Many users of the Windows 7 operating system have become accustomed to various desktop gadgets that make using their PC more convenient. With the move to Windows 10, all elements have been replaced with live Metro tiles, and the widgets feature has been completely removed from the system.
Why is there no desktop widgets in Windows 10?
In previous versions of the Windows operating system, the desktop was filled with various widgets. This includes a clock, weather, calendar, processor and temperature sensors of various computer hardware parts, a notepad, a currency converter, and an OS boot speed manager. Considering them a weak cell in system protection, Microsoft developers have completely excluded them from Windows 10. Now widgets are replaced with live Metro tiles and you can return them to the desktop or sidebar only with the help of special programs.
How to return gadgets to Windows 10?
Since it is impossible to return gadgets for Windows 10 using classical methods, you need to use software from a third-party developer. Among the most popular programs are:
- Gadgets Revived is a free program that brings widgets back to the desktop as they were in Windows 7.
- 8GadgetPack is a free multifunctional program that is designed to customize the desktop in Windows 10.
- Missed Features Installer 10 is a package of additional gadgets that have been removed from the new operating system.
Let's consider the principle of operation of each of the programs.
To enable widgets on the Win 10 desktop, you need to download and install the Gadgets Revived program on your computer. After that, you need to right-click on an empty space on the desktop and select "Gadgets" or "View" and "Show Desktop Gadgets".
If you choose the second option, the clock, weather and calendar appear on the desktop. In the first case, a new window will open in which you need to select widgets for your table.
The 8GadgetPack program can be downloaded from the developer's official website and installed on your PC. The software interface is English. Installation is standard. Differs from the previous program in the variety of gadget. There are not only clocks, weather, but also monitoring of the processor, traffic consumption rates, volume controls and even puzzles.
Initially, when you start the program, a window with instructions will appear. Click "Add gadget" (Add a widget).
A new window will open. Select the desired widget, load it and save it on your PC. After that, you need to install it on your desktop.
When all the gadgets are installed, your sidebar will be filled with various useful applications.
If you were unable to install a gadget on your desktop, you can download the Missed Features Installer 10 add-on package. This package has a clock, weather, currency converter, calendar, CPU temperature sensor.
Installing this package is straightforward. You need to mount the image with any suitable program and only then run it in Windows 10. After accepting all the conditions and installing the software, go to the control panel. This is where the desktop gadgets appear.
The choice of the necessary is standard.
Thus, you can install gadget in Windows 10 using a third-party program without harm to the operating system.
The decisions of large corporations are far from always the only correct and correct ones. Several years ago, Microsoft, without any consultation with users, completely removed such a function as gadgets from its system. Today we'll talk about how to get them back, and at the same time show, in our opinion, the best gadgets for Windows 10.
Content:What is a Windows gadget
Gadget for Windows is a special gadget that is as easy to use as possible and designed to perform simple, highly specialized tasks. The gadgets platform debuted about 10 years ago in the Windows Vista operating system and was then part of another mechanism - the Sidebar.
Initially, the system offered only a small group of unpretentious gadgets, including a clock, calendar, viewing the weather, news feeds and currency rates, as well as monitoring the processor and RAM. The user could install the rest of the gadgets from the official catalog website or from third-party sources.
For example, the first two gadgets in the screenshot above are not included in the initial kit and were installed by the author of the article separately.
Since Windows 7, Microsoft has allowed gadgets to "live their own lives" by allowing the user to place them anywhere on the desktop. In turn, it was decided to abandon the sidebar, although in the system memory all gadgets for Windows remained united by a common sidebar.exe process.
The disappearance of gadgets happened shortly before the release of the final version of Windows 8. Literally at the very last stage of its testing, Microsoft cut gadgets from the system. The formal reason was security problems that suddenly appeared in gadgets, however, what prevented the corporation from fixing them and returning this functionality to the system is a mystery.
How to open gadget file
Unfortunately, since gadgets were removed from the subsequent versions of Microsoft OS after Windows 7, users lost not only the set of gadgets that were built into the system, but also the ability to install third-party files with the .gadget extension. Once they were native to Windows, but now the system absolutely does not recognize them:
However, there is a way out of this situation. You will be able to open gadget files again if install the 8GadgetPack app.
Moreover, the author does not stop updating 8GadgetPack, adding and improving the gadgets included in the kit every few months. At the time of this writing, version 19 of 8GadgetPack is current. Clicking on the "Download" button on the official website will immediately start downloading the application, the distribution kit of which weighs less than 20 MB.
After downloading 8GadgetPack, find it in your downloads folder:
And start the installation:
Remember to click "yes" in the User Account Control window:
Immediately after installing 8GadgetPack, the OS will "remember" the gadget files, and you can open them just like you did in Windows 7.
However, do not rush to search all your gadgets again, because 8GadgetPack already contains several dozen of these gadgets, among which there are classic ones (by the way, you can still return to Windows 10.)
