Disable News and Interests Using Regedit

The News and Interests widget on the Windows taskbar displays weather updates, news headlines, and stock information, but it can consume system resources and clutter your workspace. This guide provides a straightforward, step-by-step walkthrough on how to completely disable the News and Interests feature across your system using the Windows Registry Editor (Regedit).

Step-by-Step Guide to Disabling News and Interests

Step 1: Open the Registry Editor

1. Press Windows Key + R to open the Run dialog box.
2. Type regedit into the field and press Enter (or click OK).
3. If prompted by User Account Control (UAC), click Yes to grant administrative privileges.

Step 2: Navigate to the Feeds Key

In the Registry Editor address bar at the top, paste the following path and press Enter:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Feeds

Step 3: Modify the ShellFeedsTaskbarViewMode Value

1. In the right-hand pane, look for a DWORD (32-bit) Value named ShellFeedsTaskbarViewMode.
2. If this value does not exist:
   • Right-click an empty area in the right pane.
   • Select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value.
   • Name the new entry ShellFeedsTaskbarViewMode.
3. Double-click ShellFeedsTaskbarViewMode to open its edit window.
4. Set the Value data field according to your preference:
   • 2 = Turn off / Disable News and Interests completely.
   • 1 = Show icon only.
   • 0 = Show icon and text (Default).
5. Ensure the Base is set to Hexadecimal, then click OK.

Step 4: Apply the Changes

To apply the changes immediately without restarting your entire computer:

1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open the Task Manager.
2. Under the Processes tab, scroll down and find Windows Explorer.
3. Right-click Windows Explorer and select Restart.

The taskbar will briefly disappear and reload, and the News and Interests widget will no longer be visible. To re-enable the feature in the future, navigate back to the same registry key and change the value data back to 0.