How do i get rid of these widget things?

That's one reason why I refuse to upgrade to that crappy Windows 11 that 4 years later still has too many ugly things in it, and its interface is a miserable piece of work.

Here's how to remove those unwanted widgets from your Windows 10 lock screen:

1. Go to Settings > Personalization > Lock Screen
2. Turn off “Show fun facts, tips, and more from Windows and Cortana on your lock screen”
3. Just below that, click on “Choose an app to show detailed status” and set it to None
4. If widgets also appear on your taskbar, navigate to Settings > Personalization > Taskbar and disable Widgets
5. Restart your PC to apply the changes

These steps will restore your lock screen to its classic look—just the time and date, without any distractions.

🛠️ Note: Some users have reported that Windows updates may re-enable these widgets. If that happens, you might need to repeat the steps or consider using Group Policy or Registry tweaks for a more permanent solution.

Let me know if you'd like help with those advanced options too.

If you're using Windows 10 Pro or Enterprise, you can use the Group Policy Editor to permanently disable lock screen widgets and suggestions:

1. Press Win + R, type gpedit.msc, and hit Enter
2. Navigate to: Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Control Panel > Personalization
3. Double-click on “Do not display the lock screen”
4. Set it to Enabled, then click Apply and OK
5. Restart your computer to apply the changes

This will completely bypass the lock screen and take you directly to the sign-in screen, effectively removing all lock screen content—including widgets, tips, and fun facts.

🛡️ Note: This method disables the entire lock screen, not just the widgets. 

this Registry tweak will disable the lock screen entirely—removing all widgets, tips, and distractions.

⚠️ Important: Always back up your registry before making changes.

✅ Steps:

1. Press Win + R, type regedit, and hit Enter
2. Navigate to this path:
3. Code
4. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Personalization
5. Inside Personalization, right-click → New > DWORD (32-bit) Value
6. Name the new value:
7. Code
8. NoLockScreen
9. Double-click it and set its value to 1
10. Restart your PC

This will completely bypass the lock screen and take you directly to the sign-in screen—effectively removing all lock screen content including widgets, fun facts, and suggestions.

💡 Note:

• This method disables the entire lock screen—not just the widgets.

Start by saying that the advice below does work... on the lock screen settings.. turn off the fun facts etc.. but that is not sufficient.. also have to "Choose one app..." and set it to none.

Not exactly intuitive, is it!

... and the Microsoft update had set it to "Show weather and more"!.. so very intentional.

Same problem.. tried all the settings and everything including various regedits but persist.. told to do a clean boot by disabling microsoft services in msconfig.. worked but also locked up my computer.

Did a system restore and got rid of the widgets but as soon as I turned my back, windows updated again and the wigets were back immediately.

This is something built into the latest windows update.. nothing to do with malware... unless you classify windows updates as malware?

Turn off "Show suggestions on lock screen" in Settings > Personalization > Lock Screen. Disable Widgets in Settings > Personalization > Taskbar. Restart your PC to apply changes.

If you see widgets that appear as part of a third-party app, check for that app in your installed programs and disable or uninstall it.

Go to the Display settings and change the background image.

That should remove those news snippets and widgets from your taskbar and lock screen, leaving just the time and date like before.

I had the same issue starting this morning...

go to settings/lock screen settings

go down to where it says "get fun facts ..." Make sure that is off.

Just below that  it says "choose one app to show..."

click on the plus and change it to "None"

On my computer, it still had the default selection of "Weather and more" but I didn't see any before because I had the button above it turned off but now it seems that you also have to select "None" for the widgets to go away.