How to add a widget to your Samsung desktop. Installing widgets on the desktop in Windows OS

What is a gadget and widget?

gadget- These are devices that seem to complement other devices. An example of gadgets could be a USB backlight for a keyboard, a laptop stand, a mouse holder, and so on. The point is that they seem to be devices in themselves, but without the main device they usually make no sense.

Also, devices that can “exist” without the main device are now classified as gadgets. These include tablets, communicators, cameras, players and a bunch of other “small and necessary” things.

Widget- this is practically the same as a gadget, only it refers to a computer. These are special small programs and utilities that most often display some information on the Desktop. That is why they are often called “informers”.

Widgets can show a wide variety of information, ranging from a simple clock to CPU load. These programs have the extension .gadget

Nowadays, these concepts are often confused, calling widgets gadgets, less often vice versa. This is a little wrong and therefore we need to educate ourselves.

How to install a gadget/widget in Windows XP

So, the folder for gadgets is located along the path ( system drive letter) -> Program Files -> Windows Sidebar -> Gadgets

Now we turn our attention to the archive with the gadget. It contains a file with the extension .gadget. This archive must be unzipped either to any location or directly to the created folder.

Now we delete this very file that we unzipped, and leave all the necessary files and folders so that it turns out something like this:

Now go to the Desktop and in the Sidebar click on +

Our gadget should already be present in the collection (if everything was done correctly) and all that remains is to either double-click on it, or right-click and select “Add”:

On a note:
A gadget unpacked into the C:\Program Files\Windows Sidebar\Gadgets folder may not be displayed in the menu, but if it is moved to C:\Users\Username\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Sidebar\Gadgets, it is displayed perfectly right away.

How to add a gadget/widget in Windows 7

There is no need to put anything additional in the “seven”. You just need to download the gadget, unpack it and run the file with the .gadget extension. In response, you may receive a message like:

Now the gadget will appear on the Desktop. Unlike XP, where gadgets are displayed only on the right in the sidebar, in seven gadgets can be freely moved throughout the Desktop.

All installed gadgets can be viewed by clicking on an empty space on the Desktop and selecting “Gadgets”:

To activate and install the gadget, simply move it to any place:

or double-click on it.

If you don’t have the “Gadgets” item when you right-click on the Desktop, then we’ll follow the path Start -> Control Panel -> Programs and Features -> Turn Windows features on or off and put a tick Windows gadget platform.

Of course, it is very convenient to look at your smartphone and know not only the current time, but also to be aware of what surprises the “heavenly office” may present today outside the doors of your own home. Therefore, it is understandable that users want to know how to set the weather on the main Android screen.

There are no special methods for adding a weather widget to the home screen of an Android device; it is installed like any other widget that you downloaded to your device.

What is a widget

A widget is a small application, or part of it, that is usually located on the gadget's desktop. The purpose of the widget is to display information, control the equipment of an Android device with the ability to launch another program, of which it can be a part.

Using the widget, for example, you can find out about processor load, battery status, and you can quickly turn Bluetooth, speakers, GPS, Wi-Fi, etc. on or off. And, of course, by installing a weather informer widget on your home screen, you will always know about the weather “overboard”.

How to add a widget to your home screen

Of course, first, you need to download the program to your device, since their choice is truly huge. But this is not enough, because, unlike other applications, the widget must also be placed on your desktop. Further, our actions will depend on the version of your device.

For Android 3.0 and above:

Call the main menu (in this case it is the button located at the very bottom on the left side of the display). Select the item “ Add to screen". Next we will see a display of desktops at the top of the screen, and below you can select sections “ Applications«, « Icons«, « Widgets“, click the last one. Now swipe left or right, select the desired widget, press it with your finger, and without releasing it, drag it to the main screen:

It should be taken into account that on different device models, the action of adding to the screen may differ, for example, it may simply be the “ + " located in the upper right corner of the display. Or the installed widgets themselves may be located in the “Applications” section.

For Android versions below 3.0

Press and hold with your finger an empty space on the main screen of your smartphone or tablet. In the menu that opens, select “Widgets”. From the opened widgets installed on the device, select the one you need, click on it and wait a few seconds for loading, after which the widget will appear on the main screen:

Widgets can be moved to another location. Just click on it, hold your finger for a while, and then move it.

