MacOS comes with a Dashboard, wherein you get widgets, apps designed to use a function or access a service. Widgets allow you to quickly access apps by switching to the Dashboard environment.
- The Mac Dashboard provides an easy way to see and use widgets, mini-applications that grab specific information from the Internet or help with narrow but useful tasks. The typical Dashboard arrangement includes a calendar, a clock, a translator, a flight tracker, weather, and more. You can move widgets around, add new ones, and drop old.
- Jan 31, 2019 For those unfamiliar with Dashboard, it’s a collection of widgets that has been around ever since Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger shipped many years ago. Dashboard lets you select widgets you can easily access without interfering with other apps, or having to launch any apps to do a simple task.
To add a new Widget, simply click on the 'Add Widget' icon and select the type of Widget you would like to display. Edit my Dashboard. You can edit your Dashboard at any point by clicking on the pencil icon located in the upper right of your screen as below: Once you are done, click on the pencil again to exit the editing mode. The My Day dashboard. My Day is your home base. Toggle between food and activity using the split screen to track them. To look up certain foods or activities, type a search term into the search bar, hit 'Search' and browse the list. Tap or swipe right to add items to your dashboard. I miss Dashboard! I don't understand why dashboard was so unpopular. I used it constantly. I appreciate what this app is trying to do by creating an alternative to the now extinct widgets. However, I do think it needs some work. Mainly, it needs some user customization. I would dearly like to add.
Apple designed the Dashboard so that widgets could run in a protected area. To understand it better, you can think of it as a Sandbox. Therefore, to enter the Dashboard app, you need to leave the Mac desktop.
However, this makes widgets a separate part on your Mac, which seems to be inconvenient to access. Would it not be great if widgets could exist on your desktop?
Well, it is possible. Apple even provides the steps for developers to let them test and debug their widgets on their desktop during development.
In this post, we have discussed how to add widgets to Mac desktop.
How To Add Widgets To Mac Desktop?
You can get your widgets on your desktop using Terminal. We need to enable Dashboard development mode using Terminal.
Step 1: Click on Go->Utilties-> Terminal.
Once Terminal is launched, type in
- defaults write com.apple.dashboard devmode YES
Now, Hit Return
Note: Please make sure you enter the command in a single line in the Terminal app.
Step 2: Now type the below command into Terminal:
killall Dock
Hit Return
Note: Make sure the case of the text matches as the above.
This will make your Dock vanish for a second.
Step 3: Now type the below command on your Terminal to end the current session:
Using the switch, a presenter can transition between three peripherals, such as a computer, laptop and document camera. Smartech notebook app for macs. The guest laptop can be connected to the X-Port 30 unit, gaining access to all the console's interactive features.The interface for SMART Board software for Mac OS X is also consistent with earlier Mac-based versions, eliminating the need for additional training, Knowlton said.
exit
Press Return or enter.
Now close the Terminal app.
Once done, you need to follow a few more steps:
Step 4: Move A Widget To The Desktop
Now that you are done with Terminal commands, you need to follow some additional steps:
If you have OS X Mountain Lion or Earlier, then follow these steps:
Note: Please make sure F-Lock is enabled
- Press F12 or click Dashboard icon from Dock. Now select widget by clicking it and press the mouse button. Keep pressing the mouse button until the next step is completed.
- Press F12 again and drag the widget to desktop at any preferred location. Once the widget is placed, let go of the mouse button.
If you have a newer version of macOS than above, then follow these steps:
- Go to System Preferences (locate it from Apple menu)
- Select Mission Control.
- Locate Dashboard, from the drop-down menu, select As Overlay instead of As Space (in case of Yosemite, El Capitan. and macOS Sierra). Remove checkmark beside Show Dashboard as Space (in case of Mountain Lion or Mavericks)
- Press F12 and get Dashboard icon. Select the widget and press the mouse button.
- Keep the mouse button pressed and press F12 and drag the widget to the desktop. Once the widget is on desktop, release the mouse button.
Additional Tip: You can always place the widgets back in Dashboard, for that: Click on widget and press mouse button. Now don’t release the mouse button and press F12 and drag it to a preferred location on Dashboard.
To disable Dashboard Development Mode, you need to follow the same steps as we have followed in the first section. Only different would be in the first command,
- defaults write com.apple.dashboard devmode NO
Instead of Yes, you need to type No after the command and hit Enter to execute the command. Followed by the two commands,
- killall Dock
exit
Dash App Mac
So, in this way you can add widgets to your Mac desktop. Widgets on your desktop seem to be a great option to improve productivity, however, it is not recommended to keep widgets on the desktop if you have a small screen.
Bonus Tip: If you want to get third-party apps as a widget on your Mac desktop, you can always use Flotato app to get web apps of any of the websites you frequently use.
Best Mac Dashboard Widgets
Read this to know more about Flotato app.
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Stocks User Guide
Use the Stocks app on Mac to view stock quotes, interactive charts, and top business news.
Open the Stocks app
On your Mac, click the Finder icon in the Dock to open a Finder window.
Click Applications in the Finder window sidebar, then double-click the Stocks app .
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View stocks in Notification Center
For a quick look at the stock market, check the Stocks widget in Notification Center on your Mac.
Windows Store App Dashboard
On your Mac, click the Notification Center icon in the menu bar.
Click Today, then scroll down to the Stocks widget.
Ask Siri. Siri can answer general stock queries for you. Say something like:
“What’s the ticker symbol for Apple?”
“How’s the market doing today?”