Many people thought this was a bug, but Microsoft has confirmed that’s not the case. Widgets is now pinned to the left side of the taskbar by default, and it’s the only icon which opens when you hover over it. When this happens unintentionally, Windows 11 assumes you want to open Widgets, closing the Start menu abruptly. The new location for Widgets is particularly problematic if you’ve moved the Start menu back to its classic location, which now causes a direct conflict. But even if that’s not the case, it’s easy to unintentionally move your cursor there. Microsoft has acknowledged the issues it’s causing some users, adding “we’re working on this”. That implies some tweaks are on the way, but its only suggestion in the meantime is “carefully avoiding it”. However, there is an easier solution if you don’t use Widgets. Simply head to Settings > Personalisation > Taskbar and click the toggle next to ‘Widgets’ to turn it off. Even if you are a keen Widgets user, it might be worth doing without it until Microsoft reduces its hovering sensitivity.
The KB5010414 update is causing other bugs, though
The disappearing Start menu seems to be the most widespread problem, but this update is leading to bugs that Microsoft didn’t intend. Some users have been reporting issues where the taskbar itself won’t load or can appear blank. As Windows Latest reports, a forum contributor complained of apps not engaging with the taskbar properly when in full-screen mode. Despite these problems, the benefits of the KB5010414 update still outweigh the drawbacks for most people. Many other bugs are fixed, while there are two new features aimed at business users. While it was released in the same month, it’s worth noting that this is separate from Windows 11’s big February update, which adds several new features. Following some initial issues during testing, people are unlikely to experience problems after installing it now.
Related articles for further reading
How to customise Windows 11 Widgets How to get the Windows 11 February update Windows 11 2022 (22H2) update news
As the resident expert on Windows, Senior Staff Writer Anyron’s main focus is PCs and laptops. Much of the rest of his time is split between smartphones, tablets and audio, with a particular focus on Android devices.
