Remove Weather From Taskbar in Windows 10

If you’re tired of the weather widget cluttering your Windows 10 taskbar, you can remove it in a few clicks. This guide shows you exactly how to turn off the weather icon and its live updates, whether you want to hide it temporarily or disable it completely. No extra tools are needed—just your Windows settings.

What You’ll Need

• A Windows 10 PC with the taskbar visible
• Administrator rights (not strictly required, but helpful if settings are locked by policy)

Step-by-Step

1. Right-click an empty area of the taskbar. Avoid clicking on icons or the search box. A context menu will appear.
2. Look for the “News and interests” option. It’s usually near the top of the menu, above “Cortana” or “Search.” If you don’t see it, your Windows 10 version may not have this feature (it was added in the May 2021 update).
3. Hover over “News and interests.” A submenu will expand with several choices.
4. Select “Turn off.” This immediately removes the weather icon and all related content from the taskbar. The change is instant—no restart needed.
5. Verify it’s gone. Look at the taskbar; the weather icon should no longer be present. If it’s still there, try restarting Windows Explorer (see Troubleshooting).

That’s the entire process. The weather widget is a feature called “News and interests,” and turning it off is the same as removing the weather from the taskbar.

Common Mistakes

• Right-clicking on an icon instead of empty space. If you right-click a taskbar icon, you get that app’s menu, not the taskbar menu. Make sure you click on a blank area.
• Choosing “Show icon only” instead of “Turn off.” “Show icon only” hides the weather text but leaves the icon. If you want it completely gone, choose “Turn off.”
• Assuming the weather is part of the search box. The weather widget is separate from the search bar. Disabling “News and interests” won’t affect search.

Tips

• If you might want the weather back later, remember that you can re-enable it by right-clicking the taskbar and selecting “News and interests” → “Show icon and text.”
• To free up even more taskbar space, consider also hiding the search box (right-click taskbar → “Search” → “Hidden”).
• If you only want to stop the live updates but keep the icon, choose “Show icon only.” The icon will stay, but it won’t display the temperature or change dynamically.

Troubleshooting

The “News and interests” option is missing. This feature is only available in Windows 10 versions 21H1 or later (build 19043.985+). If you don’t see it, update Windows via Settings → Update & Security → Windows Update. If you’re on an older build, the weather icon might be part of a different widget—check if you have a third-party weather app pinned to the taskbar, and unpin it by right-clicking the icon and selecting “Unpin from taskbar.”

I turned it off, but the weather icon reappears after a restart. This can happen if a group policy or registry setting overrides your choice. For most users, simply turning it off again should stick. If it keeps coming back, check if your PC is managed by an organization (work or school) that enforces taskbar policies. In that case, contact your IT admin.

The weather icon is still visible but not clickable. Sometimes the widget gets stuck. Try restarting Windows Explorer: right-click the taskbar → “Task Manager” → find “Windows Explorer” in the list → right-click it → “Restart.” This refreshes the taskbar without rebooting your PC.

I chose “Turn off,” but the weather still shows in the lock screen. The taskbar widget is separate from the lock screen weather. To disable lock screen weather, go to Settings → Personalization → Lock screen, and change the “Choose an app to show detailed status” to “None” or a different app.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Will removing the weather affect my other taskbar icons?
A: No. Turning off “News and interests” only removes the weather widget. All other icons, including the Start button and pinned apps, remain unchanged.

Q: Can I remove the weather without disabling the entire News and interests feature?
A: No. The weather is part of the News and interests widget. There’s no separate toggle for just the weather. Your options are: show icon and text, show icon only, or turn off completely.

Q: How do I get the weather back after turning it off?
A: Right-click the taskbar, hover over “News and interests,” and choose either “Show icon and text” or “Show icon only.” The weather will reappear immediately.

Q: Why is the weather icon showing a temperature even though I turned it off?
A: That’s likely a different widget, such as a third-party weather app or a desktop gadget. Check the icon’s tooltip by hovering over it—if it says “News and interests,” then the setting didn’t apply; try restarting Explorer. If it’s another app, unpin it from the taskbar.

Q: Does this also remove weather from the Start menu?
A: No. The Start menu may show weather in its “News and interests” section (if enabled). To remove that, go to Settings → Personalization → Start, and turn off “Show suggestions occasionally in Start.” This doesn’t affect the taskbar widget.

Q: Is there a way to remove the weather via Group Policy?
A: Yes, for Windows 10 Pro or Enterprise, you can use the Group Policy Editor. Navigate to Computer Configuration → Administrative Templates → Start Menu and Taskbar, and enable the policy “Remove News and interests from the taskbar.” This is useful for system administrators managing multiple PCs.

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