To configure Widgets notifications in Windows 11, open the Widgets board with Windows key + W, select Settings on its navigation bar, and open More settings > Notifications. There you can switch taskbar badges, navigation-bar badges, and individual dashboard notifications on or off. Discover uses a separate notification page. These controls are independent of the general Windows notification settings at Settings > System > Notifications.
Which Windows 11 setting controls each Widgets alert?
Windows 11 has several similarly named notification surfaces. The quickest way to avoid changing the wrong setting is to match the behavior you want to the control that owns it.
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| What you want to change | Where to change it | What the setting affects |
|---|---|---|
| Badge shown on the taskbar for Widgets | Widgets board > Settings > More settings > Notifications | The indicator that Widgets has an important missed notification |
| Badge shown on the Widgets navigation bar | Widgets board > Settings > More settings > Notifications | The badge on the navigation area inside the Widgets experience |
| Alerts from a particular dashboard | Widgets board > Settings > More settings > Notifications | Notifications generated by the dashboards listed there |
| Discover recommendation and news alerts | Discover dashboard > account button > Notifications | Notification categories selected for Discover |
| Whether the Widgets button appears on the taskbar | Right-click the taskbar > Taskbar settings > Taskbar items > Widgets | Visibility of the taskbar button only |
| Windows notification-center alerts from Windows or apps | Settings > System > Notifications | System-wide and per-app Windows notifications, not Widgets-specific badge preferences |
Configure Widgets taskbar badges
A Widgets badge is a small taskbar indicator that signals an important missed notification. It is not the same as a normal toast alert from Windows Notification Center. Use the Widgets board’s own settings to control it.
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- On the Widgets navigation bar, select Settings.
- Under More settings, select Notifications.
- Find Show badges on the taskbar.
- Turn the switch On to allow the Widgets badge, or Off to suppress it.
The change applies to the Widgets badge itself. It does not turn off every Windows notification and does not remove the Widgets board. If you turn the option off and later want the indicator back, repeat the same path and switch it on.
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Control badges inside the Widgets navigation bar
The board has a second badge control. In the same More settings > Notifications page, use Show badges on the navigation bar.
- Open Widgets with the taskbar button or Windows key + W.
- Select Settings, then More settings, then Notifications.
- Set Show badges on the navigation bar to On or Off.
This switch governs the badge displayed in the Widgets navigation area. You can leave navigation-bar badges enabled while disabling taskbar badges, or do the reverse, because they are separate options.
Turn dashboard notifications on or off
Widgets can receive notifications from individual dashboards. Microsoft describes dashboards as sources such as weather, sports, finance, and breaking-news content. The list of switches shown on your PC reflects the dashboards available in your Widgets experience.
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- Open the Widgets board.
- Select Settings on the navigation bar.
- Choose More settings > Notifications.
- Under Dashboard notifications, locate the dashboard you want to control.
- Turn that dashboard’s notification switch on or off.
Disabling one dashboard does not automatically disable the others. For example, you can keep weather notifications enabled while turning off sports or finance notifications. If a dashboard is not listed, there is no corresponding switch in that version of the Widgets settings page; do not substitute a Windows-wide notification setting, because it controls a different layer.
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Personalize Discover notifications separately
Discover notification preferences are not configured by the dashboard switches alone. Discover has its own account menu and notification categories.
- Open the Widgets board and go to Discover.
- Select the user account button.
- Open the Notifications tab.
- Customize the notification types you want Discover to provide.
Use this page when the alert concerns Discover recommendations or news categories rather than a named dashboard switch. Changing a Discover preference does not necessarily change the taskbar badge setting; if you want no taskbar indicator at all, also turn off Show badges on the taskbar in the Widgets notification settings.
Show or hide the Widgets button on the taskbar
The taskbar’s Widgets toggle controls whether the button is visible. It is a presentation setting, not a notification preference.
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- Select Taskbar settings.
- Expand or locate Taskbar items.
- Set Widgets to On to show the button or Off to hide it.
Hiding the button does not disable access to Widgets. Microsoft states that the board remains available with Windows key + W. You can therefore hide the taskbar item while retaining the board and its notification settings, or show the item again without changing any dashboard preferences.
What announcements and badges mean
Widgets may rotate brief taskbar announcements, including weather and updates from areas such as sports, finance, or breaking news. A badge is a different signal: Microsoft describes it as an indicator of an important missed notification. Open Widgets to see more information about what triggered the badge.
