New Windows 10 bug: News and Interests button may have blurry text
Microsoft confirmed that the News and Interests button may be blurry on some devices on the Windows taskbar. The company added a new known issue to the health dashboard of the recently released Windows 10 version 21H1 operating system version.
News and Interest is a controversial feature that was introduced recently, and appears to be rolled out still to all users of Windows 10 versions 2004, 20H2 and 21H1.
It displays as a weather icon with or without text on the taskbar by default. A click opens a news widget that displays news, weather information, traffic updates and more. Some users of Windows 10 like the weather icon and the quick access to news, others were surprised by the sudden addition and searched for ways to disable the weather information in the Windows 10 taskbar.
A right-click and the selection of News and Interests > Turn off, hides the weather widget on the taskbar.
A recent entry to the health dashboard confirms that some users may have have blurry text on the taskbar that is related to the news and interests button.
After installing KB5001391 or later updates, the news and interests button in the Windows taskbar might have blurry text on certain display configurations.
Windows 10 versions 1909, 2004, 20H2 and 21H1 are listed as the affected platforms. A workaround or fix is not available yet, but Microsoft notes that it is working on a resolution. The number of users who are affected by this is unclear; we could not reproduce the issue on several systems running Windows 10, but received word from several users of this site who confirmed the issue on their end. A screenshot taken in February on an Insider machine shows how the issue can look like, however (see above for the screenshot).
Closing words
The issue is not critical, and most users can probably live with it until it gets fixed. Those who cannot can still turn off the widget to turn it on again once the issue has been fixed by Microsoft. Still, better testing might have prevented the issue from being included in updates for stable versions of the Windows 10 operating system.
Now You: what is your opinion on the news and interests widget? Useful, or not?
Microsoft has basically installed a ‘feature’ on my computer without my permission that I neither need nor want. It does however earn them ad revenue, so their motivation is clear.
Installing unwanted software for the profit of the installer is bad enough, but if I disable the feature, my system tray disappears. So now it is re-enabled, but at least I am able to turn off the ‘hover’ part, so that every time my mouse strays near the task bar half of my screen does not disappear with an unwanted news pop-up.
With the rate at which hacks on Windows 10 appear, it is far too dangerous to turn off updates. But surely Microsoft should use some discretion installing updates fueled by their marketing department rather than ones mandated by tech support. There ought to be some sort of law that prevents companies from installing unwanted software on my computer for the primary purpose of making them more money (even if it is in the guise of a ‘service’).
As the days go by I get ever closer to Linux.
hi Martin
news & interests problems under Win10 v1909 recently fixed by installing the KB5003698 update
for those using v2004 to v21H1 wait for the next CU to become available in late June
currently beta testing KB5003690 which includes the fix but is only available in the beta & release preview insider channels
For me, turning off News and Interests also “turns off”/breaks/hides the whole system tray and notification area. Nice.
> Now You: what is your opinion on the news and interests widget? Useful, or not?
https://www.ghacks.net/2021/06/11/how-to-disable-the-weather-widget-from-the-windows-10-taskbar/#comment-4496890
https://www.ghacks.net/2021/05/25/how-to-turn-off-microsoft-edges-new-startup-boost-feature/#comment-4495618
Off-topic,
It keeps adding niche features, bloating with unnecessary bloatware, accumulating bugs, and degrading performance.
It is reminiscent of the “Vivaldi” browser.
So I cut myself off from Vivaldi.
https://www.ghacks.net/2021/06/09/vivaldi-4-0-introduces-translate-feature-and-mail-calendar-and-feed-reader-functionality/#comment-4496876
What I want in a program is a “simple, essential specification” like NirSoft, and niche features should be “extensions of arbitrariness”.
What about the taskbar bug thats screwing up with it when your dpi is higher than 100? Microsoft have no idea what they are doing.
For anyone annoyed by the news and interest feature who can’t figure out how to get rid of it, it’s pretty easy to do. At least for now. As a public service:
Right click on taskbar>News and Interests>Turn Off
I should probably warn folks in advance that the weather icon disappears with the news and interest thing when you do that, but I didn’t like either feature, so that was no big loss to me (Your mileage may vary). You can always turn everything back on if you change your mind later.
Blurry text is far from the worst bug comes with this ‘News and Interest’ no one asked for. There are wide spread reports showing that the right side of taskbar will glitch out, unusable.
Yeah the entire right side glitches out for me. fuckin tired of that stupid icon
I had my taskbar suddenly appear on top of the screen when I hooked up my laptop to my 4k TV. After disabling the annoying, always blurry – not possibly blurry – new taskbar widget, the taskbar glitches stopped.
That AI isn’t earning it’s pay Microsoft. Have you considered using real thinking humans again to test your coding?
Microsoft comes up with some of the most creative and unexpected bugs in the world. And they’re very prolific at it.
“Just live with it.” – Microsoft 2021
I don’t have the widget or a menu option or old edge or new edge, just IE and I’m updated with June updates, KB’s higher than the one mentioned. Everything works perfectly and fast.
Maybe I finally beat Windows into submission?
Why would I ever want news that is censored by any of the Big Tech monopolies? And, in any case, why would I ever want it on my desktop, particulalrly when it was placed there without my permission in a so-called security update. I have browsers (not Edge or Chrome) that I can use to get news and weather from sources that interest me when I want to see them.