Ask Dave Taylor
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Home
  • Videos
  • Most Popular
  • Top Categories
  • Books
  • About Dave
  • Ask Me
  • > Donate <
  • Home
  • Most Popular
  • Add a Clock Desktop Widget in Windows 10?

Add a Clock Desktop Widget in Windows 10?

August 23, 2016 / Dave Taylor / Most Popular, Windows 10 Help / 15 Comments

There’s a lot I like about the upgrade from Windows 7 to Windows 10, but I miss my Desktop clock. Is that just gone? Or is there some other way to have the time on my Desktop?

Ah yes, the old Desktop Widgets and side panel from Windows 7 days. It was definitely a really cool concept and there were a number of slick widgets people created, but there was one major issue that caused Microsoft to drop it from Windows 8: security. In fact, it was way back in July of 2010 that Microsoft recommended everyone disable the Win7 Desktop Gadgets!

By Windows 8, the logic was that the start screen would give you everything you wanted, whether it was a weather widget, a clock, a stock ticker or anything else. True, it did, but then Windows 10 came along and we went back to the Desktop with a Start menu. And while those active tiles remain accessible from the Start menu, the widgets never quite made it back when we were all dropped back onto the Desktop upon login.

Still, the official Microsoft answer for Windows 10 would undoubtedly be “use the active tiles on the new start menu”, and that works when the menu’s visible. Otherwise, well…

I looked around and did find someone who had cobbled together a Windows 7 widget utility that brings back the original Win7 desktop widgets, but it’s rather flakey from what I can ascertain. Still, let’s have a look, because if all you want is a clock and the clock on the Taskbar (you know, the lower right edge of your screen) isn’t enough, it is a solution. A solution. Not a great solution.

Start by going to GadgetsRevived.com and downloading the program, then double click to begin the install process:

windows desktop gadgets setup wizard

Certainly looks good, doesn’t it? Click Next to continue.

Disclaimer: I scanned the binary when I downloaded and installed this program and it was clean. I can’t guarantee it’ll always be that way, so please use caution when you grab a copy and if your anti-virus program complains, don’t install it!

It installs easily enough and once launched, shows a familiar Window with some very familiar looking widgets and gadgets:

windows gadget widget setup

The only gadget I tested thoroughly was the Clock and that’s easy to get going: Just double click on it and an analog clock pops up on the top right of your Desktop, floating above all the other windows:

desktop clock widget, windows 10

Hurray! Now, move your cursor over the gadget itself and a little menu pops up adjacent:

settings for clock gadget, microsoft windows win10

The “X” gets rid of the gadget, the wrench icon gets you to settings, and the tiny grid lets you drag and move the gadget around to a different spot on your screen.

Click on the wrench and there are actually eight different clock faces:

clock gadget display, 8 clock faces, ms windows win10 win8

I like this modern red face, so that’s what I’ll choose by clicking “OK”.

While I was experimenting, I also launched the weather gadget, but it never could connect to the weather server and display any weather, as you can see:

win gadget weather clock

So not really a huge success, all in all, and the program took a while to launch after a restart, so I might not even keep it around. I’m lukewarm on recommending this to you too, but at least you know that there are some solutions out there. Perhaps there’s a better one: if you have a favorite, recommend it in the comments.

Let’s Stay In Touch!

Never miss a single article, review or tutorial here on AskDaveTaylor, sign up for my fun weekly newsletter!
Name: 
Your email address:*
Please enter all required fields
Correct invalid entries
No spam, ever. Promise. Powered by FeedBlitz
Please choose a color:
Starbucks coffee cup I do have a lot to say, and questions of my own for that matter, but first I'd like to say thank you, Dave, for all your helpful information by buying you a cup of coffee!
clock widget, floating clock, windows clock, windows gadgets, windows security, windows widgets

15 comments on “Add a Clock Desktop Widget in Windows 10?”

