Intune Policy Guide: Removing the Weather Widget from Windows 11 Taskbar

Removing the Weather Icon from Windows 11 Taskbar Using Intune

In this tutorial, you will learn how to remove the weather icon from the Windows 11 taskbar using Intune. For organizations managing multiple Windows 11 devices, Intune policies provide an effective method to disable widgets—including the weather icon—on the taskbar.

The weather widget in Windows 11 is a built-in feature that displays real-time temperature, UV index, and weather conditions. Located in the lower-left corner of the taskbar, it also provides a daily forecast based on the user's current location.

Weather Icon on Windows 11 Taskbar

When purchasing a new laptop with Windows 11 preinstalled, the weather widget is enabled by default. While some users find this feature useful, others may prefer a cleaner taskbar without weather updates. Fortunately, Microsoft allows home users to manually disable the weather icon through Windows 11 taskbar settings.

For enterprise environments, weather updates may not be relevant to employees' tasks. If Windows 11 devices are enrolled in Intune, administrators can apply a configuration profile to centrally disable widgets on the taskbar. Similarly, for Windows 10 devices, the News and Interests feature can be disabled using an Intune policy.

News and Interests vs. Weather Widget

In Windows 10, Microsoft introduced the News and Interests feature, which displays weather updates directly on the taskbar. In Windows 11, this functionality has evolved into a dedicated Weather Widget that serves as an entry point for the Widgets Panel. These widgets can be enabled or disabled through taskbar settings.

While both News and Interests and the Weather Widget provide quick access to information, there is a key difference:

• News and Interests (Windows 10): Displays a broader range of content, including news headlines, stock updates, and personalized interests, alongside weather information.
• Weather Widget (Windows 11): Primarily focuses on detailed weather updates, such as temperature, humidity, and forecasts, without additional news content.

By leveraging Intune policies, IT administrators can streamline the Windows 11 user experience by customizing the taskbar and disabling unnecessary widgets across multiple devices.

Let's create a new Intune policy to remove the Weather Icon from the Windows 11 taskbar across managed devices.

First, sign in to the Intune Admin Center.

• Navigate to Devices > Manage Devices > Configuration Profiles.
• Click Create > New Policy.

• Select Windows 10 and later as the platform.
• Choose Settings Catalog as the profile type.
• Click Create to proceed with policy configuration.

This policy will ensure the Weather Icon is removed from the taskbar on all assigned Windows 11 devices.

Configure the Policy Details

After creating the policy, enter a name and a brief description to define its purpose:

• Name: Remove Weather Icon from Taskbar Using Intune
• Description: Disables the Widgets (Weather Icon) on the taskbar for Windows 11 devices.

Once the details are entered, click Next to proceed to the settings configuration.

Configure the Policy Settings

1. In the Settings Picker window, type "Widgets" in the search box and press Search.
2. From the search results, select the Widgets category.
3. In the bottom section, find and select the setting: Allow Widgets.
4. Close the Settings Picker.

Disable the Weather Widget

1. Click the drop-down menu next to Allow Widgets and select Not Allowed.This action will disable widgets on the assigned devices and permanently remove the Weather Icon from the taskbar.
2. Click Next to proceed.

Configure Scope Tags and Assign the Policy

1. Scope Tags (Optional)

• In the Scope Tags section, you can specify tags to categorize and filter policies within Intune.
• This step is optional, and you may skip it if not needed.
• Click Next to proceed.

1. Assign the Policy

• In the Assignments window, select the Entra device groups to which you want to apply the policy.
• It is recommended to first deploy the profile to a test device group to ensure proper functionality before rolling it out to a larger set of devices.
• Once the test deployment is successful, expand the assignment to additional devices.
• Click Next to continue.

Review and Deploy the Policy

On the Review + Create page, carefully review all the settings you have configured to disable the Weather Icon on Windows 11 devices. Ensure that the policy details, assignments, and configurations are correct.

Once everything is verified, click Create to finalize and deploy the policy. The changes will be applied to the assigned devices based on your Intune sync schedule, effectively removing the Weather Icon from the taskbar.

Verifying and Monitoring the Policy Deployment in Intune

After successfully creating the configuration policy in Intune, a confirmation notification will appear: “Policy created successfully.” This confirms that the policy has been successfully created and is being applied to the selected device groups. You can find the newly created profile in the Configuration Profiles section of the Intune Admin Center.

Applying the Policy to Devices

Once the policy is deployed, it will take effect the next time the assigned devices check in with the Intune service. The time it takes for the policy to apply depends on the Intune sync schedule.

If you want to speed up the testing process, you can manually force a sync on your Windows devices to immediately pull the latest policies from Intune.

Monitoring the Policy Deployment

To track the deployment status of the Remove Weather Icon policy in Intune:

1. Navigate to Intune Admin Center.
2. Select Devices > Configuration Profiles.
3. Find and select the Remove Weather Icon from Taskbar policy.
4. Review the Device and User Check-in Status.

The monitoring dashboard will display the status of devices that have successfully received and applied the policy settings. The screenshot below illustrates that most devices have successfully enforced the policy. Under Device and User Check-in Status, you can verify the exact number of devices where the policy has been applied.

By following these steps, you can ensure the policy is properly deployed and take action if any devices fail to receive the settings.

Verifying Policy Application and End-User Experience

To further analyze the deployment, you can click View Report to check the list of devices that have successfully received the configuration profile.

In some cases, the policy may fail to apply to certain devices. If this happens, troubleshooting is required. You can diagnose the issue by reviewing Intune logs on affected Windows computers and ensuring they have properly synced with the Intune service.

End-User Experience: Confirming the Weather Icon Removal

Once the assigned devices sync with Intune and apply the policy, it's time to verify the results on a Windows 11 device.

1. Sign in to one of the Windows 11 devices targeted by the policy.
2. Check the taskbar – you should now see that the Weather Icon (Widgets) has been successfully removed.

With the widgets disabled, the taskbar appears cleaner and less cluttered, improving the user experience and maintaining a more focused workspace.

Under Windows Settings > Personalization > Taskbar, the user cannot enable the widgets because the option is greyed out. This confirms that an Intune policy can be effectively used to get rid of the weather icon (disable widgets) on Windows 11 devices.

More Information

For additional guidance on configuring Microsoft Intune policies to remove the Weather Widget from the Windows 11 taskbar, refer to the following resources on Microsoft Learn:

• Overview of Microsoft Intune
• Configuration Service Provider (CSP) Policies
• Settings Catalog in Intune
• Managing Devices with Intune
• Assigning Policies and Apps in Intune

These resources provide comprehensive instructions on setting up, managing, and optimizing device configurations using Microsoft Intune.

Thank you!

??? Ricardo Barbosa

?? MCT Microsoft Certified Trainer | ?? Cloud Architect

?? Technology Director - https://altelix.com