Dashboard Widgets are “mini programs” for your Mac, and installing new ones is extremely quick. The process is no more complicated than clicking an icon.
A quick explanation of Dashboard Widgets
A widget is a program that is designed to perform one very simple task, such as displaying a weather forecast, showing ski conditions, or the status of your CPU. All of your Mac’s widgets are kept together, on the Dashboard. Just click on the Dashboard icon, and all of the widgets you’ve installed will zoom into view.
The Dashboard icon, located in the Dock.
Installing new Dashboard Widgets
Like we said earlier, installing new Dashboard Widgets is as simple as this: click-click, click-click, click. Once your new Widget has finished downloading, find the location where it was saved (many Mac browsers save downloaded files to the Desktop). Most Dashboard Widgets come as compressed .zip files, so double-click on the file to decompress it. You’ll then see the actual Widget’s icon appear on your desktop. Most of them look like this:
A Widget’s icon
Double-click on this Widget icon, and Dashboard will open up, show you your new Widget, and ask you if you’d like to keep it. Click the “keep” button, and you’re finished. Your new Widget is installed and ready to use.
Customize your new Widget
Some Widgets allow you to customize them, for example, you’d enter your zip code into a Widget that delivers a weather report. The first step to customizing a Widget is to bring up the Dashboard, and click on the “Manage Widgets” button. This button is shaped like a plus sign, and is located in the bottom left corner of your screen. It looks like this:
The “Manage Widgets” button.
Once you press this button, all of your on-screen Widgets will show an “x” button (top left Widget corner) to close them, and an “i” button (bottom right Widget corner) to customize them. The customization “i” button is very small, and looks like this:
The “Customize Widget” button.
Click on this button and your Widget will ask you to enter your personal preferences.
Where to find new Widgets
There are a few different places to find new Widgets on the Web, but the best location is probably Apple itself.
[tags]Apple,Mac,Dashboard,Widgets[/tags]
