For years, macOS widgets were hidden away in the Notification Centre on the right side of the screen. With the release of macOS Sonoma, Apple finally allowed users to place interactive widgets directly onto the desktop, making it incredibly easy to check the weather, control smart home devices, or review your daily calendar without opening any apps.
How to Add Widgets to Your Desktop
Adding a widget to your Mac desktop is a straightforward process:
- Right-click (or Control-click) on any empty space on your Mac desktop.
- Select Edit Widgets from the context menu.
- The Widget Gallery will slide up from the bottom of your screen. You can browse widgets by app using the left sidebar or use the search bar at the top right.
- When you find a widget you want, you can click the green (+) icon in the corner of the widget to add it to a default spot, or simply click and drag the widget directly onto your preferred location on the desktop.
- Click Done in the bottom right corner of the screen when you are finished.
Customising Widget Settings
macOS Sonoma widgets are highly customisable. Once a widget is on your desktop, you can right-click it to change its size (Small, Medium, or Large) or select Edit [Widget Name] to change its specific settings, such as changing the location for a Weather widget.
Additionally, thanks to Apple’s Continuity feature, you can even add widgets from apps that are only installed on your iPhone, provided your Mac and iPhone are connected to the same Wi-Fi network and logged into the same Apple ID.