Widgets are a handy way to keep track of important things on your Mac, such as the current temperature outside and any upcoming events you have. And as is the case on your iPhone and iPad, you can customize which things you see on your macOS Widgets screen.
Weather is one of the most widely-used default apps on iPhones, iPads, and Macs. And while it isn’t the only tool you can use to check the local forecast, having it as a widget is pretty handy.
When using the Weather app, you can choose whether you want to see it in small, medium, or large. Small tells you the current temperature for your location, along with the highs and lows for that day. You will also see what the current conditions are like (e.g. sunny).
Medium, meanwhile, will show you the forecast outlook for the rest of the day. And if you use Large, you can see what the weather will look like for the next five days.
Stocks
While you can’t buy and sell stocks with the Stocks app, it’s a useful place if you want to keep an eye on what’s going on in the world of business and finance. The Stocks widget allows you to view prices for major companies such as Apple, along with indexes like the Dow Jones.
In addition to larger watchlists, you can also view specific stocks. The information changes throughout the day, allowing you to see how things progress without needing to search online.
Calendar
Calendar is arguably the best Apple-developed app, and it’s the go-to option for many people looking to remain organized. You will find a selection of Calendar widgets: List, Month, and Up Next.
List shows you the events you’ve got coming up, and Up Next gives you an overview for the current day. You can also choose whether you want to hide all-day events or not. Meanwhile, Month shows you an overview of the month. You will see the day it currently is highlighted in red.
Unlike Weather and Stocks, you can’t customize the size of these Calendar widgets.
Screen Time
If you want to keep track of how much time you spend online, Screen Time is a handy widget. In addition to seeing an overview of how long you spend on your Mac as a whole, you can explore your consumption of individual apps.
When you enable Screen Time and use it as a widget, you can also choose whether you want your Mac to send you weekly updates of your averages. You’ll see how long you typically spent on your computer each day, alongside the monthly percentage increase or decrease.
Clock
The Clock app is another handy Apple tool, and you can add multiple widgets on your macOS device. For example, you can use a world clock – which will show you the time in your chosen cities across the globe. You can pick up to four cities.
You can also use a standard clock widget, which will show you the time in the location you selected. And for where you currently are, you can pick a separate widget to keep an eye on that.
Find My
Find My is useful for keeping track of your Apple devices, and you can also use the tool to check where your friends and family are. On your Mac, you will find two separate widgets: Items and People.
The Items widget will allow you to keep track of other Apple devices you’ve added to your Find My. Meanwhile, People will help you stay updated on users that have shared their location with you.
Photos
While the Photos app is often not used as much on Macs as iPhone and iPad, it still has its uses. With the Photos widget on your Mac, you can browse through moments you’re fond of and feature certain pictures.
Notes
Notes is a handy tool for jotting ideas, planning projects, and even scripting videos or podcasts. And if you want quicker access to the app, you will find two different widgets.
The first is Folder. If you choose this one, you will be able to go to a chosen folder on your Notes app without too much difficulty. You can also choose Note, which will let you click through to one specific note. If you like writing your thoughts throughout the day, you will find this feature especially useful.
Podcasts
Sometimes, it’s nice to listen to a podcast while you’re doing tasks that don’t require a lot of cognitive effort. And if you want to access the app easier, you’ll find a widget allowing you to do precisely that.
In the Podcasts widget, you can gain an overview of podcasts you should listen to next. You’ll be able to see a selection of shows you follow, and what you see will depend on whether you pick small, medium, or large for the widget size.
Reminders
Ideally, you want to free up as much mental capacity as possible for more demanding tasks. Using the Reminders app is a great way to ensure that you get around to everything you need to do. And if you want an overview of what you’ve got coming up, you can use the List widget.
You can choose S, M, or L for the widget size. If you’ve got multiple reminders, you might wish to opt for one of the bigger ones.
Tips
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It’s always nice to discover things about your Mac that you didn’t previously know. Apple has a Tips widget that gives you small nuggets of wisdom that you can use to help use your device more efficiently.
M is arguably the best size to choose for the Tips widget. You’ll see the title of the tip itself, along with a bit of information about how you can use it.
Widgets on Mac: Incredibly Useful and Pretty Diverse
You will find a wide selection of macOS widgets, and many apps have more than one you can choose from. To keep things simple, we recommend using around five widgets in one go; this will help you keep track of what’s important to you, without suffering from information overload.
The best Mac widgets depends on what you’re looking for. Experiment with the different ones on this list to find out which ones appeal to you the most.
Danny has been a professional writer since graduating from university in 2016, but he’s been writing online for over a decade. He has been intrigued by Apple products ever since getting an iPod Shuffle in 2008 and particularly enjoys writing about iPhones and iPads. Danny prides himself on making complex topics easy to understand. In his spare time, he’s a keen photographer.
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