Microsoft launched widgets with the Windows 11 update. Ever since its introduction, the software giant has been quick at adding new widgets and features, and even opened it up for third-party developers.

If you have used widgets on iPhone, Android, or Mac, you should find yourself right at home with Windows 11 widgets. They work as expected and keep you focused on the task at hand on your laptop. Whether you are a student, professional, or normal consumer, continue reading to explore Windows 11 widgets that can make your life easier.

What are widgets in Windows 11?

Widgets are small app cards tucked inside a separate panel on the taskbar. Apart from providing quick access to your favorite apps, the widget panel also displays a news feed based on your selected topics and lets you perform several actions without opening the related apps.

As always, the Windows 11 widget panel is packed with first-party apps. Whether you want to check on a live score from an NBA game, glance over your Microsoft To-Do tasks, OneDrive memories, Outlook calendar events, or traffic situations in your local area, you can simply use the widget panel to keep tabs on everything, without wasting your productivity time searching or waiting for things to load. It's all simply there for you already, so that you won’t need to open a related app on your phone or desktop to get what you need.

Users have three widget sizes to choose from – Small, Medium, and Large. You can resize your widgets, pin frequently used ones at the top, and even download more widgets from the Microsoft Store. Now that you have a sense of what widgets offer in Windows 11, follow along to learn how to use them to stay more organized and productive.

How to access widgets on Windows 11

There are a couple of ways to access widgets on Windows 11. You can either click the weather widget in the bottom left corner of the taskbar or, even better, use the Windows + W keys to open or close the widget panel.

If you use a touchscreen device, swipe from the left to access the widgets panel. You can also disable widgets from the Settings > Personalization > Taskbar menu and rely on a keyboard shortcut to launch it.

How to set up Windows 11 widgets

Now that you have a general idea about Windows widgets, let’s check them out in action.

Built-in widgets

By default, Microsoft adds several widgets from system apps. Press Windows + W and check out several widgets from To-Do, OneDrive, Markets, Outlook Calendar, and Microsoft Store.

These widgets are interactive too, they don't just passively display information. For example, you can click to check-off different tasks in To-Do lists, completing your existing tasks and even creating new ones right from the widget. Neat, isn’t it?

Some widgets also offer swappable sections to be able to easily check out other information. For example, you can switch between different watchlists in the Start Money widget, check up to three memories via the OneDrive widget, and glance over more game suggestions from Microsoft Start.

Most widgets are available in different sizes. Simply click the three-dot menu above any widget and select Small, Medium, or Large per your preference.

Add and customize widgets

You shouldn’t limit yourself to the default widgets only. You can add new ones and even pin your favorite widgets at the top for easy access. Follow the steps below to make changes.

1. Open the widget panel and click + beside widgets.
2. Look over the supported apps list in the sidebar, select an app, glance over the widget, and click Pin.
3. Repeat the same for other apps to complete your widget panel in no time.
4. You can also click Find more widgets and check third-party options from the likes of Facebook, Messenger, Spotify, and more from the Microsoft Store.
5. Several widgets are customizable, too. For instance, you can click the three-dot menu beside a sports widget, select customize widget, and search for events that you want to follow. Similarly, you can customize an Outlook widget to display a specific calendar only.

Pin and unpin a widget

At any time, you can pin or unpin Windows widgets per your preferences.

1. Open the widget panel, click the three-dot menu beside a widget, and click Pin widget.
2. The system adds a pin icon beside a widget and pushes it to the top for each access. You can unpin a widget from the same menu.

Hide widgets

If you no longer use a specific app or service, hide the respective widget to free up space on the panel.

1. Launch the widget panel and select the three-dot menu beside a widget you want to hide.
2. Click Hide this widget and you are good to go.

Tweak news feed in the widget panel

As you can see from the screenshots above, the Discover menu takes up a huge chunk of your widget panel. You can personalize it with your preferred topics and publishers. If you aren’t a fan of the news feed, Microsoft also offers an option to disable it entirely if you prefer.

1. Open the Windows widget panel. Click the Settings menu at the top.
2. Select Feed.
3. Search for channels, publishers, and click the + icon to add them to your feed.
4. You can also click the three-dot menu beside a news story, then follow or block the publisher from the context menu.
5. If you want to turn off the feed entirely, head to Settings and select Show or hide feeds. Disable the Feed toggle from the following menu.

You can also hide stories by clicking the X mark. Microsoft also has a Top Stories menu where you can read trending news from top publishers.

Advantages of using widgets

Here are some of the benefits of using widgets on Windows.

• Windows widgets save time and let you perform quick actions without opening apps.
• The widget panel is universal and easily accessible from any app. It takes your multitasking experience to the next level.
• The widget panel is totally customizable and lets you create an ideal setup in minutes.

Glance over important information in no time

Microsoft has done a solid job with widgets on Windows 11. We would prefer to see widgets for popular apps like WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, Chrome, Evernote, Spark mail, and other relevant apps. Following in the footsteps of macOS, Microsoft should also offer an option to place important widgets on the desktop.

Apart from widgets, Windows 11 OS is packed with a number of features to elevate your productivity. Check our dedicated post to learn the top tweaks to streamline your workflow on your PC.