Many people including myself still love the desktop gadgets that were introduced in Windows Vista. They were removed completely in Windows 8 which made many people unhappy. Microsoft wants to push live tiles as their replacement and therefore they claim Gadgets as insecure, just like they push Store apps over Desktop apps. If you cannot imagine the Desktop without your favorite gadgets, here is how to get them back again in Windows 10. Just follow this short tutorial.
- Visit GadgetsRevived and get the installer from the following page: Download the Sidebar.
- Follow the setup wizard, it will take you through a few simple steps.
- Close the setup wizard, and right click the desktop. The Gadgets item will be there.
- Add your favorite gadgets or download more from the GadgetsRevived desktop gadget gallery.
You are done. Enjoy.
Known issues
- Due to changes made to Desktop Window Manager and Aero in Windows 10, the main Gadgets window looks a bit weird:
Half the portion of the 'Add gadgets' window is dimmed, however, everything else works properly. - For users with custom DPI settings, some gadgets may look broken. Here is a workaround: Gadgets displaying broken in Windows 8.1 or Windows 7 with IE11. It is applicable to Windows 10 as well.
That's it. Maybe Microsoft will realize that removing Gadgets was not good idea, similar to the removal of the Start Menu and officially reinstates them.
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Windows 10 will have Live Tiles on the desktop later on, therefore replacing the old Desktop Gadgets altogether and without the security flaws.
Well, I hope your are right. It will be awesome.
Well, can the live tiles planned for the desktop have transparent areas? Can they have a pop-out window? Can they evaluate privileged javascript (at least being able to connect to sites to fetch and send data)? If so, why not just call them gadgets and call it a day? If not, stop pretending like they are any use at all.
The “planned” info in anon’s comment never was true. It was a kind of cheap “rumors”.
The rumor was true
Have you seen Live Tiles anywhere besides the Start Menu? On Desktop maybe?
It was just a rumor.
Lol. Microsoft killed live tiles completely with Windows 11. IDK what in the world you were talking about.
Live means they can watch your every move 27/7 and shove more unwanted ads at you
Probably not
“live” means live information gathered from the application/process and displayed on your start menu ui for that app space. no spyware or adware.
wait u need this to get win 7 stuff .i thought win 10 had all ur needs and was perfect.. rofl lol pfft win 10 is a complete evil os a complete pos. you have ur chance yet again people stand up and dont take this shite
You’re smart… for a child.
who’s the child here?
sounds like a binge watcher
You are correct Windows !0 has Live Tiles, because when I upgraded from Windows 8.1 (I thought its critical error sound is scary) I found out Windows 10 has Live Tiles.
But NOT on Desktop.
i dont under stand
This comment aged poorly :D
Live Tiles gone entirely in Windows 11.
I never really used the gadgets, but I hate when Microsoft disables features “just because”. I’m sure a lot of people probably made good use of them just like I was a huge fan of the glass effects, which were pointlessly disabled as well. For half of the features in Windows 8 and Windows 10, you’ve gotta say, “nice try at being hipster and creative there Microsoft, but we liked the way it looked in Vista and 7 better”.
I like the Gadgets, I use the DOW, CALENDAR, CLOCK AND WEATHER. I wish the weather had severe weather alerts. I live in a tornado pron are of Oklahoma and alerts on desk top would be nice. I would also say that like most people I resist change or an attack on my comfort zone, but I must say that there are a lot of things I like about Windows 8, for instance right clicking the window in the left lower corner and having many commands to choose from, I wish I could customize it to add others. I hate the auto full-screen feature and wish I could turn it off!
I think the best sidebar for Windows 10 is MetroSidebar, http://metrosidebar.com
That site is SPAM. Forces you to install some “Shopoholics” coupon bar from India or exit installation. I exited. Thanks for the warning.
I hope you put the desktop gadgets like they used to be in the Windows 10. I got screwed with the worthless Windows 8 package. I can’t function without my clock, calendar, and weather on my desktop. Please rectify
your mistake.
The package from the link provided in the article works properly even in the latest Windows 10 TP release.
How to compare this poor gadgets with Android widgets? I think this is a joke
Awesome. This is NOT malware or spam. And it very simple to install on Windows 10.
Gadgets are especially useful on a second monitor. I stayed on 7 mostly due to not feeling 8.1 would be a worthwhile upgrade for me, but the missing gadgets clinched it. I can see RAM use, core temps, gpu temps, utilization of GPU and CPU, and even while gaming on my main monitor. Why wouldn’t I want this?! DX12 makes 10 a must, but give us something. Android style widgets would be the bees knees. Hopefully the live tiles will happen. I also miss the glass Aero. Most desktops have all this 3d grunt sitting idle, why not have some eye candy on your desktop?
