Windows 11 Might Soon Support Third-Party Widgets, Manifest Code Hints

Third-party support will bring fresh new widgets to the Windows 11 Widgets panel

By Nithya P Nair | Updated: 18 April 2022 19:21 IST

Windows 11 Might Soon Support Third-Party Widgets, Manifest Code Hints

Photo Credit: Microsoft

At present, only a few widgets are available on Windows 11

Highlights

At present, users can only have Microsoft’s own widgets in the panel
The Widgets panel of Windows 11 shows information snippets
Microsoft is yet to confirm the arrival of the new feature

Windows 11, the latest operating system by Microsoft, could soon get third-party widgets via the Microsoft Store. Currently, the widget panel can display only Microsoft's own widgets. These include a calendar, weather updates, and top news stories. As per a screenshot of alleged code from the Widget manifest that has surfaced online, Microsoft is reportedly now working on adding support for third-party widgets on Windows 11. The leaked Widget manifest mentions downloading new widgets through the Microsoft Store.

Twitter user FireCube tweeted a screenshot of the alleged code from the Widget manifest that contains references to downloading new widgets through the Microsoft Store. "Widget manifest update shows more evidence of being able to download third-party widgets and updates from the Microsoft Store," said the tweet. The screenshot of the alleged manifest file includes a message that reads “download new widgets and widget updates in Microsoft Store”. Based on this, it is speculated that users might be able to download new widgets following a future OS update. If the development turns out to be real and not just an internal Microsoft test, the Widgets panel would be more useful for people with options for personalisation.

At present, the Widgets panel of Windows 11 opens from the left side of the screen and displays widgets for weather, traffic, sports stories, a Watchlist, OneDrive photos, Microsoft To-Do, and some other apps and types of news. Previous leaks have also hinted at the arrival of third-party widgets to Microsoft's operating system. However, Microsoft is yet to confirm this expansion of the Widgets panel.

[Sponsored] Samsung Galaxy S24: The Ultimate Camera Phone With Smarter On-Device AI

Recently, Microsoft announced a bunch of new features for Windows 11, focusing on hybrid work and enterprise customers. Microsoft is updating Windows 11's File Explorer with a tabbed UI and support for pinned files. It is also bringing improved accessibility features for persons with disabilities, along with support for services to automate updates for Windows, Microsoft Edge, and Office. Further, it is making switching between Windows 11 and Windows 365 easier, with Windows 365 Switch and Windows 365 Boot.

YouTube Shorts Expands to Web and Tablets, Gets New Creation Tool

Should you buy a 4G or 5G budget phone? We discuss this on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

Affiliate links may be automatically generated - see our ethics statement for details.

Comments

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.

Further reading: Windows 11, Microsoft, Microsoft Store, Windows 11 Update, Widgets

Nithya P Nair

Email Nithya P Nair

Nithya P Nair is a journalist with more than five years of experience in digital journalism. She specialises in business and technology beats. A foodie at heart, Nithya loves exploring new places (read cuisines) and sneaking in Malayalam movie dialogues to spice up conversations. More