  1. Neil says:
    June 25, 2018 at 10:47 pm

    http://www.softpedia.com/get/Windows-Widgets/Alarms-Clocks/Panzer-Clock-MKI-for-Konfabulator.shtml

    Try this guys (if you’re still searching!). Great looking clock, downright steampunk, works on all versions of W10 I have used so far.

    Reply
  2. Dr. B says:
    May 1, 2018 at 10:36 am

    Just downloaded the 8gadget pack. I’m a happy little vegemite now 😀

    Reply
  3. Fed Up says:
    December 28, 2017 at 3:38 pm

    This all seems totally WRONG.
    How can Microsoft release a “system” that does not include a clock?
    And the founder of all this is a multi-billionaire?
    Pinch me, I must be in a nightmare.

    Reply
  4. caro says:
    August 14, 2017 at 5:45 pm

    I’ve just found a workaround that avoids installing anything! I keep a shortcut to timeanddate.com on my desktop which quickly opens up my local time which I can see when I’m feet away from my desk and want to know what time it is.

    I just enlarged the clock which gave me a full window of the time. And then I saw “PopUp Window” in the bar at the menu bar at the top of the clock. When I clicked on it, it opened up a separate smaller window showing the date and time – big enough font to be viewed several feet away. You can resize the window and it will stay open after you close the browser. So sweeeeeeeet! (Oh, freaking sweet, I just noticed the +++— that allows you to make the numbers even bigger or smaller.) (oh, hells bells! just adjusting the window size auto-sizes the clock!). I don’t know if you can change it to be analog clock face but that doesn’t matter to me – I just want to know what time it is.

    I suspect that I’m going to have to go to the website and activate the pop-up every time I log back in but I won’t mind that (since I already have the shortcut on my desktop).

    Reply
  5. Charlie says:
    July 15, 2017 at 2:49 pm

    I’m glad that I kept researching and found 8GadgetPack. I liked all of the positive feedback and decided to download and give it a whirl. in a word, EXACTLY what i was looking for. Nicely done, sir. Continued good fortune and success!

    Reply
  6. Can says:
    November 27, 2016 at 6:52 am

    My system is win10. I searched a lot. I found this site : win10widgets.com .
    I have installed and I am using it.You can remove what you want. I just use the clock.
    I hope it helps.

    Reply
  7. Bruce says:
    August 29, 2016 at 4:30 am

    Hi Dave, I installed this on a W10 64 bit Desktop. Couldn’t find the desktop icon and couldn’t activate the program from the folder, so I uninstalled it. Might try one of the other suggestions mentioned in the comments

    Reply
  8. Roscoe Bowen says:
    August 28, 2016 at 1:48 pm

    I hate windows 10. I am not a computer geek and being elderly its really confusing. I have not been able to get my wife on here, because to change her password she could lose everything already there. Don’t understand it but guess I will have too. What is a good simple window to use?

    Reply
  9. Frank Sydnor says:
    August 28, 2016 at 1:33 am

    Go here to get the MSN Weather gadget which does work. http://win7gadgets.com/weather/weather.html Have been using it since the original weather gadget stopped working over a year ago.

    Reply
  10. Dave Crim says:
    August 27, 2016 at 7:54 pm

    Dave,

    For a good time/weather app, check out htchome.org. It’s much like the app on a smartphone. It can be dimmed down and full view on hover. I did, however disable the weather animations. 🙂

    While looking that up for you, I got side-tracked in gadgetsrevived.com! 🙂

    -Dave

    Reply
  11. John Robison says:
    August 27, 2016 at 6:06 pm

    You can make the weather widget update by updating the date on the Config.xml file that is located at:

    \Users\[user name]\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Live\Services\Cache

    Put these commands in a .cmd file

    cd “\Users\xyz\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Live\Services\Cache”
    copy /B Config.xml +,,

    where xyz is the user name.

