Windows 10: Fix "news and interests" or get rid of it

It only intermittently opens, so I turned it off only to have it reappear in the task bar the next day. People have been asking about this broken functionality for years, and yet it never gets fixed. Seriously Msft if you can't fix it, just get rid of it. Most of the content is garbage anyway and it only opens in Edge which nobody normally uses. So what's the point of keeping it?

:)

 

Get Rid of News and Interests

Nielpzz, thanks for your help. What I found out was that the feature actually seems to have two settings attached to it - News and Interests & Search Highlights. Both have to be disabled to get rid of the feature on the taskbar, and since I went into the registry to do this, I restarted my computer afterward. That fixed the problem of this feature coming back again and again. Below are the steps to what I believe will guarantee this works. I'll try to be thorough for anyone who's unfamiliar with navigating Windows in this way:

Firstly, I'll reiterate the steps from the initial post, so that everything is present in one text field. These steps disable half of the problem, News and Interests. By the way, if you are using the Home version of Windows, you may not have gpedit, which is Local Group Policy Editor. In order to get this tool, you can google it and follow the instructions Microsoft gives you. It is installed through Command Prompt, takes about 60 seconds, and it's completely free. Now everything may work, even if you don't want to do this, however, I'll list it so that there is no possibility that we aren't doing everything we can to disable the problem feature:

1. Settings > Personalization > Taskbar > "Show news and interests on the taskbar" --- switch to Off

2. Run (Windows/Start Key + R) > type "gpedit.msc" > Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > News and interests > "Enable news and interests on the taskbar" --- double-click > Disable

Now for the second half of the problem, Search Highlights. And to be doubly sure this works, we will go into the registry on Step 4. This requires administrator access. Again, I think it may work without doing this more advanced action, but I'm just listing the steps I took to get rid of the feature:

3. Right-click the taskbar > Hover over "Search" > Click, or confirm, "Hidden" --- there should be a check mark next to it > In the same area, ensure there is NO check next to "Show Search Highlights".

4. Run (Windows Key + R) > type "regedit" > Click "Yes" > On the left-side navigation pane, follow this path: HKEY_CURRENT_USER > SOFTWARE > Microsoft > Windows > Current Version > Feeds > Now go to the right-side pane and scroll until you find "ShellFeedsTaskbarViewMode" > double-click it and in the box named "Value data", enter the number "2" > Click "Ok" > sign out of your computer, or restart it, and when you come back, the News and Interests should be gone for good.

Hope that helps anyone looking for a solution. I personally hadn't seen anyone mention both of these solutions together, but doing all four of these steps is how I achieved the desired result of removing the Pop-up News Feed from my taskbar and making it stay gone.

 

Get Rid of News and Interests

How can I permanently disable or remove News and Interests from my taskbar? Going to Windows Settings has not helped, as the News and Interests button will simply reappear, about 10 minutes later. Likewise, opening Local Group Policy Editor yields the same result. I will list the steps to both methods I have tried, but both of them temporarily remove News and Interests from the taskbar. Somehow this button will automatically pop-up again. I would appreciate clear directions on how to completely, permanently remove this feature. Thank you.

Method 1: Settings > Personalization > Taskbar > "Show news and interests on the taskbar" --- switch to Off

Method 2: Run (Windows/Start Key + R) > type "gpedit.msc" > Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > News and interests > "Enable news and interests on the taskbar" --- double-click > Disable

EDIT: Solved the problem. Please see my post below, or consult Nielpzz's post if what I describe somehow doesn't work - but it absolutely should work.

 

Hide News and Interests in Windows 10

With the next release of Windows 10, Microsoft is testing News and Interests on the taskbar. With News and Interests, you get a quick glance of dynamic content throughout the day. This article discusses how to show or Hide News and Interests in the taskbar. As News and Interests is just a taskbar feature, you can either hide it or configure it to show the icon only.





Disable News and Interests on Windows 10

To enable or Disable News and Interests in the taskbar, see the steps below:

1. Right-click the Taskbar on the desktop.
   
2. Click News and Interests.
   
3. Select Turn off from the list of options.
   
4. If you want an icon only related to weather, select show Icon only.
   

These steps can help you disable News and Interests on the taskbar.