Oh, and back when I had a 2500K I loved watching the Intel Gadget (CPU shaped) show the turbo boost ramp up. I’ll probably never have the money to install an after market turbo on my car, but the gadget was free. Just like media center back in ’05, Microsoft sometimes gets there early,nails it, then just walks away. SMH
Just upgraded to Windows10 and ran the DesktopGadgetInstaller and my gadgets that I had running before the upgrade popped back up on my desktop – that was a nice bonus as it was a easy fix to get my gadgets back on.
Thank-you very much!!!
How do I restore or get the Gadget monitor from System Mechanic?
Thanks, I really loved to try this, really miss this gadgets.
After getting my Win10 upgrade yesterday, I was soon surprised to find no desktop gadgets available. So I too downloaded and installed “Desktop Gadgets and Sidebar for Windows 10”. My first reaction was, “Yay!”, my gadgets are back. But then, immediately disappointed to find that the “Weather Gadget” remains non-functional. It is continues to display the “Cannot connect to service” error – just as it did in Win7. It cannot even update to my location when provided – it just says – location not found. So, nothing has changed from the Win10 version. This was a key fix I was hoping for with Win10. What a shame…
Try to unblock “sidebar.exe” in Windows Firewall.
Oops! I meant, “…from Win7 version”…
i had the same issue with the weather gadget. A quick google search and I found an updated version that still works. Looks exactly like the original stock gadget. http://win7gadgets.com/weather/weather_1.html
You may like also to consider the Gadgetarian at
http://windowslivegadgets.com/gallery/317/enable-sidebar-gadgets-windows-8-metro/
Gadgetarian does not add any new abilities to the Windows system, it just enables the native gadget functions, now unfortunately hidden. This way you can keep using all of your old desktop gadgets or add new ones, without compromising the integrity of the OS.
Works great.
Using Windows 10
Happy to read this.
I am using some of the desktop gadgets in windows 10 and i find them very usefull and nice. Great article admin here on your website.
The recent major update to Win10 (on or before 19-Nov-15) has DISABLED sidebar after I got it working before using this post! It is not in the Windows Firewall restrictions, and I added both the 32- and 64-bit versions to the Allow list, with no success. Any suggestions?
Same here Chris, as soon as I had it working again it was shut down with the November update, gadgets in the context menu but simply does nothing, the gadgetarian 64bit version re-enabled it for me though as per Georges reply above. Now working fine again and my existing gadgets were still there to drop back on my other monitor. :D
I’m furious over MS’ removal of the Sidebar.exe–in particular–from its “family of support”! And it’s the main reason why I no longer desire any future MS products!…PERIOD! My next computer purchase will be for a Purism Librem 15 (high end!)!…pending, Intel’s release of its BIOS for the PL15! Failing that, I’ll pursue the Novena (high end!)! Hell!…I’d obtain a Gluglug PC, before buying a MS-based PC! Screw these proprietary-based systems! Richard Stallman is right!…Windows is for suckers! But I include ALL Closedsource OSs under this just cited expression!
In reflecting on why MS would decide to screw everyone, I came up with some obvious–and I believe, rational–conclusions!
One of the PCs I’m currently using (a 10″ Acer One Notebook), has 19 sidebar.exe slide show windows, on a black background, on my “desktop (incidentally, what a ridiculous name for a display screen configuration, that–obviously–has nothing to do with the notion of a ‘Desktop computer’!…and, inasmuch, as my notebook is rarely on some desktop!)”! In toying with these slide show windows, I soon realized (and based on the “physics” of the 10″ screen of the Acer One) that the “ss windows” would “lock” into/ within specific parameters/ locations of the Acer screen (i.e., which/ that enabled the enlargement, and retraction of respective “ss windows”, without interference with adjoining “ss windows”!…otherwise, the wrong placement of a “ss window”, would mean–upon retraction–a window would collapse onto another adjoining window, instead of restracting to ITS OWN specific demarcated zone)! Having figured this out…and with the Paint Program (what I call the “Ain’t Program”!…as it morphs what “I” paint, into something else!)…I layed down 18 light blue-grey rectangles matching precisely the dimensions, and–importantly–demarcated zones of the “ss windows”!…PLUS, one pixel width, encompassing each respective window (so that any variable accidental shift of the window, wouldn’t end in a failure to accurately retract–and otherwise relocate–the screen into the right zone!…in other words, I could find the grey rectangle, and adjust the window’s positioning accordingly!) (One horizontally elongated rectangle–for whatever reasons…and however!…can accommodate two images side-by-said, without interference!) After completing this “Art project”, I saved this as a “background HOME DISPLAY (as OPPOSED, to ‘Desktop Display”!)!…and, which I’ve been using ever since! As for all other programs, I use START!…and something–incidentally–that MS, also desired to screw us out of!
