How to Use and Customize Widgets in Windows 11
By using the dedicated Widgets board
Windows 10 had live tiles, giving you constantly updating information on things like news or weather. Windows 11 gives you the same functionality through widgets. Let’s take a look at how to set them up.
Note that unlike a phone, these widgets will not appear on your desktop. Windows widgets are displayed on a dedicated Widgets board, easily accessible from the taskbar. You can only add widgets and customize their appearance on this panel.
What Are Widgets?
You probably don’t need an explanation of what widgets are – anyone who has ever used an Android phone has seen them – but let’s talk about what it means on a Windows computer.
Windows can already run multiple windows, but sometimes you need something more elegant. Widgets allow apps to run dynamically on a dedicated board, relaying updated information.
Like with an Android phone,news and weather reportsare best suited to a widget since they don’t need any interaction on your part, but you can alsouse widgets to boost productivity. Since this is Windows, you can create widgets to track your Microsoft To-Do lists or OneDrive photos.
How to Access Widgets in Windows 11 And Customize Them
Widgets can be accessed in Windows 11 through the dedicated widgets panel. You may have already seen it – Microsoft has added its icon to the very left of the taskbar.
Like many of the new Windows 11 features, people report running intoissues when using Widgets. On most systems, however, you can use widgets without any trouble.
Which Folder Is Linked to the Photos Widget?
Contrary to what you might expect, the photos widget does not source its images from the Pictures folder on your computer. Instead, it displays pictures stored in thePictures folder of OneDrive.
You can view its contents by navigating toOneDrive>Picturesin the Windows File Explorer. The Photos widget will display any pictures copied to this folder – even if within another directory.
Are Widgets Useful in Windows 11?
Widgets became popular in Android as a handy way to keep an eye on useful information like the news or weather without repeatedly opening the applications.
Computers don’t have that issue since you can keep multiple windows open (or multiple tabs on a web browser) and switch between them. Still, having a dedicated widgets board is the cleaner solution.
You can customize every single widget to share exactly the information you want to see, besides adjusting their size and layout. If you want more of the Android experience on your computer, you can alwayssideload Android apps on Windows 11 too.
Levin Roy is a software engineer who loves writing about technology. Whether it is Windows tips-and-tricks or in-depth guides about application development, Levin uses his practical experience and technical skills to create articles that can help solve tricky problems.Read Levin’s Full Bio
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