Windows 11 Widgets aren’t exactly one of the most popular features of the OS, and that’s exactly what Microsoft wants to change. The company will soon allow you to pin them directly to your desktop.
When Windows 11 launches in 2021, Microsoft introduced the Widgets Panel, a new feature that hides off the screen until the user clicks the Widgets button on the taskbar or drags it from the left side of the screen. The panel presents users with the latest news, along with a handful of customizable widgets. However, this function has not received much attention from users.
To change that, according to Windows Central’s Zac Bowden, Microsoft plans to simply allow Windows 11 users to pin widgets to the desktop. Rather than having to find them in the menu at the bottom right, you will soon have access to it directly on the main screen of your PC.
Read also – Windows 11: Microsoft puts the package on Widgets in the latest update
Microsoft wants to democratize the use of Widgets
The feature will work similarly to Windows desktop gadgets on Windows 7, allowing widgets to be placed anywhere on the desktop. As a reminder, Widgets were first launched by Microsoft with Windows Vista, and have been made even easier to install with Windows 7. However, Microsoft removed them with Windows 8, as the Start menu was redesigned with Live Tiles.
Since their removal on older versions of Microsoft’s OS, Widgets have gradually lost popularity, but adding widgets to pin to desktop might just be a game-changer. In any case, that’s what Microsoft hopes.
The American company always encourages developers to create widgets for their Microsoft Store applications, and the company will discuss how widgets can help increase user engagement at its Build conference for developers. which will take place at the end of the month. In 2022, Microsoft has opened the widget panel to third-party developers and since then we’ve seen Facebook and Spotify adopt the platform with their own widgets. Microsoft has also added several widgets since launch, including Phone Link, Xbox, Photos, and more. It now remains to be seen if this new feature will allow Widgets to gain popularity.