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How to Run Widgets on Your Mac Desktop

Use terminal to free your widgets from the dashboard

By Tom Nelson Tom Nelson Writer Tom Nelson is an engineer, programmer, network manager, and computer network and systems designer who has written for Other World Computing,and others. Tom is also president of Coyote Moon, Inc., a Macintosh and Windows consulting firm. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on December 2, 2020 Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email

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Expand Jump to a Section Enable Dashboard Development Mode Move Widget to Desktop: Mountain Lion (10.8) or Later Move Widget to Desktop: Lion (10.7) or Earlier Return a Widget to the Dashboard Disable Dashboard Development Mode Apple discontinued Dashboard and Widgets with macOS Catalina in 2014, relying instead on Notification Center. But many older Macs still use and depend on Dashboard. One of the most popular features from older versions of macOS is Dashboard, a standalone desktop replete with mini-applications called "Widgets." With calculators, dictionaries, calendars, notepads, and weather displays, among other apps, Widgets housed routine information in one convenient place. Widgets reside in Dashboard and can't access system or user data outside of that environment. Some users, particularly developers, would prefer to access their Widgets directly on their desktop. Fortunately, there is a way to do this. You can take advantage of the same Terminal trick that Apple developers use to build Widgets in a desktop environment. Lewis Mulatero / Getty Images

Use Terminal to Enable Dashboard Development Mode

If you want to move a Widget onto your desktop, follow these instructions: Launch Terminal, located in /Applications/Utilities/. Alternatively, type Terminal into Spotlight Search to bring up Terminal quickly. Enter the following command line as a single line into Terminal: defaults write com.apple.dashboard devmode YES
Copy and paste the text into Terminal or type the text as shown. The command is a single line of text, but your browser may break it into multiple lines. Be sure to enter the command as a single line in the Terminal application. Press Enter or Return on your keyboard. Enter the following text into Terminal: killall Dock
If you type the text rather than copy and paste it, be sure to match the case of the text. Press Enter or Return. The Dock disappears for a moment and then reappears. Enter the following text into Terminal. exit
Press Enter or Return. The exit command causes Terminal to end the current session. You can then quit the Terminal application.

How to Move a Widget to the Desktop

MacOS Mountain Lion and later versions require an additional step. By default, the Dashboard is considered part of Mission Control and is treated as a Space. You need to first force Mission Control not to move the Dashboard into a Space: From the Apple menu, select System Preferences. Select Mission Control. Remove the checkmark from the item labeled Show Dashboard as Space (Mountain Lion or Mavericks), or use the drop-down menu to set Dashboard to display As Overlay (Yosemite and later).

How to Move a Widget to the Desktop Mountain Lion or Earlier

If you'd like to move Widgets to the Desktop on macOS Mountain Lion or earlier versions, here's what to do: Press F12 on the keyboard (on some keyboards you may need to hold the Function key down or make sure the keyboard has F-Lock turned on). Alternatively, select the Dashboard icon in the Dock. Select a widget by selecting it and holding down the mouse button. Still holding the mouse button, move the widget slightly. Keep holding the mouse button until the end of the next step. Press F12 and drag the widget to the location of your choice on the desktop. Once the widget is where you want it, release the mouse button. Widgets that you move to the desktop always reside in front of the desktop and any applications or windows you may have open. For this reason, moving a widget to the desktop may not be the best idea if your Mac has a small display. You need plenty of space for this trick to be useful.

Return a Widget to the Dashboard

If you decide you don’t want to have a widget take up permanent residence on your desktop, you can return the widget to the Dashboard by reversing the process. Select a widget on the desktop by clicking it and holding down the mouse button. Still holding the mouse button, move the widget slightly. Keep holding the mouse button until the end of the next step. Press F12 and drag the widget to the location of your choice in Dashboard. Once the widget is where you want it, release the mouse button. Press F12 again. The widget you selected disappears, along with the Dashboard environment.

Use Terminal to Disable Dashboard Development Mode

Launch Terminal, located in /Applications/Utilities/. Enter the following text into Terminal as a single line. defaults write com.apple.dashboard devmode NO Press Enter or Return. Enter the following text into Terminal. Be sure to match the case of the text. killall Dock Press Enter or Return. The Dock disappears for a moment and then reappears. Enter the following text into Terminal. exit Press Enter or Return. The exit command causes Terminal to end the current session. You can then quit the Terminal application. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire How to Delete a File in Terminal on Your Mac How to Block a Website How to Turn off Mouse Acceleration on Mac What Is the Windows Terminal & How Does It Work? How to Control the 2D or 3D Appearance of the Mac's Dock How to Modify the Mac Finder Sidebar Adding Custom Dock Spacers to Your Mac is Easy Terminal Tips and Tricks to Speed up Your Mac How to Use Apple Stage Manager Make a Bootable USB Installer for OS X El Capitan How to Use Hot Corners on a Mac How to Use Mac Terminal Commands How to Enable Safari's Debug Menu to Gain Added Capabilities How to Delete or Split Your Mac's Fusion Drive How to Install Android Debug Bridge (ADB) View Hidden Files and Folders on Your Mac With Terminal Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies