How to add widgets to the desktop on a Mac

2 min read · 6 steps · Updated 2 October 2026

Widgets show small pieces of information without opening an app: the weather, your calendar, reminders, battery levels. On a Mac they can sit on the desktop or in Notification Centre.

These steps are for recent versions of macOS, where the settings app is called System Settings. The pictures are our own screenshots from macOS Tahoe 26 on a MacBook Pro.

Step by step

1. Control-click the wallpaper

   Hold the Control key and click an empty part of the desktop, or click with two fingers on the trackpad. Choose Edit Widgets.

   Done

2. Find a widget

   The widget gallery opens. Search by name or click a category.

   Done

3. Add it

   Click a widget and the Mac places it for you. Or drag it to the spot you want on the desktop.

   Done

4. Click Done

   The gallery closes and the widget stays on the desktop.

   Done

5. Change a widget

   Control-click the widget. Choose the Edit entry to change what it shows, pick a different size, or remove it.

   Done

6. 

   Adjust the widget settings

   Open System Settings, click Desktop & Dock and scroll to Widgets. Show Widgets decides where they appear: on the desktop, in Stage Manager, or both. Dim widgets on desktop can be set to Automatically, Always or Never.

   Done

Good to know

For Notification Centre, click the date and time in the menu bar and click Edit Widgets at the bottom.

Widgets from your iPhone appear in the gallery too. The iPhone needs iOS 17 or later and the same Apple Account, and it must be near the Mac or on the same Wi-Fi. On our Mac with macOS Tahoe 26 the switch is called iPhone Widgets and is under System Settings, General, AirDrop & Continuity. Apple's current guide describes it as Use iPhone widgets under Desktop & Dock, Widgets.

To remove a desktop widget later, open Edit Widgets again and click the remove button on the widget.

In short: Control-click the wallpaper, Edit Widgets, click or drag a widget, Done.