With the development of modern operating systems, new additional features appear, and some disappear. This is what happened with widgets. This article will discuss what widgets and gadgets are, as well as what programs exist to install and configure them.

What are gadgets and why are they used?

Gadget is another name for special utilities that first appeared with Windows 7. There they were called widgets.

Widgets are a complete application designed to information display on the user's desktop. By default it was weather, clock and calendar.

In the latest versions of the OS, widgets are disabled by default, but the user can return them for themselves using special programs. We'll talk about this below.

Using Desktop Gadgets Revived

The first example is Desktop Gadgets Revived software. The program returns the standard set of gadgets that were in Windows 7. Download link: http://gadgetsrevived.com/download-sidebar/

After visiting the site, click on the link “ Download the Desktop gadgets installer»

The download file is a ZIP archive. Unpacking it and run the installer. Select the language that will be displayed during the installation process.

We follow the prompts of the installation wizard, and now select the language of the program itself. The default is “Russian”. The gadgets themselves that are available for installation are already included in the software.

Click “Next” and then “ Install" The installation process will take no more than a minute.

Now, by right-clicking on the desktop, the user will see the familiar menu item “ Gadgets».

8GadgetPack utility

The second option is the 8GadgetPack utility, which works on the same principle as the program above. It brings back the familiar widgets to Windows 8.

To download the software, you must click on the " Download" on right.

The file is an MSI format installer, meaning it requires administrator rights.

After launching the installer, click " Install" The installation process will begin immediately.

Installation will take literally one minute.

After the process is completed, the installer will offer to immediately show the utility widgets. This is evidenced by the paragraph “ Showgadgetswhensetupexits».

Right-click on the desktop and select the menu item “ Gadgets».

The window that opens will display a list of all available widgets in this utility.

Xwidget app

Another representative of utilities for setting up widgets is Xwidget.

To download, click the button on the right " Download».

The download file is a ZIP archive. After downloading it you need unpack and run installer

We specify the software installation path; by default, it places itself in the standard directory for all Windows programs.

For ease of launching the software, we agree to install a shortcut on the desktop.

The installation process will take less than a minute. Once finished, the installer will prompt you to launch Xwidget.

The program will display a message stating that to use full functionality you must activate license. For normal operation mode, select “ Continue FREE».

The advantage of Xwidget compared to other similar software is that it allows edit and make changes into gadgets at the discretion of the user. To do this, right-click on any widget and select “ Change».

Unfortunately, the software does not work correctly with the Cyrillic alphabet and some items in the menu are not displayed.

In the widget settings menu you can configure it to suit any requirements: change the color scheme, transparency, background, name that will be displayed and many other possibilities.

There is also an item in the context menu “ Gallery».

When you click it, a library of gadgets that are available for this software will open.

The user can choose absolutely any tool he needs for his workstation.

Changing the sidebar from MetroSidebar

The last option is the MetroSidebar.

To download the utility, you need to go to the “ Download».

The file is an MSI format installer - you will need administrator rights to install it.

Click " Next» and accept the terms of the license agreement.

The software offers the standard option as the installation path.

We confirm the installation by pressing the button “ Next" After the process is completed, the software will prompt you to reboot the computer, to make changes.

After rebooting, the user will have a sidebar on the right. During the first launch, the utility will provide small visual instructions for working with it.

By default, the following widgets are installed: time, weather, location and Bing search engine.

To configure any element, you need to right-click on it and select “ Settings».

Remember the sidebar in Windows? This feature first appeared in Windows Vista, and allowed us to attach so-called gadgets to the side of the desktop - some of them display the date and time, others show the processor load, etc. And although Windows 7 also has a similar function, at the end of 2011 Microsoft closed the Windows Live Widget Gallery website, where gadgets were officially published, and Windows 8, which the company was then developing, is to blame - starting with this version of Windows, Microsoft decided to abandon these same gadgets.

