{"id":1366,"date":"2014-10-07T16:02:28","date_gmt":"2014-10-07T23:02:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hellbach.us\/blog\/?p=1366"},"modified":"2026-02-17T01:46:52","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T09:46:52","slug":"windows-gadgets-win-8","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hellbach.us\/blog\/tech\/comp\/windows-gadgets-win-8\/","title":{"rendered":"Windows Gadgets on win 8"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class='__iawmlf-post-loop-links' style='display:none;' data-iawmlf-post-links='[{&quot;id&quot;:3155,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;http:\\\/\\\/www.makeuseof.com\\\/tag\\\/miss-gadgets-and-widgets-on-windows-8-heres-how-you-can-get-them-back&quot;,&quot;archived_href&quot;:&quot;http:\\\/\\\/web-wp.archive.org\\\/web\\\/20230619220231\\\/https:\\\/\\\/www.makeuseof.com\\\/tag\\\/miss-gadgets-and-widgets-on-windows-8-heres-how-you-can-get-them-back\\\/&quot;,&quot;redirect_href&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;checks&quot;:[{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2025-11-19 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05:07:07&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:200}],&quot;broken&quot;:false,&quot;last_checked&quot;:{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-02-13 05:07:07&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:200},&quot;process&quot;:&quot;done&quot;},{&quot;id&quot;:3165,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;http:\\\/\\\/www.makeuseof.com\\\/tag\\\/7-common-sense-tips-avoid-catching-malware&quot;,&quot;archived_href&quot;:&quot;http:\\\/\\\/web-wp.archive.org\\\/web\\\/20230620003528\\\/https:\\\/\\\/www.makeuseof.com\\\/tag\\\/7-common-sense-tips-avoid-catching-malware\\\/&quot;,&quot;redirect_href&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;checks&quot;:[{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2025-11-19 05:54:52&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:200},{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2025-12-06 19:34:22&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:200},{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-02-13 05:07:07&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:200}],&quot;broken&quot;:false,&quot;last_checked&quot;:{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-02-13 05:07:07&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:200},&quot;process&quot;:&quot;done&quot;}]'><\/div>\n<h1><a href=\"http:\/\/www.makeuseof.com\/tag\/miss-gadgets-and-widgets-on-windows-8-heres-how-you-can-get-them-back\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Miss Gadgets &amp; Widgets On Windows 8? Here\u2019s How You Can Get Them Back<\/a><\/h1>\n<p>Microsoft removed gadgets, the desktop widget feature introduced in Windows Vista, from Windows 8. Microsoft would prefer you use <a class=\"post__link--sidebar\" href=\"http:\/\/www.makeuseof.com\/tag\/7-windows-8-niggles-resolved\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><span style=\"color: #219fe1;\">live tiles<\/span><\/a> on the new Start screen to get information \u2013 but what if you want to see this information on your desktop? Whether you don\u2019t like the new Start screen and are trying to avoid using it by <a href=\"http:\/\/www.makeuseof.com\/tag\/make-a-start-menu-on-windows-8\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><span style=\"color: #219fe1;\">installing a third-party Start menu<\/span><\/a> or you just miss the gadgets, you can get them back with a third-party program.<\/p>\n<p>Both of these programs just install the gadget files Microsoft removed from <a class=\"post__link--sidebar\" href=\"http:\/\/www.makeuseof.com\/tag\/download-started-guide-windows-8\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><span style=\"color: #219fe1;\">Windows 8<\/span><\/a>, so you\u2019ll get the same gadget features you had on <a href=\"http:\/\/www.makeuseof.com\/tag\/download-the-ultimate-windows-7-guide\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><span style=\"color: #219fe1;\">Windows 7<\/span><\/a> and Windows Vista. These\u00a0aren\u2019t\u00a0third-party knock-offs.<\/p>\n<h2>8GadgetPack<\/h2>\n<p>There are two applications you can use to install desktop gadgets \u2013 we prefer <a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20200218211003\/http:\/\/8gadgetpack.bplaced.net:80\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><span style=\"color: #219fe1;\">8GadgetPack<\/span><\/a>. It has an easier installation process and includes more gadgets. Just download 8GadgetPack and run the installer. After running the installer, you\u2019ll see the familiar Windows Sidebar containing gadgets. You can drag and drop the gadgets onto your desktop if you prefer them there.