Microsoft is planning a major change to widgets on Windows 11
The spiritual, nostalgic return of Windows Gadgets.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
What you need to know
With the launch ofWindows 11in 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 bothFacebook and Spotifyadopt 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 howWindows Desktop Gadgetsused 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 andwidget picker experiencethat 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, whichMicrosoft teased last year. I’m unsure when these features are expected to begin showing up, but Microsoft is holding a dedicated session aboutWindows Widgets at Build 2023, so maybe we’ll hear more about these plans then.
Get the Windows Central Newsletter
All the latest news, reviews, and guides for Windows and Xbox diehards.
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 onTwitterandThreads