Many people around the world, still users of Windows Vista or Windows 7, are planning to switch to Windows 8, but are afraid of losing the gadgets they have become so accustomed to over these many years. Fortunately, there is a way out of this situation. Almost a year ago, we wrote about an application that brings gadgets back to Windows 8. If you have any problems running this application on Windows 8.1, I suggest you try an alternative solution called Desktop Gadgets, which is designed specifically for Windows 8.1.

Unlike 8GadgetPack, Desktop Gadgets supports all kinds of languages ​​(including Russian), so you are provided with gadgets with an interface in your native language.

The installation process is standard: run the executable file from the downloaded archive and select your language, and then follow the simple instructions of the installation wizard.

If you see a message like the one in the screenshot below when you try to install gadgets, you will need to disable the SmartScreen filter (at least temporarily). Read about how this can be done.

Once the installation is complete, you will be able to select gadgets from the desktop context menu (similar to Windows Vista).

8GadgetPack is an application that allows you to install gadgets on the latest versions of the operating system. As you know, the ability to add gadgets for the desktop appeared in Windows Vista; they also worked in the “seven”, but when the Windows 8 operating system was released, the developers decided to abandon the possibility of using them. This decision was made due to the appearance of many "holes" and "vulnerabilities" in the system's security, which were caused by the addition of these "add-ons" to the desktop.

For those who are accustomed to using desktop gadgets, but at the same time want to switch to more recent versions of the operating system from Microsoft, this program was created. It returns users the ability to work with gadgets on Windows 8, 8.1 and 10, allowing them to be placed in the sidebar or in any location on the desktop. Installing the program is as simple as possible. In addition to 8GadgetPack itself, a set of the most popular desktop add-ons will also be added to your PC. You can also download them (gadgets) from specialized web resources and add them to the program library (or directly to the sidebar) using the appropriate button.

8GadgetPack can be launched when Windows starts, allows you to scale the sidebar and the gadgets themselves, “pin” them to a specific place on the desktop, and also disable the display of all desktop add-ons in one click. You can download and use this program completely free of charge.

Key Features and Functions

• allows you to use desktop gadgets on Windows 8, 8.1 and 10;
• contains its own library with add-ons;
• makes it possible to pin gadgets in a specific place, as well as freely scale them;
• can place gadgets on a separate panel or in any location on the desktop;
• distributed free of charge.

Desktop gadgets can perform various functions: show the time and weather, processor and memory status, provide quick access to mail and other frequently used applications. But in the Windows 8 operating system, when you right-click on the desktop, you will not find such a familiar application.

Since the popularity of using gadgets among users has not gone away, in this article we will figure out how to return gadgets to desktop in Windows 8.

I'll start with a simple program Gadgets Revived, which will allow you to return standard gadgets to your desktop. Download it by following the link. There should be no difficulties during the installation process - everything is extremely simple.

Now click on a free area of ​​the desktop and select “Gadgets”.

A window will open that is familiar to those who have used gadgets in the Windows 7 operating system. Drag the desired gadget using the mouse to the desktop.

When you hover your mouse over the gadget, additional buttons appear. With their help, you can move or delete a gadget, change its size or appearance.

A good alternative to the program described above may be the program for working with widgets XWidget. To download the program and read a description of how to work with it, follow the link.

In XWidget you can edit widgets yourself using the built-in editor, as well as browse the catalog of available widgets and install them on your computer.

After the program is installed on your computer, three widgets will appear on the screen. You can leave them or delete them.

When you right-click on the widget, a context menu appears.

Here you can view information about the widget - “Options”, hide it or close it. By clicking on the “Edit” button, you can edit the selected widget to your liking in the editor.

If you want to view other widgets and download them to your computer, click Gallery. You can read more about how to download and install the widget by following the link (given above) to the program description.

By clicking on the “Widget” item in the context menu, a list of additional functions will open. For example, here you can change the location of the widget and its size, and make it opaque.

In the “XWidget Menu” item you can go to the program settings. If some widgets do not display correctly on the desktop, select "Restart XWidget".

In general, with the help of the described programs, you can install gadgets and widgets for Windows 8. Choose what suits you, and then working on your computer will become much easier: the time, processor load, notes and much more will be displayed.