<\/p>\n<p>You can also right-click the sidebar and select <em>Close Sidebar<\/em> if you want to get rid of that sidebar and only use gadgets on your desktop.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"post__img-holder\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" title=\"Miss Gadgets &amp; Widgets On Windows 8? Heres How You Can Get Them Back   image\" src=\"http:\/\/cdn.makeuseof.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/8gadgetpack-on-windows-8.png?f78cf6\" alt=\"8gadgetpack on windows 8   Miss Gadgets &amp; Widgets On Windows 8? Heres How You Can Get Them Back\" width=\"590\" height=\"770\" \/><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"img__sharer\"><\/div>\n<div id=\"adsense2\" class=\"ad-unit-post\"><\/div>\n<p>You\u2019ll also see the familiar Gadgets and Show desktop gadgets options when you right-click on your desktop, so you can close the gadgets and then get them back easily. It works just like it did on previous versions of Windows that included support for gadgets.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"post__img-holder\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" title=\"Miss Gadgets &amp; Widgets On Windows 8? Heres How You Can Get Them Back   image\" src=\"http:\/\/cdn.makeuseof.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/desktop-gadgets-on-windows-8.png?f78cf6\" alt=\"desktop gadgets on windows 8   Miss Gadgets &amp; Widgets On Windows 8? Heres How You Can Get Them Back\" width=\"590\" height=\"279\" \/><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"img__sharer\"><\/div>\n<p>8GadgetPack includes a variety of gadgets, including clock, weather, calendar, sticky notes, and slideshow widgets. There are gadgets for monitoring your computer\u2019s battery power, CPU usage, GPU usage, hard drive info, and processes. There are widgets that watch Gmail, keep an eye on any POP3 email account, read <a class=\"post__link--sidebar\" href=\"http:\/\/www.makeuseof.com\/tag\/rss-feeds-work-simple-terms-technology-explained\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><span style=\"color: #219fe1;\">RSS feeds<\/span><\/a>, and watch eBay auctions.<\/p>\n<p>There are shortcuts for safely removing drives, accessing your recycle bin, and launching apps. 8GadgetPack currently comes with 45 gadgets in all.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"post__img-holder\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" title=\"Miss Gadgets &amp; Widgets On Windows 8? Heres How You Can Get Them Back   image\" src=\"http:\/\/cdn.makeuseof.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/8gadgetpack-included-gadgets.png?f78cf6\" alt=\"8gadgetpack included gadgets   Miss Gadgets &amp; Widgets On Windows 8? Heres How You Can Get Them Back\" width=\"590\" height=\"565\" \/><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"img__sharer\"><\/div>\n<h2>Gadgetarian<\/h2>\n<p>We also tried <a href=\"http:\/\/windowslivegadgets.com\/gallery\/317\/enable-sidebar-gadgets-windows-8-metro\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><span style=\"color: #219fe1;\">Gadgetarian<\/span><\/a>, just to make sure we were recommending you the best Windows 8 gadget solution. Gadgetarian works, too \u2013 like 8GadgetPack, it\u2019s just installing the same gadget files that Microsoft removed from Windows 8.<\/p>\n<p>However, Gadgetarian has no advantages over 8GadgetPack, only disadvantages. Instead of providing an easy graphical installer, you have to copy files to your <em>C:\\Windows\\System32<\/em> folder and run an install script as administrator. Once it\u2019s installed, you\u2019ll only have 14 gadgets to play with \u2013 a far cry from the 45 included with 8GadgetPack.<\/p>\n<p>If you were curious about alternatives, consider your curiosity sated \u2013 8GadgetPack is the best.<\/p>\n<h2>Gadgets vs. Live Tiles<\/h2>\n<p>Microsoft now considers gadgets a security risk. Gadgets are actually just programs that run on your computer and, like other desktop programs, have access to your entire system. This is why they can\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.makeuseof.com\/tag\/3-laptop-computer-temperature-monitor-apps-save-hard-drive\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><span style=\"color: #219fe1;\">monitor your CPU<\/span><\/a> and running processes \u2013 things that live tiles just can\u2019t do. People could end up downloading malicious gadgets while looking for more gadgets for their computer.