Microsoft is planning a major change to widgets on Windows 11

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The spiritual, nostalgic return of Windows Gadgets.

Windows 11 widgets on the desktop mockup
A mockup of what Windows Widgets would look like on the desktop (Image credit: Windows Central)

What you need to know

  • Microsoft is working on letting users pin Windows 11 Widgets to the desktop.
  • The feature will be reminiscent to Windows 7's old Gadgets feature.
  • Microsoft is also working on adding app folders to the desktop too.

With the launch of Windows 11 in 2021, Microsoft introduced a new feature called the Widgets Panel that hides off screen until the user clicks the Widgets button on the Taskbar or swipes in from the left side of the display. The panel presents users with the latest news from MSN as well as a handful of customizable widgets. 

In 2022, Microsoft opened the Widgets Panel up to third-party developers, and since then we've seen both Facebook and Spotify adopt the platform with their own widget experiences. Microsoft has also added several more widgets since launch, including Phone Link, Xbox, Photos, and more. 

Now, according to my sources, Microsoft plans to take the widgets experience one step further by allowing users to pin them directly to the desktop, a move that Microsoft hopes will increase engagement with widgets. The experience will work similarly to how Windows Desktop Gadgets used to work on Windows 7, with them being placeable anywhere on the desktop.

The widget library has been slowly growing, with over 13 widgets already available for users to try out. Microsoft has also been expanding the capabilities of the Widgets Panel, just recently launching a new full-screen mode and widget picker experience that makes adding widgets to the panel easier.

Letting users pin widgets to the desktop is part of a larger effort that's focused on enhancing the Windows desktop with modern features such as app folders, which Microsoft teased last year. I'm unsure when these features are expected to begin showing up, but Microsoft is holding a dedicated session about Windows Widgets at Build 2023, so maybe we'll hear more about these plans then. 

Zac Bowden
Zac Bowden
Senior Editor

Zac Bowden is a Senior Editor at Windows Central. Bringing you exclusive coverage into the world of Windows on PCs, tablets, phones, and more. Also an avid collector of rare Microsoft prototype devices! Keep in touch on Twitter and Threads

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8 Comments Comment from the forums
  • MBY
    I get that they want to increase engagement with widgets, which makes sense. But to do this, why not add them where people already go, which obviously seems to be the Start menu! I feel like that is self-evident from the Window 10 Live Tile design, but I think MS is currently so allergic to putting things in Start.
    Putting these on the desktop seems like a sure-fire way to get a cluttered experience, and to accidentally screenshare a widget with sensitive info. Like a calendar widget with an upcoming medical appointment...
    Reply
  • jasqid
    For the love of God, add the ability to login in with both personal and work accounts for the widgets. Calendar and ToDo are basically useless without them.
    Reply
  • HelloNNNewman
    I'm so tired of MS going backwards in progress. I hate the Win 11 Start Menu - it's such a huge degradation from Win 10. Moving backwards to widgets is just another crazy move. I shouldn't have to pay for a 3rd party app to give me back the better start menu and not have to resort to Win7-esqe widgets.
    Reply
  • Kaymd
    MBY said:
    I get that they want to increase engagement with widgets, which makes sense. But to do this, why not add them where people already go, which obviously seems to be the Start menu! I feel like that is self-evident from the Window 10 Live Tile design, but I think MS is currently so allergic to putting things in Start.
    Putting these on the desktop seems like a sure-fire way to get a cluttered experience, and to accidentally screenshare a widget with sensitive info. Like a calendar widget with an upcoming medical appointment...
    Yeah, they are extremely allergic to anything reminiscent of 'Live Tiles' aka WP/Windows mobile.
    Ironically, that's exactly what keeps me using Win10 on my main workstation. I have Win 11 installed on some laptops, but it's functionally inferior to Win10. Long live live tiles lol!
    Reply
  • MBY
    Kaymd said:
    Yeah, they are extremely allergic to anything reminiscent of 'Live Tiles' aka WP/Windows mobile.
    Ironically, that's exactly what keeps me using Win10 on my main workstation. I have Win 11 installed on some laptops, but it's functionally inferior to Win10. Long live live tiles lol!
    Eh, after seeing Android widgets, Live Tiles are clearly inferior. Widgets could be a better replacement. If they build them out and put them where people can access them, while keeping a clean UI.
    Reply
  • xenred
    I hope this isn't a half baked implementation that Microsoft tends to do. But this is promising and hopefully it is pretty solid on first launch and will continue to improved (not abandoned like many features and ideads). Ideally I want it on Start menu, but clearly Microsoft is still allergic to this, they haven't even reimplemented Jump List in Start menu which is a Windows 7 feature. It is only available in Taskbar and oddly on App List only.

    Having Widgets on desktop makes it always available as long as nothing covered on them. On desktop with huge monitors or multi monitors , this more useful since on big screen, it's not always practical to have everything maximized. On multi-monintors, user can dedicate all widgets on 2nd monitors if not used for windowed apps.

    The experience will be basically like on Android, iOS and kinda like Windows Mobile of old when minimising apps/returning to home screen. Windows have dedicated Show Desktop button on the Taskbar to replicate that.

    Though for those who wants always on Widgets, Microsoft should also make current Widgets panel docked to the left screen. Similar to Vista Sidebar Gadgets which is on the right. Yes, there is Edge Sidebar, but not really the same since that's only for MS and its only meant for Edge users, and frankly not a great UX anyways.

    I hope that Widget grid on desktop is smart even when resolution and monitor changes. Like when docked and unlocked on laptop and tablets. It needs to remember its position on each state. Also should also hibernate when let's say running full screen games. Live Tiles were really efficient that it has negligible impact on system performance, even you pin heaps on Start screen/menu.
    Reply
  • xenred
    jasqid said:
    For the love of God, add the ability to login in with both personal and work accounts for the widgets. Calendar and ToDo are basically useless without them.
    Yep, this! This will be useful on work PC if only theu thought about this. The problem though the current To Do and Outlook Widgets only open Edge as Web apps. On work PC which dominated on using actual apps, this is a no go. Outlook widget should open Outlook APP, not a browser. Same goes with To Do, which is really pointless to open a browser when dedicated app does all of the features already, on far more compact window. Who use To Do apps on maximized? Too much wasted space.
    Reply
  • Kaymd
    MBY said:
    Eh, after seeing Android widgets, Live Tiles are clearly inferior. Widgets could be a better replacement. If they build them out and put them where people can access them, while keeping a clean UI.
    In my experience, I still think Live Tiles are a superior implementation of Widgets - if done right. Reference examples of excellent Live Tiles implementation are myTube, Newsflow, Reddplanet (when it was actively developed), and built-in apps like Mail and Calendar, Weather, Photos, MS Money, etc. There are probably many more high-quality examples.
    These are really well-done Live Tiles, that feed you truly useful information and updates in a blazing fast, smooth, convenient interface. Without taking up any permanent real estate on your desktop. Just click the start button, glance at the relevant group of tiles on a resizable Start canvas and move on. I am not ever leaving the built-in Weather Live Tile on Win10 -- it's just that good, especially in the large tile size. An elegant, no-frills presentation of weather information for the next five days.
    Now we are left with the inferior Widgets of Win11 -- clunky, slow, web-based implementations that I disable as soon as I setup any Win11 system. Trash in comparison with Win10 Live Tiles in presentation and performance. A huge step backwards imho. The only consolation is that Win10 is still around, so I don't care as much.
    Reply