Windows 11 Receives Weather Card on Lock Screen Shortly After Limited Public Testing

The recent Patch Tuesday update brought a surprise for Windows 11 users: a new Weather card feature that was previously only available for testing with a subset of Windows Insiders in the Dev channel. According to a January 3 blog post from the Windows Insider Program, this feature promises a dynamic and interactive weather experience directly on the lock screen.

When interacting with the weather card, users can access more detailed information and forecasts, which will open in Microsoft Edge with MSN Weather. The new feature is enabled by default, but can be easily toggled off if desired. The weather experience is available for all lock screen personalization options, including Windows spotlight, Picture, or Slideshow.

Although the feature was initially only available to a subset of users in the Dev channel, it appears to have made its way to stable, bypassing broader availability in Dev, Beta, and Release Preview channels. Despite being a minor feature rollout, it is an example of a concerning trend that could potentially reduce the overall quality of Windows.

Originally, Microsoft announced that the new weather experience would arrive “in the coming weeks.” However, users have already seen the feature available through the Settings app, where it can be enabled under Personalization > Lock screen by changing the “Lock screen status” to “Weather.” Unfortunately, only one detailed status item can be displayed on the lock screen at a time, replacing any previously configured items.