Windows 11 turned out to be more compact and productive after Windows 10 retired. The widgets on Windows 11 are really cool and interactive. However, few users have been complaining that a handful of widgets are generating errors. The widgets keep showing an error message that says, ‘We can’t retrieve your tasks right now. Please try again later’.
Why do widgets show such signs? Windows experts suspect that it can happen due to simple and temporary glitches. On the other hand, corrupted components of Microsoft To-Do, account issues, or disabled widgets data might be responsible for the problem. Additionally, if any of the Windows updates are not installed, then a similar issue can take place.
Let’s see how you can bring your Windows 11 widgets back to their functionality:
Activate Widgets
Are you sure whether you have turned on those Windows widgets? Perhaps, you are noticing the ‘We can’t retrieve your tasks right now’ message just because you haven’t enabled the widgets.
Enable or re-enable them using the following guidelines:
- Right-click on the computer’s Taskbar. Go for the Taskbar Settings option.
- Next, you need to swipe the button just below the ‘Show Widgets Button’ to its On position.
- If it’s already on, then you can toggle off the option, and after that, re-enable it.
Test if you can notice Windows widgets on your PC. In addition, don’t forget to check your internet connectivity before you try complex solutions.
Restart the Windows Widgets
A temporary glitch might make the Windows widgets unresponsive. You can fix this by restarting the widgets process using the Task Manager. You have to force-stop them before.
Next, you can restart the process. However, this might not serve as a permanent fix to the problem. You might have to apply the same fix whenever the widgets error recurs.
Let’s figure out how you can restart the widgets process:
- Bring up the Task Manager by pressing the Shift, Ctrl, and Esc keys at once.
- Click the More Details option since you have to work in the expert interface instead of the simple interface.
- You have to select the Processes tab under the advanced window. Look for any entry related to Windows Widgets. Click on it and opt for End Task.
- Afterwards, you have to restart the Windows Widgets process similarly by clicking on it and selecting the Restart option.
Now, go back to the To-Do section to check if it has eliminated the message, ‘We can’t retrieve your tasks right now’.
Switch to Another Microsoft Account
Using a particular Microsoft account might lead to the Widgets issue. Try switching to another Microsoft account. You might have to log out of the current Microsoft account and log into another account.
Follow the guidelines to mitigate the warning from Windows Widgets:
- Go to the Start menu and click on your account icon.
- Next, go for the ‘Change account settings’ option.
- If you didn’t log into the PC through a Microsoft account, then you can notice a local account sign. You should sign in using a Microsoft account instead.
- Provide all the required information along with the Microsoft account address.
- Then, you need to log into that Microsoft account using credentials.
Notice if the ‘We can’t retrieve your tasks right now’ message still appears when you click the Microsoft To-Do.
Install all Pending Windows Updates
Are you still facing the ‘We can’t retrieve your tasks right now’ warning? Checkout if your Windows 11 PC has any pending updates to be installed. If yes, then such Windows Widgets issues are quite common.
Go through the steps below to get rid of the problem:
- Press Windows+R to open a Run dialog box.
- Type in ‘ms-settings:windowsupdate’ and click the OK button.
- Next, the Windows Update window under Settings will be visible. Check if any Windows updates are available. Download and install the latest updates.
- You have to wait patiently until your PC finishes installing all the updates.
Reboot your machine, furthermore.
Try Updating the Graphics Driver
Outdated or corrupted graphics drivers might result in a bug that prevents Windows Widgets from functioning properly. That’s why we recommend updating your graphics drivers to keep away the widgets issues.
You can either go to the Device Manager and update the graphics driver. Otherwise, you can check the graphics driver’s manufacturer details. Then, you have to visit the manufacturer’s website and download the latest drivers. Ensure that the updates are compatible with your Windows device.
Reset or Repair Microsoft To-Do
Microsoft To-Do installation or cache files might have corrupted components. Therefore, you might see the ‘We can’t retrieve your tasks right now’ message. Try repairing Microsoft To-Do before resetting it.
Here’s how you can run a repair for Microsoft To-Do:
- You should keep Microsoft To-Do turned off before you proceed to the next step.
- After that, launch Windows Settings with Windows+I.
- Select Apps from the left pane followed by the Installed Apps option from the right panel.
- Next, locate Microsoft To-Do inside the list of installed apps. Click on it and choose Advanced Options.
- Reach the Reset option after scrolling down the new window. Next, click the Repair button.
- Confirm the Repair prompt and wait for the process to complete.
Verify if you can encounter the ‘We can’t retrieve your tasks right now’ message when you access Microsoft To-Do. If it doesn’t solve the problem, try resetting Microsoft To-Do using the above-mentioned steps. However, click the Reset button instead of the Repair.
Reinstall the Microsoft To-Do App
Reinstallation is a way to revive Windows widgets if you couldn’t do it through repairing and resetting the Microsoft To-Do app. We think that the Microsoft To-Do application has serious corruption and it affects the local installation of the app.
Check out the instructions below to reinstall Microsoft To-Do:
- Turn off Microsoft To-Do. Additionally, deactivate processes related to Windows Widgets or Microsoft To-Do.
- Now, launch your system’s Settings app.
- Go to the Installed Apps option after you select Apps from the left navigation panel.
- Find out Microsoft To-Do under the installed apps’ list. Click the three-dotted icon next to Microsoft To-Do and go for the Uninstall option.
- You might have to confirm the Uninstall prompt and follow all the on-screen guidelines.
- Reboot your machine and open a Run dialog box.
- Type ‘ms-windows-store:’ inside the text box of the Run box and use the following keyboard shortcut to launch Microsoft Store: Shift+Ctrl+Enter.
- Search for Microsoft To-Do and click the Get option next to install the feature.
Check out if the Windows Widgets work after a successful installation.
Finally….
You can attempt re-enabling graphics drivers to check if it eliminates the ‘We can’t retrieve your tasks right now’ message. Additionally, some experts recommend installing Edge WebView2 to stop the Windows Widgets issue.
Moreover, allowing the group policy for Windows Widgets might work without a glitch. If you still notice the issue with Microsoft To-Do, seek expert advice.
