You might already be familiar with widgets from your iPhone or Android phone—interactive panels that are something in between shortcut icons and full apps. Using these widgets, you can complete tasks like ticking off a to do list or starting up a playlist right from the home screen, without having to open up the relevant app first.
The same functionality is available on your computer desktop too. Both Windows and macOS let you drop in widgets for checking your schedule, keeping up with the news, showcasing your favorite photos, and much more. They don’t take long to set up, and can be useful in all kinds of ways.
You can bring up the widgets panel in Windows by pressing Win+W or by clicking the icon to the far left of the taskbar: The icon may look like a blue box and a white box, or it may show some dynamic information (like the weather or traffic updates). If the icon isn’t there, head to Personalization then Taskbar in Settings, and make sure the Widgets shortcut is enabled.
Even if you’ve never used the widgets panel before, you’ll see some widgets included. If you click the three dots in the top right corner of one of these widgets, you can hide it from view or pin it to the top. Some widgets will also have a Customize widget link, which lets you change what you see in the widget—the area used for the weather forecast, for instance, or the sports teams you want to see scores for.
To add a new widget to the panel, click the + (plus) button up at the top. You’ll be given a selection of widgets created by Microsoft to choose from, including ones for starting a focused session of work and linking your phone to Windows: Click Pin to add any of these widgets, or Find more widgets to see a broader collection in the Microsoft Store.
While these widgets are close to your desktop, they’re not actually on your desktop: For that, you need a…
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