If you find that the Windows 11 widget panel consumes power, the following measures can be taken to solve it: 1. Turn off unwanted widgets to reduce background updates; 2. Adjust the "News and Interests" display to "Show icons only" or fixed views; 3. Turn off the background operation permissions of widgets in system settings; 4. If not used frequently, consider completely disabling them through registry, group policy, or third-party tools. These methods can effectively reduce their consumption of battery and system resources.

If you find that the Widget Panel of Windows 11 secretly consumes power in the background, this is actually not uncommon. Although it seems like a small feature, backend data updates, network requests, and interface renderings will all increase the burden on system resources, especially in some cases where there are improper settings or network instability. To solve this problem, you can start from several key points.

Close unwanted widgets

By default, the widget panel will load weather, news, calendar and other information. These contents will be updated regularly, occupying CPU and network resources, and thus affecting battery life.

• Operation suggestions :
  • Open the widget panel (click the widget icon or Win W on the taskbar)
  • Click “…” in the upper right corner → select “Widget Settings”
  • Turn off content sources you don't care about in "Recommended Content" and "News & Interests"
  • You can also directly click "×" in the upper right corner of a widget in the panel to remove it

The cleaner it is to remove it, the lower the frequency of background updates, and the consumption of battery is naturally smaller.

Adjust the display method of "news and interests"

News & Interest is the most likely part of the widget panel that causes resource consumption, especially when mini views are displayed on the taskbar, which keeps refreshing content.

• Optimization method :
  • Right-click the taskbar → select "Taskbar Settings" → find the "News and Interests" option
  • You can choose "Close" or change to "Show icons only" to avoid continuous refresh of content
  • If you must look at the content, it is recommended to set to "Medium" or "Wide" view instead of frequent refreshing mini mode

Although this setting looks inconspicuous, it has a significant impact on the battery, especially for thin and light laptop users to feel the difference.

Restrict backend application permissions

The widget panel is essentially a background application, and Windows 11 allows you to directly restrict its background operation permissions.

• Operation path :
  • Open Settings → Apps → App Permissions → Backstage Application Permissions
  • Find "Widget" or "Widget Service" (the name may be slightly different)
  • Close its background operation permissions

In this way, even if you don’t actively open the widget panel, it will not secretly update content in the background, saving power while reducing CPU usage.

Do you completely close the widget panel?

If you hardly use widget features, consider turning it off completely. However, it should be noted that Windows 11 does not currently provide the official option of "completely disabling widget panels", but it can be implemented through the registry or group policy (for advanced users).

• Alternatives :
  • Use third-party tools such as Winaero Tweaker or similar software to hide or disable widget portals
  • Or directly uninstall the widget application (via PowerShell command)

Note: Modifying system components may affect compatibility of future updates. It is recommended to back up the system or create a restore point before operation.

In general, the problem of high power consumption of widget panels is mostly due to content updates too frequently or loading too much unnecessary information. As long as the settings are properly turned off or adjusted, it can be effectively alleviated. There is no need for too complicated operations, nor does it have to be completely disabled. The key is to make choices based on your use habits.

Basically, that's not difficult to adjust, but it's easy to be ignored.

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