The Windows 11 Widgets board is one of those features that costs you performance whether you use it or not. Its background processes — Widgets.exe plus a small army of Edge WebView2 helpers — refresh news feeds, weather, and stocks around the clock. On HP laptops, where background utilities already compete for CPU, Widgets is often the tipping point between “fine” and “fans always on.”

The beautiful thing about this problem: the fix is guilt-free. Nobody’s workflow depends on the Widgets board. You can throttle it, neuter it, or remove it entirely, and Windows won’t miss it for a second.

HP laptops feel this more acutely than most because they already run a heavier-than-average background load — SupportAssist, telemetry, and audio utilities all compete for the same CPU cores. Widgets’ constant feed refreshing is often the final straw that keeps fans spinning at idle. Removing it doesn’t just fix one process; it gives every other background task more headroom, which is why the improvement feels bigger than the Task Manager numbers suggest.

Why this happens

  • Background feed refreshes — news, weather, and stocks update on a schedule even when the board is never opened.
  • WebView2 processes spinning — the Edge-based rendering engine behind Widgets can get stuck in high-CPU loops.
  • Corrupt Widgets cache — damaged cached feed data causes repeated failed refresh attempts.
  • Animated/weather widgets — live-updating visual widgets are disproportionately expensive.
  • Conflicts with HP background software — HP utilities competing for the same CPU time amplify the perceived impact.
  • Widgets board opened accidentally — the taskbar button or Win+W opens it, and it stays resident afterward.
  • Outdated WebView2 runtime — bugs in older WebView2 versions cause exactly this high-CPU behavior.

How to fix it

Work through these in order — diagnose first, then act.

Fix 1: Confirm Widgets is the culprit

Make sure you’re blaming the right process before changing anything.

Steps:

  1. Open Task Manager → Processes and look for Widgets or Windows Widgets.
  2. Expand it — you’ll see several Microsoft Edge WebView2 subprocesses underneath.
  3. Note the combined CPU; 5%+ sustained at idle is worth fixing.
  4. Press Win+W to open the board, then close it, and watch whether CPU drops or stays high.
  5. If closing the board doesn’t help, the background refresh is the problem — continue.

Fix 2: Turn off the Widgets taskbar button and board

The quickest relief: stop the board from loading at all.

Steps:

  1. Right-click the taskbar → Taskbar settings.
  2. Toggle Widgets Off — this removes the button and prevents accidental opens.
  3. Open Task Manager, find Widgets processes, and end them.
  4. They may restart after reboot — that’s expected; Fix 4 makes it permanent.
  5. Use the laptop for a few hours and confirm CPU/fan behavior improves.
  6. If you ever press Win+W out of habit, break the habit during testing — every accidental open restarts the background refresh cycle.
  7. Use the laptop for a few hours and confirm CPU/fan behavior improves.

Fix 3: Update the WebView2 runtime

Many Widgets CPU bugs are actually WebView2 bugs that Microsoft has since fixed.

Steps:

  1. Check your WebView2 version: search “Apps” → look for Microsoft Edge WebView2 Runtime in Installed apps.
  2. Download the latest Evergreen installer from Microsoft’s WebView2 page (or let Windows Update handle it).
  3. Install the update and restart.
  4. Re-check Widgets CPU in Task Manager.
  5. Also ensure Microsoft Edge itself is updated — Widgets shares components with it. Microsoft documents WebView2 in their support hub .

Fix 4: Disable Widgets via Group Policy or Registry (permanent)

Stop Widgets from running entirely. This is the definitive fix.

Steps:

  1. Pro/Enterprise: Press Win + R → gpedit.msc → Computer Configuration → Administrative Templates → Windows Components → Widgets → enable “Allow widgets” set to Disabled.
  2. Home: Open Registry Editor, go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Dsh.
  3. Create a DWORD (32-bit) named AllowNewsAndInterests, set its value to 0. (Create the Dsh key if it doesn’t exist.)
  4. Restart the laptop.
  5. Verify in Task Manager that no Widgets processes start after reboot.

Fix 5: Uninstall the Widgets experience package

For a complete removal, uninstall the Widgets app package itself.

Steps:

  1. Open an elevated Terminal (PowerShell).
  2. Run: winget uninstall "Windows Web Experience Pack" — this removes the Widgets board.
  3. Alternatively in PowerShell: Get-AppxPackage *WebExperience* | Remove-AppxPackage.
  4. Restart and confirm Widgets processes are gone permanently.
  5. Note: major Windows updates may reinstall it — re-run the uninstall if it returns.

Fix 6: Clear the Widgets cache

If you want to keep Widgets but fix its CPU usage, a corrupted cache is worth clearing.

Steps:

  1. End all Widgets/WebView2 processes in Task Manager.
  2. Navigate to %LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Widgets (paste into File Explorer’s address bar).
  3. Delete the contents of the cache folders.
  4. Restart the laptop and let Widgets rebuild its cache fresh.
  5. If CPU spikes return within days, the cache wasn’t the issue — proceed to disable (Fix 4).

Fix 7: Reduce HP background load to amplify the gain

Widgets hurts more when the system is already busy. Lighten HP’s background footprint.

Steps:

  1. Open Task Manager → Startup apps and disable HP utilities you don’t need at boot.
  2. In HP Support Assistant settings, reduce the frequency of automatic scans.
  3. Our Windows 11 speed-up guide covers the full background-trimming routine.
  4. After trimming, re-measure — the combination of fewer HP background tasks plus disabled Widgets is often transformative.
  5. Keep HP drivers current regardless — outdated drivers waste CPU everywhere.

Closing

The Widgets board is pure optional overhead, and on HP laptops it’s overhead you can feel. Disabling it (Fix 4) is a five-minute change with zero downside that often quiets fans and extends battery life noticeably. If you actually like glancing at the weather feed, try Fix 6 first — but be honest with yourself about whether you ever open it. Most people don’t, and their laptops thank them for letting it go. For the full step-by-step variant of this fix, see our Widgets CPU step-by-step guide .

Frequently asked questions

What is Widgets.exe and why does it use so much CPU?
Widgets.exe powers the Windows 11 Widgets board — the news, weather, stocks, and calendar panel that slides in from the left. It runs Microsoft Edge WebView2 processes in the background to keep feeds fresh, and on some systems these processes spin at high CPU due to buggy feed updates, corrupted cache, or conflicts with graphics drivers. Many users never open the board yet pay its CPU cost constantly.
Is it safe to disable the Widgets board?
Yes, completely. Widgets are an optional convenience feature — disabling the board or uninstalling the Widgets experience removes no essential Windows functionality. Your news, weather, and calendar remain available through browsers and apps. Disabling it is a legitimate performance optimization, not a hack.
Why does Widgets use CPU even when I never open it?
The Widgets board pre-loads and refreshes its content in the background so it appears instantly when opened. Its WebView2 processes poll for news, weather, and stock updates on a schedule regardless of whether you’ve ever clicked the Widgets button. Background refresh plus occasional feed bugs equals constant CPU drain for a feature you don’t use.
Will disabling Widgets improve battery life?
Yes, measurably on affected systems. Widgets.exe and its WebView2 helpers can hold 5–15% CPU indefinitely, which keeps the processor from entering low-power states and generates heat. Users who disable Widgets often report cooler operation, quieter fans, and 20–45 minutes of additional battery life on HP laptops.