Windows 10: Microsoft gives the starting signal for third-party widgets development for Windows 11

When Microsoft launched Windows 11 a year ago, it introduced a dedicated icon on the taskbar that would open the Widgets panel. Hovering the mouse over the Widgets icon is enough to display the interface. The initial release displayed first-party content only, including weather information, news, stock quotes, calendar data, and other content.



Microsoft announced back then that it would allow third-party widgets content. Shortly after the release of the first feature update for Windows 11, Microsoft gave the starting signal for third-party widgets development for Windows 11.

Microsoft released the Insider Preview build 25217 this week, and along with it came the announcement that developers could get to work. Microsoft released a new preview of the WinAppSDK 1.2, and it includes the third-party widgets platform according to Microsoft's announcement.

"We are excited to announce support for 3rd party widgets as part of the WinAppSDK 1.2 preview 2 release. Our team has been working hard to expand the Widgets board that was first introduced in Windows 11 to more developers."
​

For now, developers may test third-party widgets that they develop locally only. The latest Windows 11 Insider Preview build is required for that as well. Additionally, and that is the last of the requirements, Developer Mode needs to be enabled on the Windows 11 machine.

To do that, administrators need to open Start > Settings > Privacy & Security > For Developers. The option to enable Developer Mode is located there.

Microsoft published two support pages for developers. The first, Widgets Overview, includes important information about Windows Widgets, including design fundamentals, interaction design guidance, and Widget states and built-in UI components. The second, Widget service providers overview, offers information on implementing a widget provider in a win32 app and related information.

Microsoft has yet to announce when third-party widgets will become available on Windows 11. It is possible that basic support will be added as part of a feature drop update for Windows 11, or, when the next feature update for Windows 11 is released, which will be in late 2023. The company plans to offer them to users via its Microsoft Store.

What you may expect regarding third-party widgets


Every type of content that Microsoft is offering as a widget may soon be offered by different third-party services as well. This may include weather widgets using different sources, news from other providers, integration of file listings and document listings from providers such as Dropbox or Box.

There is also the chance that new types of widgets will make an appearance. Maybe an RSS feed reader that pushes the most recent updates to the widget, or media content.

Now you: what would you like to see created as a widget?

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Widgets in Windows 11

One of the new features in Windows 11 is Widgets, coined by Microsoft as a place for content and entertainment where you can see information at one go. Widgets feature is the next evolution of the News and Interests feature that was introduced with Windows 10, where you can quickly check News, Calendar, weather, etc, without interrupting your workflow.





How to use Widgets in Windows 11

To invoke the widgets screen, simply press Win+W keys on the keyboard. You can also press the

button on the Taskbar.

Available Widgets in Windows 11

There are multiple widgets in Windows 11 that are available, and the list would be updated over time. As of now, the following Widgets are available:

• Weather: As the name suggests, it allows you to see the weather in your area. Clicking at the three dots menu to customize and resize the widget. Unlike Windows 10, you cannot see Temperature on the taskbar though.
  
• News: This widget shows News, which is powered by MSN, just like News and Interests in Windows 10.
  
• Outlook: To see your upcoming events added to your Calender of Microsoft account.
  
• Stock Watchlist/Movers: This widget is for stocks that you wish to watch. To add a stock to the watchlist, click the 3 dots menu and click customize.
  
• Photos: Photos widget shows the recent photos from your Microsoft Account synced to Onedrive.
  
• Windows 11 Tips: This widget gives tips regarding Windows 11.
  
• To do: The to-do widget helps you in Tasks management, synced to your Microsoft Account.
  
• Family Safety: This widget is helpful for those who have added a Child to their Family. It allows you to see recent activity from members of your Microsoft family group.
  
• Traffic: To see Traffic in your area - Location access must be given.
  
• Sports: The Sports widgets show live scores of the sports you are interested in.
  
• Office 365 for Enterprise customers only: This widget brings relevant documents, news, and meeting recordings to enterprise users. This widget will only be available if you are signed in with your AAD account on your PC running Windows 11.
  
• Entertainment: Only available in US, UK, CA, DE, FR, AU, JP.
  