Some of the gadgets will immediately appear on your desktop:
However, this is only a small part of what comes with the 8GadgetPack. Please note that in the context menu of the desktop you will again, as it was in the "seven", the item "gadgets" will become available:
By clicking on it, you will see the entire collection, which is now available to you on. Any gadget can be added to the desktop with a simple drag and drop:
Familiar classic gadgets are located on the third page of this updated gallery:
Clipboarder gadget for Windows 10
Let's start our review of the best gadgets for Windows 10 with the one with which the author of this material has been inseparable for many years. This gadget is called Clipboarder and takes one of the most poorly thought-out subsystems in Windows to the next level - the clipboard. The bottom line is that the elements no longer disappear there without a trace, but line up in a visual ribbon on your desktop.
Clicking on an element instantly adds it to memory, individual elements can be pinned, drag-and-drop is supported. The gadget has a rich selection of themes, in addition, like any gadget, Clipboarder supports transparency adjustment. In the settings, you can specify the maximum length of the tape (maximum 100 elements), the style of the tape, hotkeys, and more.
Unit Conventer
Confused about the units of information, energy or area, but often you need related calculations for work / study? In this case, take a look at Unit Conventer - the best gadget for converting various values. In addition to the named, Unit Conventer also works with temperature, mass, length, time, pressure and a number of other parameters.
Multi Meter
A very simple gadget that will allow you not to disturb the task manager again. The load of the processor cores is displayed here, as well as the amount of memory used, both in percentage and in specific numbers:
In the settings, you can set the update interval, as well as the appearance of the gadget:
Hud time
From numerous gadgets in the form of clocks and calendars, as a rule, there is not very much sense, since the same information is displayed next to the system tray. However, there is one exception: if you are far from the screen, you may not be able to make out what is written in the lower right corner. If you have exactly this scenario, then pay attention to HUD Time - a huge clock with display of the month and day of the week. They can be placed anywhere on the desktop, adjust the degree of transparency, font and text color.
Launch Control
Not everyone likes to clutter their desktop and taskbar with a large number of shortcuts, in which you then involuntarily begin to get confused. Perhaps that is why a small Launch Control gadget may be useful to someone, in which links to various applications, applets and actions with the system are arranged in groups:
Such a miniature, at first glance, gadget has a lot of settings. In the main section, you can add, remove and edit groups with shortcuts:
And in the additional detail customize the appearance:
DriveInfo
Another gadget that the author has been using for a long time himself is called DriveInfo. It provides links to the logical partitions of your disk or disks if you have more than one. In addition, DriveInfo clearly displays the percentage of free space that is left on a particular partition.
In the gadget's settings, you can set which sections should be displayed, as well as experiment with its design.
My weather
This gadget for Windows 10 is responsible for the weather and differs from others in that it can show a number of additional data, including pressure, humidity, wind speed, as well as sunrise and sunset times. The weather is displayed for several days in advance. In the settings, you can adjust the appearance and units of measurement.
7 Sidebar - sidebar for Windows 10
Unlike gadgets, which survived at least until Windows 7, the sidebar with them lasted only in Vista. Probably, one of the reasons for such a quick rejection of it was the small spread of widescreen monitors at that time. On the more common screens with an aspect ratio of 5: 4 then, the sidebar took up an indecent amount of work space.
The unusual gadget 7 Sidebar is just trying to rethink the sidebar from Vista, returning it to Windows 10 and along the way supplementing it with significantly more settings than the original had. That is, before us is a new, more functional sidebar Windows 10:
There are about three dozen themes alone, and in addition, you can adjust the width of the sidebar.
The meaning of this panel is that it will help to keep gadgets always in sight, but not interfere with the work in the system. Without it, they will be overlapped by windows, and if you set them to be displayed over windows, then, on the contrary, they will begin to obstruct the content you need.
In addition, 7 Sidebar is equipped with the ability to act as a window manager. In this case, window thumbnails will be displayed in the sidebar. They can be shown separately:
and mixed with gadgets:
The previews support the Peek function, thanks to which the contents of the window can be seen only by hovering over it.
Other gadgets for Windows 10
Alas, since the gadget platform has long been kicked out of Windows and abandoned by Microsoft, many third-party developments have also ceased their development. As a result, a number of good gadgets from the times of Vista and Windows 7 have failed to work today.
As part of 8GadgetPack, in addition to several very trivial gadgets like all kinds of calendars, clocks and notes, there are also a number of interesting finds that are kept up to date by the authors of this kit. We see no point in describing them in detail, but we will say a few words.
In particular, we note Remove Drive Safely Glassy, \u200b\u200bwhich allows you to quickly and safely remove flash drives, as well as CPU Network Monitor and Glassy Network Monitor, which, without accessing the task manager, will clearly show you the load of the CPU and network.
In turn, MiniRadio will allow you to listen to some Western radio stations, Recycle Bin will allow you to control the basket without going to it, Top Five will display the five most burdening the system processes, and Volume Control will help you adjust the volume without a targeted click on the tiny icon on the taskbar.