    Reply
  12. Peter Greenwood says:
    August 27, 2016 at 12:03 pm

    Dear Dave: I’ve been using a ClocX analogue clock on my desktop since Win 7. It’s freeware, and there’s an amazing selection of clock faces to choose from. Visit http://www.clocx.net/ to see for yourself. I heartily recommend this!

    Reply
  13. Ed Tittel says:
    August 24, 2016 at 7:16 am

    Dear Dave: Nice piece, but you might want to check out Helmut Buhler’s 8GadgetPack, which has been available for years and years. I’ve been a loyal user since Windows 8 came along, and have found his implementation to be solid, stable, and (mostly) bug-free. Check it out at 8gadgetpack.net.
    –Ed–

    Reply
    • Dave Taylor says:
      August 24, 2016 at 9:20 am

      Good recommendation, Ed. I will indeed check it out!

      Reply
    • Gene Douglass says:
      August 28, 2016 at 2:28 am

      I agree, the 8 gadget pack is great, they even have more and updated gadgets to use. Bug free and stable!

      Gene

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Search

Recent Posts

  • Securing Shared Files: What You Need To Know
  • How to Record My PowerPoint Presentation (and save it as MP4)?
  • How Do I Switch Camera, Microphone or Camera in Zoom?
  • How to Fix Outlook Error 8004010F – Broken Outlook File
  • How Do I Correct Weather Widget Location on my Mac System?

On Our YouTube Channel

PuroPro Volume Limiting ANC Headphones -- REVIEW

Nuroum Conference HD Webcam [model C20] -- DEMO & REVIEW

Categories

  • AdSense, AdWords, and PPC Help (106)
  • Amazon Echo & Kindle Help (79)
  • Amazon, eBay, and Online Shopping Help, (157)
  • Android Help (160)
  • Apple Watch Help (49)
  • Articles, Tutorials, and Reviews (329)
  • Business Advice (192)
  • Computer & Internet Basics (721)
  • d) None of the Above (160)
  • Facebook Help (365)
  • Google, Chrome & Gmail Help (157)
  • HTML & Web Page Design (243)
  • Instagram Help (44)
  • iPad Help (137)
  • iPhone & iOS Help (571)
  • iPod & MP3 Player Help (173)
  • LinkedIn Help (79)
  • Linux Help (149)
  • Linux Shell Script Programming (86)
  • Mac & MacOS Help (834)
  • Most Popular (10)
  • Outlook & Office 365 Help (11)
  • PayPal Help (68)
  • Pinterest Help (53)
  • Reddit Help (12)
  • SEO & Marketing (80)
  • Spam, Scams & Security (84)
  • Trade Show News & Updates (23)
  • Twitter Help (212)
  • Video Game Tips (66)
  • Web Site Traffic Tips (62)
  • Windows 10 Help (828)
  • Wordpress Help (201)
  • Writing and Publishing (72)
  • YouTube Help (43)
  • YouTube Video Reviews (159)
  • Zoom, Skype & Video Chat Help (43)

Archives

Social Connections:

Ask Dave Taylor


Follow Me on Pinterest
Follow me on Twitter
Follow me on LinkedIn
Follow me on Instagram


AskDaveTaylor on Facebook



microsoft insider mvp


This web site is for the purpose of disseminating information for educational purposes, free of charge, for the benefit of all visitors. We take great care to provide quality information. However, we do not guarantee, and accept no legal liability whatsoever arising from or connected to, the accuracy, reliability, currency or completeness of any material contained on this site or on any linked site. Further, please note that by submitting a question or comment you're agreeing to our terms of service, which are: you relinquish any subsequent rights of ownership to your material by submitting it on this site. Our lawyer says "Thanks for your cooperation."
© 2020 by Dave Taylor. "Ask Dave Taylor®" is a registered trademark of Intuitive Systems, LLC.
Privacy Policy - Terms and Conditions - Accessibility Policy