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Dashboard widgets on my Mac OS X desktop?

I've fallen in love with Dashboard on my new Mac OS X Tiger system, but I hate having to type f12 to get them to show up. Is it possible to have my dashboard widgets show up on my regular desktop?

Dave's Answer:

It's not only possible, but it's pretty easy and darn fun! Here's what you need to do...

First, open up Terminal (Applications --> Utilities --> Terminal) and type in the following, exactly as you see here:

defaults write com.apple.dashboard devmode YES

You can just copy and paste from this Web page if you're concerned that you might type in something incorrectly, of course.

You'll get another regular system prompt within Terminal if it works, there's no other output to the defaults program.

Now log out of your account by choosing Apple --> Log Out, and log in again (You need to restart Dashboard).

Ready for the fun now? Press f12 to bring Dashboard up, then drag one of your Dashboard widgets around. While you're still dragging it around (that's critical: keep that mouse button down!) press f12 again.

Poof! Your Dashboard vanishes, but the widget's still visible. Move it to where-ever you want on your screen and it's there, running, fully functional, without the rest of Dashboard around!

You'll notice that it lives above everything else on your screen (at least, I don't know how to push it behind other app windows) so I think you'll have the best results with small widgets that can be tucked into a corner or lined up neatly on an edge.

To move the widget back into the Dashboard world, reverse the trick: begin dragging the widget, then, while still keeping the mouse button down, press f12, then let go of the mouse button. The widget will be restored to its regular Dashboard layer.

dashboard widget on the Mac OS X desktop

In the screenshot above, you can see the dashboard Weather widget floating above Safari and adjacent to the little floating clock from the Date and Time System Preference.

This is a really cool little hack that I like a lot! My thanks to William Ayer for his help on this.

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Categorized: Mac OS X Help (Article 4101)
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Comments

"You'll notice that it lives above everything else on your screen"

Another solution is to use the shareware Amnesty Widget Browser (www.mesadynamics.com) which allows you to keep widgets on the desktop in whatever window layer you like and also make it semi-transparent or lock it in place.

Posted by: Lisa at August 6, 2005 5:33 PM

I have set up my Dashboard to open when I press the center button (scroll button) on my mouse.
You can do this through System Preferences... Dashboard & Expose --> select "Middle Mouse Button" in the second drop down menu beside "Dashboard".
I guess this only works if your Apple mouse crapped out on you like mind did and replaced it with a cheaper, more functional mouse.

Posted by: Mel at August 24, 2005 6:57 PM

How do i get a cool desk like this for free ( by saying like this i mean the bottom bar and the left bar ).

http://img398.imageshack.us/img398/1396/evanescenceblue2pz5sv.jpg

Posted by: Kane at August 30, 2005 1:57 AM

Dunno, but that's a pretty cool desktop! Why not ask the owner of the site for help?

Posted by: Dave Taylor at August 30, 2005 7:40 AM

I have i just think its wonderfull my desktop is pretty boring but because im still in school ( notschool.net ) http://www.notschool.net i have to be carfull what i put on my computer i can put what i like on it when im 16 because then the computer is fully mine all i want is a simple but effective cool looking desktop�

Posted by: Kane at August 30, 2005 4:02 PM

Dave,
I like your hack for enabling widgets on the desktop but how does one remove a widget using F12 if using a powerbook when the F12 key is mapped to eject command?

Posted by: Steve Didier at September 9, 2005 12:55 AM

Steve Didler:
Hold in fn and press f12

Posted by: Zauber at October 19, 2005 3:34 PM

That screenshot is using the Yahoo Widget Engine (available for free for Windows and OS X, this used to be called Konfabulator until Yahoo bought it). The cogwheel icon is the icon of the widget engine, there are thousands of widgets available for the Yahoo Widget enigne.

Also the tabs on the left is most likely DragThing Pro a shareware app. I don't know about the START menu at the bottom, but do you really want your OS X desktop look like Windows (NOoooooo! ;-)

Posted by: Kilian Muster at February 9, 2006 6:01 PM

Very very good tricks for imac20, bad for a pbook 12 :)

yes, becouse widget always stay in front of the screen, so it steals too much space!

Posted by: dsom at September 4, 2006 6:30 AM

I acctually think that that might just be windows and with a windows blinds theme, and perhaps the OS X bar across the top is part of the desktop.

Posted by: dan diemer at September 4, 2006 7:38 AM

That's ridiculous - all this information about widgets was told on the Apple site. Moreover, when you turn devmode on, you can press command-r to refresh (reload) widget with a cool effect.

Posted by: Dmitry at September 4, 2006 9:48 AM

You don't have to log out. You can simply type in the terminal "killall Dock"

Posted by: Dan at September 4, 2006 9:58 AM

This stopped the magnification of my dock, so I tried to reverse this by changing YES for NO:

defaults write com.apple.dashboard devmode NO

This worked (as did killall Dock) and now I'm back to normal. Pity they don't work together. :(

Posted by: Daniel Waters at September 4, 2006 1:48 PM

That's most peculiar, Daniel. I have magnification turned on AND I have my floating widget still showing on my screen. Did you try to turn magnification on from the Dock itself, rather than using the "defaults" command?

Posted by: Dave Taylor at September 4, 2006 2:48 PM

Well you convinced me to try again, and lo and behold, success! :D Thanks Davey-T!

Posted by: Daniel at September 6, 2006 6:11 AM

Much more simple just to do the following :

1. Go in dashboard (F12 by default)
2. Choose a widget in the widget menu (bottom of screen).
3. As you are dragging the "new" widget, press F12 again, an keep that finger on the mouse.
4. Simply deposite the widget wherever you want it on your desktop and let go of the mouse click.
5. Voilà !

Posted by: deijmaster at November 29, 2006 1:43 PM

how do i reverse this effect. i am done with the widget and its irritating me that its stuck over all my open apps.

Posted by: sheshe at February 8, 2007 11:26 PM

when I open a new window on my desktop I cannot make it small enough to fit on the screen so that I can see the complete window. I tried sizing type down and various other things in the view mode but nothing helps. I tried to move it up by grabbing the window on the sides, but it does not move. HEEEELLLP!

Posted by: maggievee at February 28, 2007 8:24 AM

MaggieVee, what happens when you click on the small green button on the top left of the window?

Posted by: Dave Taylor at February 28, 2007 9:07 AM

HOW TO GET WIDGETS ON YOUR REGULAR DESK TOP WITH OUT ANY MESS:

1 - PRESS F12
2 - CLICK THE (+) TO ADD A NEW WIDGET
3 - DRAG THE WIDGET ON TO THE SCREEN
(IMPORTANT DO NOT LET GO OF THE MOUSE BOTTON AT THIS POINT)
4 - WHILST YOU ARE STILL HOLDING ON TO YOUR WIDGET WITH YOUR MOUSE PRESS F12
5 - NOW RELESE THE WIDGET. WOW AND YOU HAVE NOW GOT A WIDGET ON YOUR REGULAR DESKTOP.

TO GET RIDE OF IT SIMPLY PRESS F12 AGAIN AND CLOSE IT IN YOUR WIDGETS SCREEN.

HOPE THIS ANSWERS ALL YOUR QUESTIONS

Posted by: Jewel at March 5, 2007 7:25 AM

Thanks for that, exactly what I needed :)

Now have digital clock showing beneath our custom made Time Attendance system running on Mini Macs on the factory floor :)

Posted by: Adam Dempsey at April 2, 2007 8:18 AM

I already have the weather widget in my dash and desktop; but is it possible to embed the html of a widget on a weather web page? And what would the weather dashboard html code be? Thanks

Posted by: newmac at April 18, 2007 11:00 AM

how to move my widgets logo back to my dashboard desktop? i did move it from there unintentionally and it vanished...what can i do?? i have tried all you mentioned a few lines back but it didnt work.

thanks for all
mar merino

Posted by: mar merino at August 26, 2007 3:37 AM

I have a student that wants to use the program "Blender" on a new mac (osx 10.4.9). The program requires the use of a scroll button on the mouse but everytime he uses the scroll button it brings up widgets. Is there an easy fix to this predicament.

Posted by: Bob Gunderson at September 20, 2007 12:50 PM

The thing about the mess of widgets on your desktop is really annoying. is it possible to make it part of your desktop but still dragable with Terminal

Posted by: david Stearns at October 17, 2007 2:54 PM

The widgets work and are sticking to my desktop - however, they are placed on top of my windows and sometimes cause distraction and block my view of web pages open. How do I make it so that the widgets are on my desktop but not covering my opened windows?

Posted by: Serena at November 21, 2007 11:54 AM

please help me! I have followed the instructions and can put the widgets on my desktop but now i can't seem to put it back onto my dashboard!!! pressing f12 does not seem to bring up my dashboard and i have some big things stuck on the face of my desktop! Please help!!!

Posted by: jean at December 13, 2007 4:41 PM

please disregard the previous post, i have sloved the problem. pple if you have an ibook just press fn f12 to bring up the dashboard.

Posted by: jean at December 13, 2007 4:44 PM

" is it possible to make it part of your desktop but still dragable with Terminal"

Not with Terminal. But you can do this with Amnesty.

Posted by: Fargi at January 22, 2008 12:36 PM

The F12 tip worked for me on 10.4.11. Thanks!

Posted by: Ron Molenda at February 7, 2008 12:46 AM

I have leopard instaled in a Macbook, and I lost all of the widgets, I have them but the F12, does not work, and when I touch the dashboard icon it appears but with out the widgets, can any person help me on this

Thanks

Posted by: Pedro at February 11, 2008 1:12 PM

How do I turn devmode back off? I want to completely reverse this effect, as my computer has been acting quirky since trying this. Thanks,

Tyler

Posted by: Tyler Borders at April 1, 2008 2:06 PM

Dave (sorry for the name misprint on previous email)
I found your widget trick very helpful. I have developed a series of films that are in a quicktime format. I have loaded them into a play list in itunes and the presentation work very well, however, during the prolonged presentation i.e. days,weeks,months and years, I would also like to have tickershock and weather overlaid at all times, I can't figure out how to do this. Can you help!

Harvey

Posted by: harvey at May 8, 2008 1:27 PM

I have a lot to say, but ...

I have a lot to say, and questions of my own for that matter, but most of all I'd like to say thank you for all your efforts on this Web site by buying you a chai!

I do have a comment, now that you mention it!