Fight back against Redmond's productivity sinks. //

To disable widgets, right-click on your taskbar, select Taskbar Settings, and then toggle Widgets to off. //

To make the lock screen ads go away, first navigate to Settings->Personalization->Lock screen. Then select Picture instead of Windows Spotlight under "Personalize your lock screen." Finally, select None under "Lock screen status.". //

To disable Search highlights, open the Search menu, select Search settings from the … menu and then toggle Show Search Highlights to off.