How to edit and add widgets in macOS Big Sur

Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch (M1, 2020)
(Image credit: Future)

In macOS Big Sur, Apple introduced new and redesigned widgets. Available for native and some third-party apps, the widgets are located on the macOS 'Notification Center'. 

Similar to widgets found on iPhone and iPad, the Mac widgets feature important information drawn from the respective apps that automatically change when applicable. You can choose which widgets to add — and which ones to remove at any time. 

macOS Big Sur widgets

(Image credit: Future)

Viewing macOS widgets

You can see the current widgets on your Mac by clicking on the date/time at the top right of the menu bar. This brings up 'Notification Center'. From here, you'll find your alerts at the top, followed by the list of active widgets. 

By scrolling down, you can see the rest of your widgets. 

By design, the primary use of widgets is to show information you can quickly digest just by viewing, such as today's weather or calendar appointments or the current time. 

In macOS Big Sur, the widgets aren't interactive. To find more information about a topic, you must click on the widget to open the app. For example, the Apple Reminders widget will show items on a list. However, you must go into the app to remove or edit any item. By contrast, the Weather widget will take you to the weather.com website

macOS Big Sur editing widgets

(Image credit: Future)

Editing and adding widgets

You can change the look of widgets, remove them, and add new ones in macOS Big Sur. To get started, scroll to the bottom of 'Notification Center, then click 'Edit Widgets'. 

On the next screen, you'll find information relating to apps and widgets. On the left side of the screen is a listing of installed apps that offer widgets. Click on an app from the list to see the available widgets in the middle of the screen. Widgets come in three sizes, when applicable, small, medium, and large. 

Your current widgets setup is shown on the right side of the screen. From here, you can delete widgets by clicking on the '-' icon on the left side of the appropriate widget. You can also drag widgets to a new location in 'Notification Center'. A right-click on a widget will bring up its list of options. These include the ability to change its size, editing options when available, and the choice to delete the widget. 

To add a new widget, tap on the app on the left side, then find the widget you'd like to use. Choose small, medium, or large for the size, then drag the widget to the right side into the current widget setup, placing it wherever you'd like. Add more widgets, or click somewhere empty on the screen to finish editing. 

Third-party apps and widgets

If you use an iPhone or iPad, you'll quickly realize the widget system on iOS/iPadOS is much more robust than it is on Mac. One of the reasons for this is that far fewer third-party apps support the feature on macOS. Among those which do, a few stand out, including Things, MindNode, MusicHarbor, and GameTrack.

Bryan M Wolfe

Bryan M. Wolfe is a staff writer at TechRadar, iMore, and wherever Future can use him. Though his passion is Apple-based products, he doesn't have a problem using Windows and Android. Bryan's a single father of a 15-year-old daughter and a puppy, Isabelle. Thanks for reading!

Read more
A woman sitting on a couch cross-legged and using a laptop
Essential apps and features to start getting the most out of your brand-new Mac
A car dashboard showing the next generation Apple CarPlay
Here’s what Apple’s CarPlay 2 looks like, according to leaked screenshots
An iPhone and Apple Watch with Apple Sports app Live Activities.
We asked Apple about how to get the most of its Sports app for the iPhone, and how it updates so fast
Apple Intelligence running on a range of Apple devices.
Huge Apple Intelligence upgrade expected for Mail as part of macOS Sequoia 15.4 free update
Apple watch pair with iphone
I've been wearing an Apple Watch for 10 years – these are the 5 settings I change right out of the box
An option to change Apple Intelligence language in iOS 18.4.
How to change Apple Intelligence settings: take control of Apple AI
Latest in macOS
macOS Catalina
A secret project, a stubborn developer, and a lot of glossy icons: here's the story behind macOS’s Dock as it turns 25
A woman sitting on a couch cross-legged and using a laptop
Essential apps and features to start getting the most out of your brand-new Mac
A woman sitting at a table with various objects on it, including a MacBook, a mug, a book, an opened notebook, and holding her head with her hands as if in frustration
It looks like macOS Sequoia 15.2 update breaks third-party bootable backups - and that has me worried
Genmoji Cowboy Frog Apple Intelligence
macOS Sequoia 15.3 beta brings Genmoji to Mac, allowing you to serve up custom emojis that really represent you
Person using a MacBook sat on sofa
Your Mac’s menu bar will finally get a weather widget in macOS Sequoia 15.2 – plus these Apple Intelligence features
The Apple Magic Mouse on a white surface next to the Magic Keyboard.
Planning to buy Apple’s new USB-C Magic accessories? Make sure you’re running macOS Sequoia 15.1 first
Latest in How Tos
Trinity Rodman #2 of the Washington Spirit crosses the ball during a game between Bay FC and Washington Spirit at Audi Field on November 10, 2024 in Washington, DC.
National Women's Soccer League 2025: How to watch NWSL games live from anywhere
AMD Radeon RX 6000 Series Graphics Card on top wooden desk beside a keyboard
How to update AMD GPU drivers
tiktok
How to edit TikTok videos
Using an Amazon Fire Stick on a Smart TV
How to use a VPN with Fire Stick
Irish boxer TJ Doheny receives an undercard bout, ahead of the WBO super welterweight world title fight in March, 2023
Ball vs Doheny live stream: how to watch the boxing from anywhere now, full undercard, start time, weigh-in results
 Facebook social media app logo on log-in, sign-up registration page
How to delete all your Facebook posts