Microsoft continues the good work on Windows 11, with tweaks to 'quiet' ads — and that big taskbar change is 'coming soon'

• Microsoft has toned down the ads and annoyances with Windows 11's widgets panel
• In testing, the new default settings are a lot less in-your-face and distracting
• This is part of a large slab of work to improve Windows 11 in the past month, and Microsoft has further promised another major change is inbound for the taskbar soon

Microsoft has made a useful move to tame ads on the widgets board in Windows 11 (as previously promised), and it has updated us on the overall progress in fixing the OS so far – complete with an assurance that the big taskbar change some folks are desperate for is coming soon.

Windows Latest reports that in a preview build released a few days back in the new Experimental channel – which hosts the earliest test builds, before beta – there's a change to make the widgets board 'quieter', which is Microsoft-speak for less in-your-face with advertisements and promoted news stories.

Microsoft tells us: "We're working to make Widgets feel less distracting and overwhelming by making the experience quiet by default. To do this, we're testing a new set of default settings designed to reduce unexpected alerts and visual interruptions."

These new defaults mean that mousing over the widgets section on the taskbar will no longer cause the panel to pop up. More importantly, when the widgets board is summoned, you will get the "widgets experience on first launch", meaning by default the panel will be just widgets – with no MSN feed.

That MSN (Microsoft Network) feed is where Microsoft makes revenue from the widgets in the interface, pushing news stories and ads, and it's not something many people want to see – at least not by default. If you want to turn it back on, though, that's entirely possible with the new way of working, as you might expect.

Microsoft is also toning down taskbar badging for the widgets panel, which is when little notification dots pop up, say, for breaking news.

Remember that these changes are still only in testing for now, and at an early stage of that process too.

Analysis: 'top improvements' being pushed through

Essentially, Microsoft is smoothing over a bunch of distractions with the widgets panel here and turning off some of the advertising in Windows 11 by default. That's great news for everyone, and it's also a positive sign that, in its big revamp of Windows 11, Microsoft isn't afraid to make changes users really want, even if they could potentially interfere with its revenue stream.

I've recently written about my doubts about Microsoft calming down its upselling activities in Windows 11, so I'm pleased to see action actually being taken to pull back on some of the promotional nonsense that's included by default as part of the operating system.

These widget changes are mentioned in a lengthy blog post that Microsoft wrote about the "top improvements" that have started rolling out in testing, and it's quite a list, from making File Explorer speedier and improving system performance in general, through to a bunch of important changes to Windows Update.

Another key bit of info dropped here is Microsoft saying, "We know there's a lot of excitement for Taskbar customization – and that's coming soon."

So, the ability to move the taskbar away from the bottom of the screen (and other useful customization options) isn't far off, and that's good to hear. It seems that the rumors of this being a top priority for Microsoft were on the money.

All in all, it's good to see that Microsoft wants to stay engaged with Windows 11 users, and that it's keeping us all up to date regularly, and pushing promised changes through with some alacrity – including reining in some ad-related blights on the OS.

Fixing Windows 11 remains a mountainous task, don't get me wrong, but I'm starting to have more faith that Microsoft may actually pull this off.

The best laptops for all budgets

➡️ Read our full guide to the best laptops
1. Best overall:
Apple MacBook Air 13-inch M5
2. Best budget:
Apple MacBook Neo
3. Best Windows 11 laptop
Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch
4. Best thin and light:
Lenovo Yoga Slim 9i
5. Best Ultrabook
Asus Zenbook S 16

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