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If Windows shows unusually high memory use while News and interests (Windows 10) or Widgets (Windows 11) is active, first isolate the feature instead of assuming a memory leak. Turn it off, or—on Windows 10—use Reduce taskbar updates to keep weather with less rotating content. Check memory again under the same workload. If usage still climbs, the feature is not the only suspect; use Performance Monitor and, if necessary, a longer Windows Performance Recorder trace before considering a RAM upgrade.
What are News and interests and Widgets doing in the taskbar?
Microsoft describes News and interests as a Windows 10 taskbar feature that presents weather, news, sports, stocks, traffic and other information cards. The cards refresh over time and can be customized. Windows 11 uses the related Widgets control rather than the Windows 10 label. Both are designed to keep information available from the taskbar, so they maintain a background content path even when you are not actively opening a card.
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That background activity can coincide with a high memory reading, but the percentage in Task Manager is a system-level measurement. It includes memory used by Windows, applications, drivers and cached data, not just the taskbar feature. A high percentage therefore identifies pressure on available memory, not the cause by itself.
Does high memory usage prove that News and interests has a memory leak?
No. Microsoft defines a leak as a process allocating paged or nonpaged-pool memory and failing to free it. A single high reading, a short spike while cards refresh, or a PC that starts with little free memory does not establish that behavior.
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The stronger signal is continued growth while the same workload runs. Microsoft’s application-performance guidance notes that a long-running trace is useful for diagnosing leaks and that memory that keeps moving upward is usually suggestive of one. Dynamic allocations are where leaks commonly appear; as available memory is displaced, Windows may page data to disk, producing sluggish switching, delayed input or disk activity.
No authoritative Microsoft statistic establishes how much memory News and interests normally consumes, how often it fails, or what percentage of PCs are affected. Microsoft documentation also does not confirm a News and interests-specific leak. Treat the symptom as a report to test, not as a confirmed defect.
How do I stop News and interests from using memory?
Use the feature’s own taskbar setting as an isolation test. If memory stabilizes after the change, the feature or its content path is implicated; if it does not, continue looking at other processes and background activity.
Windows 10: turn News and interests off
- Right-click an empty area of the taskbar.
- Point to News and interests.
- Select Turn off.
- Leave the computer running the same applications and workload for a comparable period, then check Task Manager again.
This is the cleanest test because it removes the taskbar feed rather than merely reducing its refresh behavior. You can reverse it from the same menu if the result does not change your diagnosis.
Windows 10: keep weather but reduce rotating content
- Right-click an empty area of the taskbar.
- Open News and interests.
- Select Reduce taskbar updates.
Microsoft documents this as a compromise: weather remains available while rotating taskbar content is reduced. It is a Windows 10 option and is not available as the same setting in Windows 11.
Windows 11: turn Widgets off
- Open Settings.
- Choose Personalization, then Taskbar.
- Toggle Widgets off.
- Repeat the memory check under the same workload.
Windows 11 calls the taskbar control Widgets, so searching for the Windows 10 phrase News and interests can lead you to the wrong menu.
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How can I confirm whether memory is actually leaking?
Microsoft recommends confirming a suspected leak before deeper investigation. Start with a repeatable observation rather than one screenshot.
Establish a baseline
- Restart Windows, allow startup activity to settle, and note the memory reading.
- Run the same applications you normally use and record memory at consistent intervals.
- Perform the comparison first with News and interests or Widgets enabled, then with it disabled. Keep the workload and observation period as similar as possible.
If memory rises during a refresh and then falls or levels off, that pattern is different from a line that keeps climbing. If disabling the feature changes neither the slope nor the eventual pressure, the feature is unlikely to be the only cause.
Use Performance Monitor for the first check
Microsoft’s leak guidance directs most users to begin with Performance Monitor. Open it from Windows search, select the process and memory counters available on your installation, and watch the same workload for a sufficiently long interval to reveal a trend. The purpose is to determine whether one process steadily retains more memory, not to treat a high system percentage as proof.
Record the time, workload and whether the feature was enabled. A useful observation includes a rising process value, increasing paging and a matching loss of responsiveness. If the value is stable after the initial content load, the evidence for a leak is weaker.
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For continued growth, Microsoft recommends a longer trace with Windows Performance Recorder and inspection in Windows Performance Analyzer. A trace can show when allocations rise and which activity coincides with the increase. Save the trace from a controlled reproduction—ideally once with the feature enabled and once disabled—so the two runs can be compared.
Do not label the problem a confirmed leak solely because one trace is high. Confirm that the same process continues growing under the same workload and that the behavior is reproducible.
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What should I do if memory stays high after disabling the feature?
Follow Microsoft’s general Windows performance sequence before changing hardware. Multiple factors can make a PC slow, and isolating one taskbar component does not test the rest of the system.
- Review Task Manager: sort processes by memory and note applications that grow or remain unusually large while your normal workload runs.
- Install Windows updates: Microsoft notes that updates often include fixes and performance improvements. Also check optional driver updates offered for the device.
- Scan for malware: run a trusted Windows security scan, especially if the growth is new or accompanied by unknown processes.