Well, in conclusion, we suggest watching a video with a description of the excellent application “My Weather Forecast and Widgets” and information on how to configure the widget itself:

Experienced owners of mobile Internet devices based on the Android platform are probably familiar with what a widget is. Today’s article will be interesting and useful to those who are just starting to get acquainted with this concept. This is an important component of Android devices, allowing you to quickly obtain information of interest, access applications, and also customize your mobile device to your own needs. Let's talk about this in more detail, and also find out how to install a widget on Android and how to remove it if necessary.

Today, it is impossible to imagine a tablet or smartphone without such an important and useful “thing”. With it, you can find out about the weather outside the window, about traffic jams on the road in your city, turn on/off a flashlight or Wi-Fi (read about that here), get information about the battery status or unread letters.

A widget is an element of the Android desktop, designed to solve certain problems and obtain useful information from the Internet. Most basic mobile devices are already equipped with some widgets, which are also often included in various popular applications. They can come in different shapes and designs, ranging in size from a small label to a full-screen image.

Their use will bring a number of advantages to the user of a tablet or smartphone:

quickly search for information on the Internet and directly in the device itself;
reduces the time required to complete various operations;
Instant user access to controls and settings, as well as installed applications.

I propose to consider in more detail the process of installing and removing them from a digital device. It should be said that if during installation you receive an error message: “There is not enough memory in the device,” then its solution is described.

How to install a widget on Android.

If you are not satisfied with the standard set of applications installed by developers on your tablet (smartphone) by default, then you can easily install new ones on it. A wide variety of widgets can be found in the Google Play app. Just choose the one you like, download and click the “Install” button.

After it is installed on your tablet/smartphone, you should place it on the desktop of your device. Depending on the Android OS version, the installation process differs slightly. Let's consider installing a widget on the desktop in Android 4.x.

Go to the “Menu” and go to the tab of the same name and select the desired widget to install.

Let's say we want to add a “Clean Master” memory indicator to the desktop area. Hold down on it and drag it with your finger to a free area of the desktop. Move your finger away from the touchpad and the widget will be placed in the specified location.

If you need to change its location, it is very easy to do. Make a long touch on the widget and, without releasing your finger, drag it to a new location.

Now let's look at how to install the widget on a device with an earlier version of Android. To place this information block on the desktop in Android 2.x, you need to click on the touchpad at its location. After this, the “Select Widget” window will open, where you need to select the block of interest.

The image above shows an example of a step-by-step installation of the Everydayword widget on a smartphone. In some cases, such blocks may have different sizes, but in this case you will be offered one of the available ones.

How to remove a widget on Android.

It happens that while using a mobile device, some widgets become irrelevant and you no longer use them. So it's time to remove such widgets from your screen to free up space on your desktop. To delete, simply long-tap on the widget and drag it to the trash can, which will appear at the top or bottom of the screen, depending on the model of your device.

Every Xiaomi smartphone user has to launch various applications through the home screen of their device every day. The owner of the phone knows by heart where frequently used games and programs are located. But not everyone knows how to install a widget on Xiaomi in order to receive useful information without even launching some applications.

Technically, a widget is a minimalistic stand-alone module that works in a specific environment and usually performs one specific function. Simply put, if you configure widgets on Xiaomi smartphones, the main screen of the device will display special modules with useful information for the user, which previously could only be obtained by logging into the application and making some manipulations. For example, from the WebMoney client you can install modules with information about the balance of one of the established electronic wallets. This way, you can find out if new funds have arrived without launching the application.

Installation instructions

Let's look at how to install widgets for Xiaomi Redmi series smartphones and others with the MIUI shell. First, launch the main screen, selecting the desired desktop.

Then, there are two ways to bring up the secondary menu through which you can add widgets:

Press and hold the screen with your finger until the corresponding menu appears.
Pinch with two fingers (bring them together by swiping across the screen).
Press and hold the functional touch button under the display (in the form of three parallel horizontal lines).

After one of these actions, 4 buttons will appear at the bottom of the screen, one of which will be appropriately named “Widgets”.

How to set up

Typically, such modules for various applications are divided into categories:

to size;
by functions performed;
or there is only one add-on, as is the case with WebMoney.

After you have successfully installed the module, you can further configure its size. To do this, you need to hold down the element that appears, wait until the delete icon appears at the top of the screen, and release the screen. After this, an orange outline will be visible around the perimeter of the block; by pulling it, you can increase or decrease the size of the element. Resizing is limited to the set of linear proportions that is available when selecting a size in the “Widgets” menu.

