Ever wanted to add handy widgets to your Mac’s desktop? macOS Sonoma makes this possible. you may not only glance at their valuable information, but also interact with these widgets. We’ll show you how to add them.
How to Add Desktop Widgets on a Mac
If the widget you need is already in the Notification Center, simply drag and drop it onto your desktop. Alternatively, you canControl-click the desktop wallpaper and chooseEdit Widgetsto use the built-in widget browser.
Author image by Christian Zibreg–No attribution required
Select an app from theAll Widgetssidebar or search for it, and then click the widget size you want on the right side to add it to the desktop instantly. If a widget comes from your iPhone, it will be labelediPhonein the top-right corner of the widget browser.
Touse interactive iPhone widgets, your phone must run iOS 17 or later, use the same iCloud account as your Mac, and have the app that bundles the widget installed.
To manually position the widget on the desktop, drag it to your desired spot. Continue adding other widgets, then finish by clickingDonein the bottom-right corner.
How to Remove Widgets From Your Mac’s Desktop
To remove a widget from your Mac’s desktop,Control-click on the widget and chooseRemove Widget. If you want to remove multiple widgets,Control-click the desktop wallpaper or the widget and chooseEdit Widgets. Then, click theminus (-)button in the widget’s top-left corner.
Removing a widget from the desktop won’t uninstall it or delete its data.
How to Customize Widget Settings on a Mac
To adjust settings for all widgets, click theApple logoin the menu bar and chooseSystem Settingsin the dropdown. Then, selectDesktop & Dockfrom the sidebar and scroll to theWidgetsheading on the right.
Here, you can choose where your widgets appear, choose the widget style, and enable or disable iPhone widgets on your Mac.
Some widgets, like Calendar and Weather, let you edit the information shown—such as choosing a city for the weather forecast. So if you wish to adjust individual widget settings,Control-click on a desktop widget and chooseEdit [Widget Name]. You can also chooseSmall,Medium,Large, orExtra Largeto adjust the widget size.
Interactive widgets may be one ofthe best macOS Sonoma features, but they’re not perfect. For example, they appear across all spaces and cannot be restricted to a specific space. And iPhone widgets often require opening the iPhone app before you can use them in macOS.
Still, widgets can be a great time-saver and will boost your productivity. It’s worth trying them out, especially if you love them on iPhone but haven’t tested their Mac equivalents yet.
