FIX: Widgets Not Working/Loading Blank on Windows 11

Widgets on Windows 11 received a major design overhaul for a smoother and more productive experience. Widgets carry different types of information in one space, including weather, stocks, top stories, sports, photos, and other important topics.

Microsoft has revamped the widgets panel on Windows 11, as it is now divided into two sections. The upper section includes weather, stocks, sports, photos, etc. And the bottom section includes top news stories collected from several websites. So, yes, widgets can prove to be super useful if you make the most of them.

Image source: The Verge

Although, most users have addressed a commonly reported issue where the widgets were not functional or simply did not load after upgrading to Windows 11. In this post, we have listed a bunch of solutions that you can use to fix the “Widgets not working” issue on Windows 11.

Let’s get started.

How to Open Widgets on Windows 11?

Image source: PC Mag

There are 3 different ways to access widgets on Windows 11. You can either press the widget’s icon (Rectangular-box) placed on the Taskbar. Alternatively, another way to open widgets is by using the keyboard shortcut. Press the Windows + W key combination to launch the widgets panel on Windows 11. And the third method is to simply swipe from the left to right direction on the screen to open widgets if you own a touchscreen laptop or tablet. It even includes a search box to quickly find information.

Widgets not Working on Windows 11? Here’s the Fix!

If you’re unable to use widgets on Windows 11, you can use the below-listed troubleshooting methods to fix this issue. Let’s check them out.

Also read: The 6 Best Windows 10 Weather Widgets To Have On Your PC

Solution #1: Manually Enable Widgets

If you’re unable to locate the widget’s icon on the Taskbar, here’s how you can manually enable widgets on Windows 11.

Right-click anywhere on the Taskbar and tap on “Taskbar Settings”.

Enable the “Widgets” option to turn it on.

Once the widget’s icon is added to the Taskbar, you can either tap on it to open launch the widgets panel or simply press the Windows + W key combination.

Also read: How To Add Widgets To Mac Desktop

Solution #2: Restart the Widgets Process via Task Manager

If the widget’s icon is unable to load on your device, restarting the process via the Windows Task Manager app can help. Here’s what you need to do:

Tap the search icon placed on the Taskbar, type “Task Manager” and hit Enter. Alternatively, you can also press the Control + Shift + Escape key combination to quickly launch Task Manager.

In the Task Manager window, tap on “More Details”. Now switch to the “Processes” tab.

Look for the “Windows Widgets” process in the list. Right-click on it and select “End Task”.

Reboot your machine and now try launching the widgets again to see if it fixed the issue.

Solution #3: Sign Up with Microsoft Account

The widgets panel on your device uses your Microsoft account to fetch basic information like weather, sports, calendar, reminder, news, etc. So, in case you’ve been signed out of your Microsoft account, the widgets might not load or appear on the panel. To sign back in with your Microsoft account, follow these steps:

Open the Settings app. Tap on “Accounts” from the left menu pane.

Under the account settings section, hit the “Sign in with a Microsoft account Instead” option.

Also read: 10 iPhone Widgets That Can Overhaul Your Smartphone Experience

Solution #4: Use Microsoft Edge as Default Browser

Well, this may purely sound like a hit-and-try kind of solution but this hack mostly works in fixing the “Widgets not working” issue on Windows 11. Follow these steps to set Microsoft Edge as the default web browser on your Windows 11 device.

Tap the Windows icon placed on the Taskbar, select “Settings”.

Select the “Apps” option from the left menu pane. Now tap on “Default Apps”.

Scroll through the list of apps and then tap on Google Chrome or whichever browser is set as default on your device.

Press the square-arrow icon placed in the .htm box. Select “Microsoft Edge” from the list.

Repeat the same set of steps for all the formats, including HTML, PDF, SHTML, SVG, and so on.

Solution #5 Temporarily Disable Graphics Driver

Interference of the installed graphics driver on your machine with the widgets panel can also result in the “Widgets not loading or widgets not working” issue on Windows 11. To temporarily disable the graphics driver, here’s what you need to do:

Press the Windows + R key combination to open the Run dialog box. Type “Devmgmt.msc” in the textbox and hit Enter.

In the Device Manager window, tap on “Display Adapters”. Right-click on the installed graphics driver, select “Properties”.

Tap on the “Disable Device” button.

After disabling the graphic drivers, relaunch the widgets panel to see whether it fixed the issue.

Also read: How to Downgrade from Windows 11 to Windows 10

Conclusion

Here were a few simple workarounds that you can use to fix the “Widgets not working on Windows 11” issue. How frequently do you use the widgets panel on Windows? Do you think widgets offer more productivity? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments box. Follow us on social media – Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.