These are Widgets-specific taskbar behaviors. They should not be interpreted as proof that a Windows app has sent a standard notification-center alert. The Widgets settings determine whether Widgets badges and dashboard notifications are allowed; Windows’ notification-center settings determine the broader Windows alert system.
Focus sessions suppress taskbar announcements and badges
During a Focus session, Widgets announcements and badges are not displayed on the taskbar. This suppression is expected behavior, so a missing badge while Focus is active does not by itself indicate a broken setting. After the session, check the Widgets notification switches if you still need to change what appears.
Widgets settings versus Windows notification settings
Use the following distinction when troubleshooting an alert that does not appear:
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- Widgets controls: Open Widgets, select Settings, and use More settings > Notifications for taskbar badges, navigation-bar badges, and dashboard notification switches.
- Discover controls: Open Discover, select the account button, and use the Notifications tab for Discover notification categories.
- Windows controls: Open Settings > System > Notifications for Windows-wide notification behavior and per-app notification controls.
- Taskbar visibility: Use Taskbar settings > Taskbar items > Widgets only when the question is whether the Widgets button is visible.
Changing Settings > System > Notifications is therefore not a replacement for enabling a Widgets dashboard or its taskbar badge. Conversely, changing a Widgets badge switch will not reconfigure unrelated apps that appear in Windows Notification Center.
Practical configurations
You want a quiet taskbar but still want to read Widgets
- Open Widgets with Windows key + W.
- In Settings > More settings > Notifications, turn Show badges on the taskbar off.
- Leave dashboard switches on for the information you want available inside the board.
- Optionally hide the taskbar button through Taskbar settings > Taskbar items > Widgets.
You can still open the board with the keyboard shortcut, even when the taskbar item is hidden.
You want weather updates but not other dashboard alerts
- Open the Widgets notification page.
- Leave the weather dashboard switch on.
- Turn off the switches for dashboards whose alerts you do not want.
- Decide separately whether the taskbar badge should remain on.
The dashboard switches and the taskbar badge switch answer different questions: which sources may notify you, and whether the taskbar should show a badge.
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- Open Discover.
- Select the account button.
- Open Notifications.
- Adjust the Discover notification types.
- If a taskbar badge is still unwanted, return to Widgets Settings > More settings > Notifications and disable the taskbar badge.
Troubleshoot missing or unexpected Widgets notifications
The Widgets badge never appears
- Confirm Show badges on the taskbar is on in Widgets’ own notification settings.
- Check whether a Focus session is active; taskbar announcements and badges are suppressed during Focus.
- Open Widgets to inspect the content that would have triggered the badge. A badge is intended to indicate an important missed notification, not every update.
- Verify that the relevant dashboard notification switch is enabled.
You changed Windows notifications, but Widgets behavior did not change
That is expected when you changed only Settings > System > Notifications. Return to the Widgets board and use its More settings > Notifications page for Widgets badges and dashboard controls. Use the Discover account menu for Discover-specific categories.
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The Widgets button disappeared
Right-click the taskbar, open Taskbar settings, and check Taskbar items > Widgets. If the switch is off, turn it on to restore the button. If you prefer it hidden, press Windows key + W to open Widgets without the button.
A dashboard switch is missing
Dashboard notification switches are shown for the dashboards available in your current Widgets experience. Review the list under Dashboard notifications; do not assume a missing entry is controlled by a similarly named Windows app setting.
Labels or layout differ after an update
Windows 11 menu labels and placement can change with updates. Look for the same functional path: open Widgets, select its Settings button, find More settings, and then locate Notifications. Keep the taskbar visibility control separate under Taskbar settings. If a label has moved, the distinction between those two control surfaces remains the useful guide.
A quick verification checklist
- Widgets opens from the taskbar or Windows key + W.
- Settings > More settings > Notifications is the page used for Widgets badges.
- Show badges on the taskbar reflects your desired taskbar behavior.
- Show badges on the navigation bar is configured independently if needed.
- Relevant entries under Dashboard notifications are enabled or disabled intentionally.
- Discover categories are checked through the Discover account button’s Notifications tab.
- Taskbar items > Widgets is used only to show or hide the button.
- Settings > System > Notifications is reserved for Windows-wide and app notification behavior.
- A Focus session is not active when you expect a taskbar announcement or badge.
With those settings separated, you can keep the Widgets board available, choose which dashboards may notify you, and decide independently whether any Widgets indicator appears on the taskbar.
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