And now…for the Good stuff!
I’m presently working on a screen play (recreationally!…and in addition, to a number of important linguistic applications!)…and I’m using these “ss windows” as a collection of storeyboarding screens, for displaying various scenes associated with the story I’m working on! Each window can link to any number of individual folders…which, in turn, can link to any number of pics within respective folders! And coupled with the ability to arrange pics in an alphabetical AND/ OR numerical sequence, one has the ability to arrange an entire scene (or series of scences…given the ability to arrange folders, and pics, within a respective window!) on screen, and run this as a slide show! Add music, with one’s VLC player…yea, order one’s pics within a given window, to sync with the pics being displayed!…one has the basis of a cool storeyboarding App (save, for the problem, that the minimum time allotment between “pic slides”, is a LENGTHY 5 seconds!…and thus, limiting one’s ability to–VIRTUALLY–animate the slide show!)! But, soon after my project was ended, I discovered that I couldn’t lobby MS for “tweaks” to their Gadget (e.g., the time frame between pics!)!…as MS would no longer be supporting their creation! And, with the nonsensical suggestion, that the App–somehow–posed a “security threat”! But I–for one–came to other conclusions!
Could it be–I thought–that Motion Picture IT Specialists, realized the potential of this Windows Gadget feature!…and, its THREAT to the movie industry!…and, with the assistance of MS, decided to have its “plug” pulled! Inasmuch, as everyone–and their pet cat–could now storeyboard like the big boys (and girls!)!…and yea, fashion–with tools like the GIF Exploder–near complete scenes, from “de-composed” GIFs! And, as this simple feature would soon conflict with MS’ already “challenged” MovieMaker App (that doesn’t readily lend to efficient and effective storeyboarding!…and storeyboarding, being the prerequisite tool for efficient and effective moviemaking!), could it be, that MS already had the grounds, for eliminating this ENEMY OF THE STATE!
Now…one could look to a number of other related problems, as a partial “rationale” for giving up the ghost on this Gadget feature! For example, under the slide shows’ “tools”, there’s a square for a “check mark” if one desires to “shuffle”!…simply put, it was brought to my attention recently, that MANY may have taken this to mean, “SLIDE (as in ‘slideshow’)”! Oops! I can imagine the messages sent in! It would’ve been helpful if the option was named, “random images”!…so that users wouldn’t be checking this, and then expecting an alphabetic–or personally orchestrated–arrangement of pics! Another bad word choice! Or…to offer up a further example…was MS unwilling–or unable–to assist those who were having difficulties in arranging images within respective Pic folders, for display within respective slide show windows on their respective HOME SCREENS! And because the complaints were mounting for this one simple feature alone, decided to abandon the entire Gadget creation!…for fear of dragging the whole of MS under, through excessive demand! Who knows?…maybe some of this, was a part of their thinking! All I know–for sure!–is that users, were stiffed!…and told, to “take it on the chin”! Well!…screw YOU, MS! You’re not the only OS player in the sea!…and neither is Apple!…and, many other, proprietary pains in the Apps!
TL;DR
When I performed an update of Windows 10, Desktop Gadgets stopped working. Now, I cannot uninstall the program.
I would like to uninstall and then reinstall the program.
Can you tell me how uninstall this program.
Control Panel – Programs and Features – Uninstall a program.
You can uninstall it as usual.
I have tried and tried to get Desktop Gadgets on Windows 10 but cannot get anything to work
can anyone tell me how to get these in a simple way as I am not very Computer literate.
Thank you. I had them on Windows 7 but cannot get them now. I am using Internet Explorer as my default
does that make a difference? I am not using MS Edge.
thank you for share!!!
don’t mention it :)
I have installed the gadgets on Win 10 however in addition to my lovely timezone clocks (so glad to have them back) however I now have in the gadget bar an icon of background programs which is most annoying. How can I get rid of it.. Rhonda
Can you show a screenshot of the issue?
For me Windows 10 Aniversary Update (1607) broke completly the sidebar; I cannot start the process anymore. If this will not be fixed I will have to finally migrate to rainmeter. to bad…
It works here:
Try to re-install it?
Same, here. After Windows 10 Anniversary Update mosts of gadgets stops working.