The top bar has a web search option as well, which allows you to quickly search if you want.

Customize Widgets

To customize the Widgets screen, click your profile picture at the top right to open Widget Settings.





If you want to customize the news, you need to open MSN settings, which are located on this page. MSN News is now referred to as Microsoft Start.

Microsoft Start (msn.com)

Common questions Regarding Widget Board:

1. Widget opens Microsoft Edge instead of my browser for Settings: This is by design. Like News and Interests, Widgets settings and everything else open in Microsoft Edge instead of your default browser.
   

• Can I add multiple accounts in the Calendar widget: You cannot add multiple accounts as of now.
  
• Can I add 3rd party widgets: No, as of now 3rd party widgets are not supported.
  
• Cannot remove a Stock from the watchlist widget: This is by design. Microsoft is looking into it.
  
• Watchlist Widget does not sync with MSN watchlist: This is by design. You need to create a separate watchlist.
  
• Make the widget board full screen: It is not supported yet.
  

Troubleshooting Windows 11 widgets

At certain times, the Widgets feature may not work properly. In that case, the following troubleshooting may help:

Reinstall Windows Web Experience pack: Microsoft delivers content in Widgets through an app from Microsoft Store, called Windows web experience pack. Basically, this app is responsible for web content inside the Operating system. If WWEP is missing, the Widgets feature would disappear. If this is the case for you, please perform the steps below:

• Right-click Start>Windows Powershell(admin).
  
• Type the following command to remove traces of the Windows web experience pack: winget uninstall "windows web experience pack"
  
• Wait for the process to complete. When it is done, go to the following page
  
• Windows Web Experience pack from Microsoft Store.
  
• Click Get>Install.
  
• When the installation is complete, restart your computer and see if the issue is resolved.
  

Reinstall Edge Webview2: Widgets board uses EdgeWebView2 to render content. If in case the same is crashing, you can try reinstalling the EdgeWebView2 component from here. Choose Standalone installer. Also, make sure Edge is installed on the machine.

• Webview2 - Microsoft Edge Developer
  

Reinstall Display drivers: In certain scenarios, the display driver may be causing issues for the Widget board to load. Please try reinstalling them from the manufacturer and try again. Make sure to install the latest ones. For troubleshooting purposes, you can remove the display driver and see if the widget board opens with the basic display driver.

Check Microsoft Store for available updates: Make sure all the apps, specifically the Web experience pack and else are updated in the Microsoft Store.

To send Feedback about Widget features to the Windows team, press Windows key+F. The relevant category is Desktop environment>Widgets.

You can know more about Widgets in this video:



Also read:

• Repair Install Windows 11 using an ISO file (yourwindowsguide.com)
  
• Windows 11: FAQ (microsoft.com)
  
• How to: Use Snap Layouts and Snap groups in Windows 11 (microsoft.com)
  
• Check Windows 11 compatibility using these tools - Your Windows Guide
  
• How to change the default apps in Windows 11? - Your Windows Guide
  

Sumit (@_sumitdhiman) / Twitter

 

Microsoft signals end of Paint program

Microsoft has confirmed that it will continue to offer its graphics program Paint.

In a recent update, it had listed Paint as a feature that would be either removed or no longer developed.

Paint, renowned for its simplicity, has been part of the Windows operating system since its launch in 1985.

Microsoft suggested it would not remain on Windows 10 by default but did say it would be available for free on the Windows Store.

BBC news Report here
Microsoft Paint avoids brush with death

 

Windows 11 Widget for Watchlist Movers Won't Allow Stocks to be Sorted by Name or Reordered

After adding my stock symbols to the Windows 11 "Watchlist Movers" Widget, I can't sort them or reorder them.

When I click on "Go To The Watchlist" at the bottom of the widget, it takes me to "My Watchlist at Microsoft Start" which allows me to manage my list of stocks and manually reorder them in my primary Watchlist. However, the reordered list in "My Watchlist at Microsoft Start" is not transferred over to my Windows 11 "Watchlist Movers" Widget.

So, back to my original issue, is there any way to sort or reorder the stock symbols in the Windows 11 "Watchlist Movers" Widget?