<\/p>\n<p>Windows 8\u2019s solution is live tiles, which are linked with modern apps \u2013 they can only be <a href=\"http:\/\/www.makeuseof.com\/tag\/simply-install-apps-games-windows-8\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><span style=\"color: #219fe1;\">installed from the Windows Store<\/span><\/a>. Like modern apps themselves, live tiles can\u2019t access your entire system and can\u2019t do bad things outside of the application, just display information on your <a class=\"post__link--sidebar\" href=\"http:\/\/www.makeuseof.com\/tag\/make-windows-8-sexier-with-these-background-theme-tweaks\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><span style=\"color: #219fe1;\">Start screen<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Unfortunately, live tiles can\u2019t appear on the desktop \u2013 you\u2019ll have to switch to the Start screen to view live tile information, as the Start screen can\u2019t appear in \u201cSnap mode.\u201d They\u2019re also just less powerful, so you certainly can\u2019t monitor your computer\u2019s resource usage with a live tile. There are still good reasons why you might want to use desktop gadgets in Windows 8, and we can all be happy that we have choice \u2013 no matter how much <a href=\"http:\/\/www.makeuseof.com\/tag\/6-ways-microsoft-is-killing-the-traditional-desktop-in-windows-8-opinion\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><span style=\"color: #219fe1;\">Microsoft tries to remove it from us<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"post__img-holder\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" title=\"Miss Gadgets &amp; Widgets On Windows 8? Heres How You Can Get Them Back   image\" src=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20160414021752\/http:\/\/main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/muo-w8ok-metro.png\" alt=\"muo w8ok metro   Miss Gadgets &amp; Widgets On Windows 8? Heres How You Can Get Them Back\" \/><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"img__sharer\"><\/div>\n<h2>Getting More Gadgets<\/h2>\n<p>Note that you can no longer download gadgets from Microsoft\u2019s website, so you\u2019ll have to use the the ones that come with the gadget program, download gadgets from third-party websites, or install gadgets you have backed up. Be aware that gadgets are just like other programs, so you should only download and run gadgets from trusted sources or your computer could be infected with <a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20140807042911\/http:\/\/www.makeuseof.com:80\/pages\/download-operation-cleanup-complete-malware-removal-guide\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><span style=\"color: #219fe1;\">malware<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>If you are seeking out gadgets, be sure to <a class=\"post__link--sidebar\" href=\"http:\/\/www.makeuseof.com\/tag\/7-common-sense-tips-avoid-catching-malware\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><span style=\"color: #219fe1;\">exercise the same caution<\/span><\/a> you would when downloading and installing any other program. They can be a bit hard to find now that Microsoft has shut down what was previously the official place to get them.<\/p>\n<p>Do you still use gadgets, have you embraced live tiles, or do you prefer a third-party desktop widget solution? Leave a comment and share your favorite solution!<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Miss Gadgets &amp; Widgets On Windows 8? Here\u2019s How You Can Get Them Back Microsoft removed gadgets, the desktop widget feature introduced in Windows Vista, from Windows 8. Microsoft would prefer you use live tiles on the new Start screen &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/hellbach.us\/blog\/tech\/comp\/windows-gadgets-win-8\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1366","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-comp"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Windows Gadgets on win 8 - Hellbach blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/hellbach.us\/blog\/tech\/comp\/windows-gadgets-win-8\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Windows Gadgets on win 8 - Hellbach blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Miss Gadgets &amp; Widgets On Windows 8? Here\u2019s How You Can Get Them Back Microsoft removed gadgets, the desktop widget feature introduced in Windows Vista, from Windows 8. 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