Also, modules can be configured during their installation or after:

When adding such a module, the WebMoney application allows you to select the following configurations: a wallet, the amount of money in which will be displayed on the main screen, as well as the design color;

How to configure an installed widget can be understood using the example of the module for the AIMP audio player. After installing the widget, you can enter its settings menu by clicking on the gear and select the optimal colors for this module.

Naturally, each developer himself thinks about how exactly widgets can be configured for his application.

Where to find additional widgets

The Xiaomi user is not limited in the choice of modules for the main screen. For example, on Redmi 3s or any other device, you just need to go to the Play Market or your favorite website, where you can download a variety of mobile software, and then find the application you need. After installation according to the described scheme, you need to enter the widgets menu and check their availability for a specific application.

You can also find individual add-ons that are not specific to any application, but also serve an important role. For example, an original clock, combined with weather information, can be downloaded on the Internet on popular sites and forums.

Most popular widgets

The most popular widgets can be divided into several categories:

A watch is a must, as the standard interface makes it difficult to quickly check the time, which is written in small font in the upper right corner of the screen. The widget shows not only the time, but also the date, and if you click on these values, you can gain access to full control of functions such as alarm clock, timer, stopwatch and calendar. If they are combined with a weather review, then you can also configure the weather search for a specific area.
Also, the weather can be displayed in a separate module from popular services: Gismeteo, Sinoptik, etc.

Widgets for popular media players are on the same level as these categories, since modern users cannot go a day without listening to music and watching videos. Almost every application, when installed, offers the user a set of different-sized blocks with extensive functionality. We are talking about the most popular players: AIMP, Winamp, MXPlayer, etc.

We can’t help but mention social networks: VKontakte, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Odnoklassniki, etc. Convenient blocks will allow you to view the latest news from friends and communities, personal messages, listen to audio recordings from the built-in player, etc. without logging into your page.

Those who work with electronic wallets can display balance information on the main screen. The most popular services (WebMoney, Yandex.Money, QIWI) allow you to do this without problems.

This, of course, is only a small part of what can be found on the World Wide Web. For the most popular applications, you can even find unofficial widgets created by folk craftsmen who felt that the proposed functionality was not enough.

Bottom line

The article describes in detail the types of widgets, how to find and install them. You can and should experiment with these elements to make your device work optimally. Any unsuccessfully installed item can be easily removed, just like a normal application, by pinching and dragging it to the trash can at the top of the screen.

One of the first concepts that we come across when we begin to master our first Android tablet or phone is a widget. What is a widget?

A widget is a small program, or part of a program, that is located on the desktop of a device and is designed to display information, control the device’s equipment, and at the same time can launch another program of which it is a part.

For example, there are widgets that can be used to display information such as processor load, battery status, current weather information, and more. There are widgets with which you can quickly turn on or off GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, speakers and control other equipment of your Android device. There are widgets such as weather widgets, which display information about the current weather and weather forecast on the screen, and which can call the weather application of which they are part.

Widgets can have different sizes - from a minimum size of 1x1, in the style of a regular shortcut, to full screen.

As you can see, everything is very simple - a widget is a program that “lives” on the screen of your tablet or phone and allows you to control it, receive the necessary information, and so on.

Now let's figure out how to add a widget to your desktop. It is not enough just to install a widget on your device like any other application; it also needs to be placed on the desktop.

In Android version 3.0 and higher, you can add a widget using fairly simple manipulations:

1. Click on the cross icon located in the upper right corner of the screen

2. In the window that opens, at the bottom of it you will see lists of widgets, application shortcuts, wallpapers and other things installed on your tablet or phone. At the top of the window there is a list of desktops.

3. Tap on the words “Widgets” and select the desired widget from the list below (the list can be scrolled right and left). The widget will be placed on the current desktop.

In addition, you can simply drag the desired widget onto any of the desktops.

In earlier versions of Android, installing widgets on the screen is done a little differently:

1. Press and hold with your finger on an empty area of the tablet or phone screen.

2. In the menu that opens, select “Widgets”

3. A list will open with widgets installed on the device.

4. Select the desired widget from the list by tapping on it, and it will be placed on the screen of your device.

Widgets can be moved around the device screen. To do this, you need to press and hold your finger on it, and then move the widget to a new position. In Android 3.0 and above, you can resize some widgets. To do this, you need to select the widget on the screen with a long tap on it, and then change its size by pulling the frame in the place indicated by the diamond-shaped icon.