- Free storage: remove unnecessary files so Windows has working room for updates, temporary data and paging.
- Reduce startup load: disable unnecessary startup applications in Task Manager’s startup controls, then restart and compare the baseline.
- Limit background activity: review which applications are allowed to run in the background and turn off permissions you do not need.
- Restart after changes: a restart clears transient state and gives you a clean measurement point.
When a different process is the one that keeps growing, troubleshoot that process rather than repeatedly changing the taskbar setting. If no single process grows but the machine remains short of memory, the issue may be overall capacity, workload or hardware age rather than a leak.
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Should I disable the feature, reduce updates, diagnose it, or upgrade RAM?
Choose the action that answers your immediate question. Disabling is a diagnostic control as well as a workaround; buying memory is a capacity decision and does not repair faulty software.
| Option | When it fits | What it tells you or changes | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Disable | You need the fastest isolation test or the taskbar feed is unnecessary. | Removes the feature’s taskbar content path and minimizes its background activity. | News and interests in Windows 10; Widgets in Windows 11. |
| Reduce updates | You want weather visible but less rotating taskbar content. | Keeps weather while reducing taskbar updates. | Windows 10 only; not offered as the same control in Windows 11. |
| Diagnose | Memory keeps rising, the symptom returns, or disabling changes nothing. | Performance Monitor can confirm a trend; Windows Performance Recorder and Analyzer provide a longer trace. | Windows diagnostic tools. |
| Upgrade | The device lacks enough physical memory after software causes are excluded. | Adds capacity for the total workload but cannot fix a process that fails to release memory. | Depends on the computer’s supported memory type, slots and maximum capacity. |
When does adding RAM make sense?
Consider a hardware upgrade only after the isolation and software checks. Microsoft cautions that older PCs with outdated hardware may not improve significantly from software steps and that replacing or upgrading the device may be the best long-term solution. If your usual applications legitimately consume most available physical memory, more capacity can reduce paging and improve responsiveness.
Buy a compatible laptop or desktop memory module, not a generic stick chosen by appearance. Verify the computer’s memory type, speed requirements, module format, slot availability and maximum supported capacity in the manufacturer’s documentation. Mixing incompatible modules can prevent booting or leave the system running below its expected specification.
RAM is not a cure for a leak. A leaking process can eventually consume any additional capacity; the upgrade only postpones the point at which Windows begins paging. Keep the diagnostic records so you can tell whether the machine improved because capacity increased or because the underlying growth stopped.
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What changes after Windows 10 support ended?
Windows 10 support ended on October 14, 2025. Microsoft says that after that date it no longer provides free Windows Update software updates, technical assistance or security fixes for Windows 10. The News and interests controls still exist on an installed system, but an unsupported operating system changes the risk calculation for long-term troubleshooting.
If the PC is eligible, moving to a supported Windows release can be a more durable response than repeatedly tuning a taskbar feature. If it cannot move, keep the system’s security protections current where available and treat any performance workaround as a local measure, not evidence that the platform will continue receiving fixes.
How should I interpret the results of the isolation test?
Memory stabilizes after disabling News and interests or Widgets
The feature or a related content path is implicated. Leave it disabled, use the Windows 10 reduced-update option if appropriate, or continue with a trace if you need evidence of a reproducible growth pattern.
Memory remains high but stops climbing
A high steady state may reflect the total workload, cached data or limited physical memory rather than a leak. Check which applications account for the working set and whether paging is causing the slowdown.
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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsMemory continues climbing with the feature disabled
Investigate other processes, startup items, background applications, drivers and malware. The taskbar feature did not explain the observed growth in that run.
The symptom returns only after long sessions
Repeat the controlled run and collect a longer Performance Monitor or Windows Performance Recorder trace. Long-running behavior is precisely where a retention problem is easiest to distinguish from a startup spike.
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What is the practical fix?
Use the taskbar toggle as the first, reversible test. Keep the feature off—or reduce updates on Windows 10—if that restores stable memory. If it does not, confirm the trend with Microsoft’s diagnostic tools, apply the general Windows performance steps, and consider compatible additional RAM only when the evidence points to insufficient physical capacity rather than software that keeps allocating memory.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I keep weather without showing the full feed?
On Windows 10, choose Reduce taskbar updates from the News and interests taskbar menu. It is intended to retain weather while reducing rotating taskbar content; Windows 11 does not provide this same control.
Is virtual memory the same as installing more RAM?
No. Virtual memory uses storage when physical memory is under pressure, while RAM provides faster physical capacity. Increasing the paging file may prevent an immediate crash, but it does not stop a leaking process and can increase disk activity.
How long should I watch memory before reporting a leak?
There is no universal minute count because workload and available memory differ. Compare repeated runs with the same applications, and use a longer trace when the process continues rising rather than leveling after its initial load.
What if turning off the taskbar feature fixes the slowdown but I need the cards later?
Keep it disabled while you complete updates, malware checks and process-level monitoring. Re-enable it for a controlled test after the system is stable; a change that returns only when the feature is active is useful evidence for deciding whether to leave it off.
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