Which exactly gadgets stop working?
At least built-in gadgets work in Windows 10 Anniversary Update.
Eg. MultiMeter from http://sfkilla.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=24
It seems that gadgets have some problems with storing config settings. When I’m changing properties everything looks good in preview but as soon as I press OK button gadget crush. You should also observerve some glitch on default “calendar” gadget (the orange one on your screenshot). It is set to Daily View by default. Press doubleclick to switch it to Month View. Then restart your PC. Calendar will be set to Daily View instead of Mont View.
Did all you said.
Before reboot:
After reboot:
Can’t reproduce it.
As of MultiMeter, it does not work here too.
thanks very much .. love u who ever did this :)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))
The latest Windows update 1803 removed my gadgets again. When I tried to reinstall DesktopGadgetsRevived-2.0 it responded with this message:
“There are some Sidebar files in the C:\Program Files folder. Please uninstall the Sidebar package already installed on your PC and try again.”
I looked through the entire list of installed programs and could not find anything relevant. Can you offer assistance on how to reinstall Desktop Gadgets?
I too need to know exactly how to ‘completely’ remove all files related to the desktop gadgets though my issue is different.
I had cpu meter, network meter, calender and my tiempo all working fine. In fact I can still get them to work fine except, now the PC won’t sleep while the gadgets are running.
It started when I was playing Fallout 4 on my main monitor. The monitors went to sleep and would not wake back up. (This game continues to do this now) I alt F4’d the game and the desktop was unresponsive for a few minutes while pink flashed around my gadgets on monitor 2.
Eventually the desktop became responsive again but now it won’t sleep at all. I uninstalled the gadgets after running powercfg -energy and finding tm listed as high cpu use there. Then the PC went into sleep fine.
I reinstalled them and all my settings and gadgets (some that don’t come in the package) came right back where they were. It all wokred fine for awhile until the sleep issue with Fallout 4 happened again.
It appears that Explorer is crashing, you may need to check logs and statuses to find the issue.
NVM, I went through the appdata and programdata folders and deleted everything I could find related to sidebar and gadgets then did a fresh reinstall and it’s working ok now.
Now I just have to figure out why the screen won’t wake when they go to sleep while FO4 is running. I’ve found work around, I minimize the game before I walk away from the PC.
Weather gadget doesn’t work; it says “Cannot connect to service” and when I input my location, it always says “Location not found”.
I personally prefer 8GadgetPack gadgets over Gadgets Revived. They’re much more complete and full of information. Maybe Gadgets Revived is just for the minimalist people.
Acabo de instalar la ultima Actualización de Windows 10, la versión 20H2 y esto ya dejo de ser compatible.
After upgrading to Windows 10 build 20H2, the desktop gadgets program doesn’t run.
Good morning fond of this fabulous tool that works perfectly on W10.
With W11 you install but cannot be launched.
Is it possible to make it compatible?
Thank you very much
This is what happens when the program is launched, the main screen does not open
[img]https://i.postimg.cc/RhtR79T0/Screenshot-001.png[/img]
Maybe you see better here
https://i.postimg.cc/RhtR79T0/Screenshot-001.png
I have been using this forever but then I upgraded (should say degraded but I digress :) to Windows 11 and suddenly the desktop gadgets don’t work. Almost all the gadgets either completely or partially defect. The clock no longer even shows up. Other gadgets show up but deformed or static or something. Only the calendar app seems to work. Especially the metric gadgets (CPU meter and a various network download / upload speed gadgets I tried failed to work. It seems like Windows 11 blocks the gadgets from accessing certain things.
Pleast help
Two questions.
1) Does this work on Windows 11?
2) Once it’s downloaded, will I able to uninstall/delete it?
Thanks
1. it works on 11
2. you can uninstall it like any other app.
I’ve downloaded and installed the Desktop Gadgets App to my Windows 10 Pro desktop. All gadgets included inside the app work fine. However, I’d like to put a shortcut (direct launch) of one PARTICULAR gadget directly on the desktop WITHOUT having to open the Desktop Gadgets App first and then launching the gadget from inside the app.
When I create a new shortcut on the desktop, it wants me to “browse” to the location of the executable for the particular gadget I want to shortcut to. For me, this is the “My To Do List” Gadget, but I have no idea where to find the “executable” file for that gadget within the Windows 10 file structure so I can point to it. Any idea where this would be ?
I just want a “one-click” launch of that particular gadget from the desktop.
Thanks for any guidance.
Hello. What you are asking for has been never implemented by Microsoft. It is impossible.
This very package uses original Microsoft files.