How to Add Widgets to the Windows 11 Desktop

Windows 11 widgets are great, but they need a little help getting onto the desktop. Here's how to do that.

By hitting the Win key + W in Windows 11, you can bring up the widgets board. You can also do the same by hovering over the Widgets button on the left side of the Taskbar. On the board, you can add or remove widgets and even customize and rearrange them however you like, but you can’t add them to your desktop.

Luckily, Windows has a third-party app called Widget Launcher that allows you to pin widgets to the desktop. Here’s how to use it.

How to Download Widget Launcher

Widget Launcher is available on the Microsoft Store. You’ll need to make sure you’ve connected your PC to the internet in order to download the app.

Press the Win key + S to open Windows Search and type store in the search box. Under Best match in the search results, click on Microsoft Store to launch the app.

In the Microsoft Store, enter widget launcher in the search bar at the top and hit Enter. This will bring up Widget Launcher as the top app in the search results. Click the Install button to download and install it.

After the Microsoft Store downloads Widget Launcher onto your Windows 11 PC, click Open to launch the app. You can also open it by pressing the Win key + S, typing widget launcher in the search box, and clicking on the app in the search results under Best match.

How to Add Widgets to Your Desktop With Widget Launcher

With Widget Launcher open, you’ll see a list of all the available widgets in the middle panel. When you select a widget, more options will show up on the right panel. Click on Launch Widget in the right panel.

The widget will now appear on your desktop, and you can go ahead and disable Windows 11’s widgets if you’re all set.

Some widgets in Widget Launcher, such as Weather, RSS Feed, and Slideshow, will be blank when you first launch them. That’s because you need to tell them where to get the data they need to display. Just hover over them, click the gear icon to open Settings, and add a location, website, folder, or whatever information they need.

How to Enable “Widgets Always on Top” Mode

If you want to always see the widgets no matter what window you’re on, click Settings on the bottom left of the Widget Launcher app. Then, turn on the toggle for Widgets Always on Top.

Enjoy Widgets on Your Windows 11 Desktop

If you want to add widgets to your Windows 11 desktop, Widget Launcher allows you to do that easily. That way, you can always see your favorite information right from your desktop. And if you want to see the widgets all the time, you can just set them to always be on top.