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How to Fix Missing or Stuck Lock Screen Widgets in Windows 11

Check widget visibility and order in Windows 11 Lock screen settings, then look for a Windows Web Experience Pack update in Microsoft Store.
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If Windows 11 lock-screen widgets are missing, appear in the wrong order, or are not working properly, first check Settings > Personalization > Lock screen. Confirm Widgets is on, review the selected items and their order, then check Microsoft Store for a Windows Web Experience Pack update if the problem remains. These checks address configuration and a potentially outdated widget component; they are not guaranteed fixes for every stuck widget.

Check that lock-screen widgets are enabled

  1. Open Start > Settings > Personalization > Lock screen.
  2. Turn on Widgets if the setting is off.

Microsoft’s lock-screen widget guidance identifies this page as the place to manage widget visibility and selection.

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Review the widget list and its order

In the Widgets list on the Lock screen settings page, check whether the missing item is selected. If it is not listed, select Add widget if that option is available. Microsoft says only widgets that support a small size can be added to the lock screen.

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To change the order, drag a widget higher or lower in the settings list. Microsoft says the order in Settings matches the reading order on the lock screen. Use a widget’s more-options menu to remove it or customize it when its provider offers customization.

Know what can and cannot be customized

Microsoft says the widget list in the Weather and more lock-screen app cannot currently be customized. If that app does not offer the list-editing controls you expect, its lack of those controls is not, by itself, evidence of a device fault.

Check for a Windows Web Experience Pack update

  1. Open Microsoft Store and go to Library.
  2. Search for Windows Web Experience Pack.
  3. Select Update if the Store offers it.

Microsoft Support says, “If you ever notice that your widgets aren’t functioning properly or you’re missing some new features, updating the Windows Web Experience Pack might be the solution you need.” The pack delivers widget-based and other web-powered Windows 11 experiences. If the Store does not show an Update option, Microsoft says the latest version is already installed. An update is a supported troubleshooting check, not a guarantee that it will resolve a particular lock-screen problem.

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What to do if the widget remains stuck

Microsoft’s cited guidance establishes settings and the component update as checks, but does not explain all causes of an individual lock-screen widget remaining frozen or document a universal fix after those checks. It also does not establish that a network, account, policy, or service change will resolve the symptom. Avoid treating any one of those as a confirmed cause based on the documented steps here.

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Microsoft’s general Widgets guidance says that Widgets and Discover dashboards need current versions of both Windows Web Experience Pack and Start Experiences App to work as expected. That is useful component context, but it is not a specific promise that updating both will fix a lock-screen widget fault.

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Why widget content can vary

Microsoft’s release note for KB5040529, OS Build 26100.1301, dated July 30, 2024, announced sports, traffic, and finance content alongside weather on the lock screen. This is rollout context for that release, not evidence that every Windows 11 device currently has identical content or settings.

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