4 apps I use to bring widgets to my Windows 11 desktop

Summary

Widgets are small applets that provide quick access to glanceable information, while also serving as shortcuts to full applications.
Windows 11 offers native support for widgets, but they can’t be pinned directly to the desktop.
Here are some third-party solutions that bring the glaceability of widgets directly onto the Windows desktop environment.

Starting with the release of

Windows 11 in 2021
, Microsoft implemented an all-new widgets framework into its flagship PC operating system. Serving as a spiritual successor to the company’s previous

Live Tiles
and Windows Gadgets of yesteryear, Windows 11 widgets are small applets that present dynamic information on screen for quick glanceability.

Unfortunately, Microsoft’s native widgets solution for Windows 11 arrived with a number of flaws, many of which persist to this day. Aside from the lack of compelling third-party apps that plug into the feature, these applets are stowed away in a web-based “Widgets Board” that is obfuscated from view, laggy, and cluttered with an MSN news feed that only recently became disableable.

To its credit, Microsoft is in the process of bringing its widgets system

over to the Windows 11 lock screen
, and the company is also testing a native non-web-tech version of the Widgets Panel in current Windows Insider Preview Builds of the OS. That being said, two glaring issues persist: the lack of third-party widgets, and the inability to pin widgets directly onto the desktop.

Widgets are meant to be glanceable and convenient, and every other mainstream operating system has settled on allowing users to pin them directly onto the home screen or desktop environment for quick access. Thankfully, there are several excellent third-party solutions on the market that can bring widgets directly onto the

Windows 11
desktop — here are four in particular that I’ve relied on in the past.

Microsoft PowerToys Command Palette header image

5 apps I use to make Windows Search more like macOS Spotlight

Compared to Spotlight on macOS, Windows Search leaves something to be desired — here are 5 apps that can supercharge Windows 11’s search prowess.

Widget Launcher, formerly known as Widgets HD, is a customizable solution for pinning applets directly onto your PC’s desktop. The app offers plenty of customization options, with support for add-ons and downloadable skins. Even without bringing extensions into the mix, it’s easy enough to adjust widget elements like background, accent, and font colors. The widgets themselves are interactive, and there’s a lot of visual variety on offer. Widget Launcher is free to download and install, with the option to purchase Pro Extensions from within the app itself. Advertisements are displayed briefly before a new widget is loaded in, but they’re relatively unintrusive.

Windows-95-3D-Maze-screensaver-screenshot-1

Windows 11 is great, but I wish Microsoft would give its screensavers more love

Windows screensavers are an iconic part of the PC’s history, and Microsoft needs to modernize them yesterday.

A simple and easy-to-use desktop widgets solution

BeWidgets is another popular third-party solution for pinning widgets directly onto the Windows desktop environment. The widgets on offer feature a simple and minimalistic design, with customization options for adjusting fonts, positioning, and other relevant per-widget configuration choices. Out of the box, the app comes with widget options for time, date, photos, app shortcuts, finances, and weather. There’s an option to remove the backplate on each of these applets, too, which provides a super clean desktop aesthetic. BeWidgets is entirely free to download, with no advertisements to boot.

5 retro Windows 11 apps that fill me with nostalgic joy

These popular Windows programs first hit the PC scene in the 1990s and early 2000s, and they’re still very much around today.

3

Live Tiles Anywhere

The best option for lovers of Microsoft’s Live Tiles era

If you’re someone who looks back at Microsoft’s Windows 8 and Windows Phone days with fondness, then Live Tiles Anywhere is the perfect modern-day solution for you. Conceptually, Live Tiles continue to offer a unique blend of functionality, serving as app icons, widgets, and notification tickers all in a single package. Similar to Launcher 10 and Square Home on Android, Live Tiles Anywhere ports much of the Live Tiles experience over to the modern PC, complete with resizable widget tiles that dynamically update throughout the day. Best of all, the app is entirely free, with no ads or in-app purchases to worry about.

5 retro Windows games that will bring you right back to 2007

Microsoft has bundled in some downright iconic PC games into Windows throughout the years – here are 5 of my all-time favorites.

4

Rainmeter

A PC customization tool with access to widgets galore

Rainmeter is a popular desktop customization tool for Windows that lets you make sweeping changes to the look and feel of your PC. The app allows you to tap into an entire ecosystem of ‘skins,’ which are highly adjustable widget-like applets. The app’s manager interface can take a bit of getting used to, and it’s possible to get lost with all the technical components and options on offer. Even so, the app is simple enough to get the hang of within a few minutes, and it comes with a solid set of useful in-box widgets to choose from. Not only is Rainmeter an entirely free program, but it’s also open-source — making it an ideal choice for both flexibility and source code transparency.