I can’t imagine using Windows 11 without this one widget app

When Microsoft launched Windows 11 back in 2021, it talked a big game in the widgets department. Alongside a new user interface design language, faster updates, and support for Android applications, it was the inclusion of these small, glanceable applets that sparked my interest above all else.

Fast-forward four years, and I’m still waiting for native Windows 11 widgets to live up to their pre-release promise. Yes, Microsoft has been slowly picking away at Windows 11’s implementation of the feature, primarily via the introduction of new variants and by fiddling with the user interface of the Widgets Board where they reside, but it’s not nearly enough to scratch my own personal widget-loving itch.

To be fair to Microsoft, the ability to pin Windows 11 widgets directly to your computer’s lock screen is currently rolling out to users, which is indeed a step in the right direction, but it’s still frustratingly impossible to place them onto your desktop in the vein of Windows Vista and 7 Gadgets. There’s also the issue of nearly zero third-party widgets being available to download, to say nothing of the existing widgets’ failure to look and feel native to the system at a platform level.

In computing, widgets are small, highly-glanceable mini applications that serve the user timely information without the need to launch fully into a program’s respective interface.

With all this in mind, I previously compiled some of my personal favorite third-party widget solutions for Windows 11. As it turns out, there are a number of developers working hard to integrate PC widgets into the OS in a more organic way than Microsoft is willing to, each tackling the issue in a unique way.

For my money, the absolute best third-party Windows 11 widgets app currently available is one called Better Widgets – light desktop widgets. This app, which is available to download and install from the Microsoft Store for a small one-time fee, checks almost every box when it comes to offering attractive, performant, and informative desktop PC widgets at a moment’s notice.

The Windows 11 widget experience done right

Right out the gate, Better Widgets is a superior Windows 11 widgets solution by virtue of its flexibility. Unlike Microsoft’s implementation of the feature, Better Widgets isn’t confined to a small strip of space hidden off-screen by default. Once pinned to the desktop, widgets can be individually resized as if they were windows, with an option to keep them locked into place.

Further customizations on a per-widget basis can be found in the app’s main page, including theming options, security and permission settings, the ability to configure login behaviors, and more. When set up to start and login, and with widgets pinned in place, your layout is automatically preserved without worry.

The following widgets are available to pick from with Better Widgets, with the developer promising to add additional options down the road:

• Calendar
• Clock
• CPU Monitor
• GPU Monitor
• Network Monitor
• RAM Monitor
• Notes
• Storage Monitor
• To Do
• Weather

Critically, in my experience, the widgets found within Better Widgets aren’t resource-intensive. They update in the background without a hitch, and yet they continue to display without issue when offline. Despite the use of a gorgeous Acrylic material-esque background blur, I’ve yet to encounter slowdown, graphical glitches, or stutters.

Of course, not everything is perfect with Better Widgets, and there’s always room for further improvement in future updates to the app. For example, there’s no option to have widgets snap automatically into place via an invisible grid, which is something that would go a long way in easing my tendency to obsess over visual symmetry. There’s also no option to add new widgets directly via the desktop’s native context menu. Finally, I’d love to see the app open up support for third-party widgets in the future, though I understand the monumental feat needed to gain traction in the digital ecosystem space.

In any case, I plan on continuing to use Better Widgets as my go-to solution for glancing at the weather, my to-do list, and my network speed status for the foreseeable future. The app’s fit and finish, its polished visuals, and its ease of use make it a no-brainer, and so it’s always one of the first programs I download from the Microsoft Store when setting up a new Windows 11 PC. Until Microsoft gets its act together in the widgets space, Better Widgets is absolutely the way to go, and it’s certainly worth its small price of admission.