Microsoft removed widget support after Windows 7 and took its own sweet time to bring it back with Windows 11. I was a fan of the native desktop widgets in Windows 7 and missed them in subsequent versions of Windows. The Windows 11 widget board does not support individual items and cannot pin them to the desktop. It displays everything inside a “board,” and isn’t customizable the way I prefer. The “board” idea, combined with the huge MSN feed on the right side, looks clumsy. I can hide the feed, but I cannot bear Microsoft’s design.
Widget Launcher is my go-to app for adding and pinning widgets to the desktop. It’s got a nice suite of customizable items that I use to display widgets on my desktop and restore the missing element. Let’s explore why you mustn't skip this app if you love widgets on your Windows desktop.
Extremely simple to implement
No need to jump through hoops
I have used Rainmeter to completely change the look and feel of my old Windows OS desktops. But after Windows 10, I stopped using it because I didn’t want to go through an elaborate setup process. It had a steep learning curve and felt like a chore every time I wanted to tweak something in one of the widgets.
Widget Launcher offers a simplified interface. Just install the app from the Microsoft Store and go to the Home page, where you’ll find a default widgets collection. From here, you can double-click any widget to edit its appearance, then add it to the desktop.
You can pick between two skins, “light” and “dark,” which aptly describe light and dark themes. It shows you the default color settings for the skin, but you can change them using the four options in the edit window. After that, you can adjust the transparency and launch the widget.
The app shows a small advertisement to cover its development costs, but it’s not like those one-minute, bothersome, and loud video ads. It’s discreet, and after a few seconds, a launch button appears. The widget loads instantly on the desktop, and you don’t need to edit startup options or other OS settings.
Stable and resource-frugal
No data loss or crashes
Widget Launcher runs automatically at boot and remembers everything. It stays intact in the same desktop location and doesn’t purge your data or customization settings. I use the Notes widget because I like to jot down ideas immediately. It’s helpful while coming up with topic ideas or noting down researched items.
The widget retains everything I type, even after a restart or a manual shutdown, which makes me use Sticky Notes much less than I used to. I haven’t encountered any slowdowns, random glitches, or crashes due to the app. I mention crashes because many Windows theming or skinning tools can break your system, but that’s not a problem with this one.
Another pain point of customization tools is the horrendous resource usage when they are active. Widget Launcher doesn’t put significant stress on system resources, and even with multiple copies of RSS feed widgets and three more, it doesn't exceed 100 MB. The CPU usage is barely noticeable, and I appreciate the tool's lightweight nature.
Great widget collection
Basic stuff is there
I’ve already mentioned the Notes widget in the previous section, but there are several good ones in the default pack. Another useful widget for me is an RSS feed widget that lists all the recently published content from my favorite sites. I use Feedly, but having a widget on the desktop makes spotting new things a tad simpler.
I don’t care about the calendars or unit converters, but I use the world clock widget. It's helpful when I have meetings in a different time zone, and I don't need to rush to Google to check the time difference.
These widgets have a simple, clear, and legible UI. I can adjust the colors to match my desktop’s scheme, and some widgets have custom settings. The RSS feed lets me pick the website I want to use, while the clock can set the region. These settings are unique to the widgets, and some even have duplication options.
I can place up to 10 RSS feed widgets on my desktop, but I don't need that many. The Notes widget offers unlimited copies, but I've never needed more than three.
Apart from the free tier, you can get more widget designs by subscribing to the paid tier. It's a one-time purchase for adding more widgets, but the collection doesn't seem exciting to me. I can easily manage with the free tier and don't need additional skins or widget designs. You can find the available widget packs and skins on the Featured page, and their individual costs range from $2 to $5.
Widgets made simple
Widget Launcher's value lies in its simplicity. You don't need to search the web for the perfect theme, skin, or widget set. The default widget set meets most of my needs, and the developer is gracious enough not to bombard the app with countless ads. I can set the color schemes of widgets and make them completely transparent or opaque for improved visibility.
It is an excellent alternative to the default widget board available on Windows 11 and doesn't crash the Explorer unexpectedly. I would gravitate towards the paid widget pack if it promised new ones periodically, but that shouldn't deter you from trying Widget Launcher.