Adding widgets to the Mac desktop offers users instant access to information and quick utility functions. Understanding the process and exploring widget options empowers users to personalize their desktops, enhancing productivity and convenience within the macOS environment.
By delving into these steps, users can seamlessly integrate widgets onto their Mac desktops, tailoring their workspace to suit their preferences and streamline daily tasks.
How to Add Widgets on Mac Desktop
1. Using Terminal
You can add Widgets to Mac Desktop using Terminal on your Mac in Dashboard Development Mode commonly used by Apple widget developers to build widgets for Mac.
Although this process is a bit technical for novice users, following the below steps diligently will let you Add Widgets on Mac Desktop in no time.
Note: Using Dashboard development is for the Apple Widgets developers and requires technical knowledge. Proceed with caution as these steps will make changes to the operating system and can cause system errors or complete failure.
Step 1 : Enable Dashboard Development Mode using Terminal
a. First you need to enable Dashboard Development Mode, So open Terminal on your Mac from Applications > Utilities > Terminal or type Terminal into Spotlight Search.
b. Once the Terminal is open, enter the following command : ‘defaults write com.apple.dashboard devmode YES’ into Terminal and Press Return on your Mac Keyboard.
c. Now, again enter the following command into Terminal : ‘killall Dock’ and Press Return on your Mac Keyboard.
d. The below dock will disappear for a sec and will appear again. Then enter the following command again into Terminal : ‘exit’ and Press Return. Once the Session Process is completed, you can close the Terminal App.
Step 2 : Move a Widget to the Mac Desktop
In case of macOS version Mountain Lion or later you need to follow below steps to force Mission control not to move Dashboard into the space :
a. Select Apple menu from top, Click on System Preferences.
b. Now Select Mission Control from the list.
c. In the case of macOS Mountain Lion or Mavericks, Uncheck the checkbox in front of ‘Show Dashboard as Space’. And for macOS Yosemite or later, Click on the drop-down menu of Dashboard to display the Select As Overlay option.
d. To move the Widget to Desktop, follow the below instruction which is common for all the previous macOS versions.
For macOS version Mountain Lion or Earlier you should follow below steps to move a Widget to Mac Desktop :
a. Press F12 key on your Mac Keyboard (make sure F-Lock is turned on) or Select Dashboard icon from the Dock.
b. Select the Widget you want to add on the Mac Desktop, Now Press F12 key and Drag the Widget to the desktop location where you want to place it. When the Widget is at the location of your preference release F12 key and the mouse button.
Step 3 : Remove a Widget from Mac Desktop
To remove the widget from Mac Desktop and place it back on Dashboard you can follow below steps :
a. Select the Widget you want to remove from Mac Desktop, and Press F12 key on your Keyboard. Drag the Widget from the Desktop to the Dashboard to remove it.
b. Place the widget on the location of your preference on the Dashboard and Release F12 key on the keyboard.
Step 4 : Disable Dashboard Development Mode using Terminal
a. To disable Dashboard Development Mode, launch Terminal on your Mac from Applications > Utilities > Terminal or type Terminal into Spotlight Search.
b. Once the Terminal is open, enter the following command : ‘defaults write com.apple.dashboard devmode NO’ into Terminal and Press Return on your Mac Keyboard.
c. Now, again enter the following command into Terminal : ‘killall Dock’ and Press Return on your Mac Keyboard.
d. The below dock will disappear for a sec and will appear again. Then enter the following command again into Terminal : ‘exit’ and Press Return. Once the Session Process is completed, you can close the Terminal App.
Frequently Asked Questions –
Q1. How do I put widgets on my desktop?
If you wish to add Widgets to Mac desktop, you can try out a third party application such as WidgetWall. Or if you are using an older version of the macOS it is possible to use the feature to put Widgets on the desktop easily.
Q2. How do I pin widgets to my Mac desktop?
One of the oldest techniques available is to pin widgets to Mac using the commands on Terminal. However, if you are updated and use an older version you can use the traditional method to pin widgets on Mac desktop.
Q3. How do I add widgets to my Mac Big Sur desktop?
macOS Big Sur does not let you add widgets to the desktop directly and therefore you might not get an option. But using the above mentioned methods with Terminal commands.
Q4. How do I get new widgets on my Mac?
You can get new widgets for your Mac from the different applications which support a widget. Such as a weather or date and time application, or a calendar and planner application.
Conclusion
So now you know how to keep widgets on Mac desktop by following this post. Ever since Apple updated Mac you can no longer use the built in feature to add widgets on the desktop.
All though for all the people who are still in love with the widget can use the above mentioned method to add widgets for all their favourite applications on Mac. Tell us in the comments below how you found this method helpful.
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