press the Windows key + W.
2. Access Profile: In the top right corner of the Widgets board, click on your profile picture or icon. This will open a settings menu.
3. Go to Widget Settings: In the menu that appears, click on "Widget settings".
4. Turn off News Feed: Find the toggle option that says "Show or hide the news feed" or similar wording related to the news/articles.
5. Toggle Off: Click the toggle switch to turn it off.

Once you turn this setting off, the main feed displaying articles powered by Microsoft Start will disappear from your Widgets board. As the reference mentions, you will not going to get the stupid articles but can still use the widgets and still get your weather.

What This Does

Disabling the news feed specifically addresses the common complaint about the stream of articles in the Widgets board. By following these steps, you are essentially customizing the view of the Widgets panel to only show the chosen widgets (like weather, calendar, to-do lists, etc.) and hiding the news content provided by Microsoft Start.

This process is different from completely removing the Widgets feature or the underlying Microsoft Start service from your system, but it effectively "disables" the part that most users want to get rid of – the news articles.