Many of you remember well the gadgets in Windows 7 and 8. We expected to see such gadgets in Windows 10, but, unfortunately, we did not receive them. If you want to correct this omission, then you can download Desktop Gadgets for Windows 10 yourself. These gadgets are a complete copy of gadgets from previous versions of the OS. But if you take a distribution kit of old gadgets, then they will not start on your Windows 10, you need to download a modified version that is compatible with the new OS version.
How to return gadgets to your desktop
The desktop in Windows 10 has become more like the one familiar from the days of Windows 7 than it was on Windows 8. Therefore, the issue of returning gadgets is quite appropriate. There is space on the desktop for them, and users have an interest in gadgets. And this interest is explained not only by the desire to decorate the desktop, but also to improve and simplify the interaction between you and the system. This page presents a gadget package that includes the following gadgets:- Clock;
- The calendar;
- Weather;
- Currencies;
- Notes;
All old functions are available to you. For example, moving gadgets around the desktop or assigning them one specific location. The gadgets are visually no different from those that you have already seen. They also support transparency. It is a pity that the developers did not modify their design to match the Windows 10 style. This makes the gadgets on the desktop stand out a bit. As we said, many people use gadgets not for beauty, but for convenience. In this regard, gadgets have not lost at all.
The most useful gadget is notes. If you download tablet gadgets, you can record your thoughts right on your desktop. The gadgets support fine-tuning and can also be configured automatically. The calendar gadget is very handy to use for planning your schedule. It is a pity that it cannot automatically download data from your mail or diary, but manual configuration is also convenient. There are also unofficial gadgets that you can add as well. But original Windows 10 gadgets are the best choice you can make.
For those who want to significantly transform their desktop, we recommend downloading. Combined with gadgets, this program turns your device into a true personal assistant.
After installing windows 10 and moving from a previous OS or updating, you will not have gadgets - you need to download them yourself.
Gadgets for the desktop of a netbook, laptop or computer are one of the components that improve the functionality of the OS, in particular Windows 10.
You can download free gadgets for Windows 10 right here, more precisely on this page - the links are at the end of the sections.
Before you download, please note that on a clean OS, you cannot install them one by one, as in the seven.
You first need to download the pack or installer that was used in whist and seven, only then you can install them in hundreds.
However, this is not a joke at the moment their number is approaching a thousand - there is plenty to choose from
Free download for desktop windows 10 gadgets from seven - Desktop Gadgets Revived
At the bottom of this section, you can download an installer for your windows 10 - "Desktop Gadgets Revived" which were in the seven.
After that, you will be able to install any others on a laptop or computer, and there are many of them: weather, speed measurement, temperature, automatic shutdown and many other useful functions.
Their advantage is that, unlike programs, they practically do not take up space and do not affect performance.
Who wants more, you can uninstall the installer. Removal is simple - just like a regular program.
Free download for desktop windows 10 gadget installer - 8GadgetPack
There are much more of them here than in the first version - somewhere around fifty, and after installation, you can add your own to this collection.
Keep in mind that it is not possible to install both sets - the system will politely ask one to be removed.
Of course, you can do without these "little creatures". There is an alternative in the form of programs in which the functionality is greater, but the load increases accordingly. Good luck.
Operating system:
Windows 10
Gadgets (Widgets) are one of the most controversial features in a windowing OS. Some users install them and do not even know how to fully use a PC without their help. Others do not even know what it is, and quite successfully cope. Are there gadgets for Windows 10, what they are and how to install them - we will analyze the answer to these questions in detail later in the article.
Why did widgets disappear from Windows 10?
With the arrival of first version 8, and then the tenth version, this issue was resolved, because Microsoft decided to completely remove the function from the system for some reason:
- As unnecessary. A lot of emphasis in the new systems has been on live tiles, which, in a way, work the same way as widgets. They display useful information, update in real time, and look more relevant;
- For security reasons. Here, the developers, rather, said without much reason. Because it is hard to assume that such a small part of the system as a widget can greatly affect security, and parts of its code can be used by intruders. Although it may have had an impact on performance. You can check this by returning functionality and.
Now gadgets for Windows 10 cannot be found on the official website.
However, there are no more widgets and the reasons are given. Most of the users simply agreed and started using tiles, but there are also those who do not want to deprive themselves of such a convenient opportunity and wondered how to install gadgets on Windows 10. For their sake, third-party developers tried to create software that most closely copies the functionality of widgets and tells you how to install gadgets on the desktop in Windows 10.
How to install gadgets on the Windows 10 desktop using programs
8GadgetPack
- Media center;
- Movie Maker;
- .NetFramework;
- DirectX 9 version and more.
It is likely that, having rummaged on the Internet, you can find other lesser-known solutions, but is it necessary to do this, given that the ones described above allow you to return functionality that was in 7 and even more. 
If you are looking for ways to remove gadgets on Windows 10 - then this is done by adding them to the OS.