Widgets are the little at-a-glance panels for weather, calendar, reminders, batteries, and more. Since macOS Sonoma you can place them right on your desktop, not just in Notification Center. Here is exactly how to add, customize, and remove them, plus the iPhone trick most people miss.
1. Add a widget to Notification Center
Notification Center is the panel that slides in from the right.
- Click the date and time in the top-right corner of the menu bar (or swipe left with two fingers from the right edge of the trackpad).
- Scroll to the bottom and click Edit Widgets.
- Pick a category on the left (Calendar, Weather, Batteries, Clock, Reminders, Stocks, and so on).
- Hover a widget and click a size (small, medium, or large), or just click it to drop it in.
- Click Done.
Notification Center does more than hold widgets. Any alerts that arrive sit above your widgets in the same panel, stacked into groups by app — click a group to expand it, then hover and click the small × to clear one, or Clear All to empty the whole stack. To stop specific alerts from piling up in the first place, see how to turn off notifications on a Mac.
2. Put a widget on your desktop (Sonoma and later)
On macOS Sonoma, Sequoia, or newer you can keep widgets on the desktop itself:
- Right-click (Control-click) anywhere on the desktop and choose Edit Widgets.
- Drag any widget out onto the desktop, or click it to place it.
- Drag it wherever you like; it snaps to a grid.
- Click Done (or just click the desktop).
Desktop widgets fade into the background color while you work in an app, then come back into focus when you click the desktop, so they never fight your windows for attention.
3. Use your iPhone widgets on the Mac
This is the feature almost nobody knows about. If your Mac and iPhone are on the same Apple Account and near each other (or the iPhone is on the same Wi-Fi), the widget gallery shows iPhone widgets too, even for apps you have never installed on the Mac.
- Open the widget gallery (steps 1 or 2 above).
- Scroll the category list to iPhone.
- Add any iPhone app widget. Tapping it opens the app on your phone via Handoff.
Turn this on or off in System Settings, Desktop & Dock, Widgets, Use iPhone widgets.
4. Resize, move, and rearrange widgets
- Move: drag any widget; others shuffle out of the way.
- Resize: right-click the widget and pick a new size, or remove and re-add it at the size you want.
- Edit its content: right-click and choose Edit (for example, switch a Weather widget to a different city or a Clock widget to another time zone).
5. Remove a widget you never use
Right-click the widget and choose Remove Widget, or open Edit Widgets and click the minus (−) badge in its corner. Removing a widget never deletes the app or your data.
6. Widget tips worth knowing
- Color: in Edit Widgets, desktop widgets can show in full color or a monochrome tint that matches your wallpaper.
- Continuity: iPhone widgets need Handoff enabled on both devices (System Settings, General, AirDrop & Handoff).
- Login items: widgets do not slow down startup; they load with the desktop.
- Older macOS: on Ventura and earlier, widgets live only in Notification Center, not on the desktop.
Frequently asked questions
Why can I not put widgets on my desktop?
Desktop widgets require macOS Sonoma (14) or later. On Ventura and older, use Notification Center instead. Check your version under the Apple menu, About This Mac.
Why are my iPhone widgets not showing on the Mac?
Both devices must be signed in to the same Apple Account, have Handoff turned on, and be nearby or on the same Wi-Fi. Confirm Use iPhone widgets is enabled in System Settings, Desktop & Dock.
Do widgets drain the battery?
Not meaningfully. They refresh on a schedule, and the desktop versions pause visual updates while you work in another app.
Which Mac should I get if I want the smoothest Sonoma experience?
Any Apple-silicon Mac runs widgets and Continuity flawlessly. A refurbished MacBook Air M1 starts at $569.99 and handles everything in this guide; if you want more screen for widgets and windows, the MacBook Air M2 is $974.99. Browse the Apple clearance collection for the current best prices.
Want more macOS basics? Learn what every menu bar icon means and how to turn off notifications on a Mac. See all our Mac guides.