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There is no option to add desktop Gadgets in Windows 8 desktop view, Can i still get them back, without having to use untrusted third party software?

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  • Gadgets were removed from Windows 8/8.1 as they were a security flaw.
    – Joseph
    Sep 23, 2015 at 5:50

5 Answers 5

Reset to default
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I Found One, the CPU usage widget.

  1. Open the task manager.
  2. Go to performance tab.
  3. Right click on left bar. as shown below. Or Double click on there.

enter image description here

  1. Then, Enjoy a better widget than Windows 7 with complete info of CPU, RAM, Disk Usage and Network Usage. Just Loved it.

enter image description here

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  • Yeah I'd love to see some small summary of what applications/processes are using the resources. But I do love your tip, will be useful until then =)
    – Martin Andersson
    Feb 28, 2013 at 17:14
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Nope, not without resorting to third party software. Windows Desktop Gadgets has been removed from Windows 8.

http://www.theverge.com/2012/7/5/3138572/windows-8-desktop-gadgets-support

Apparently, Live Tiles (on the Start screen) is a replacement for Windows Desktop Gadgets.

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See this if you do not want 3rd party software, it installs the sidebar and gadgets that originally came with W8 Release Preview.

or consider this software for easier installation.

8GadgetPack (free) Adding on to Rakib's answer, there is always 8GadgetPack, which brings back the functionality of the desktop gadgets of Windows 7 to Windows 8 in a nifty little sidebar. It comes pre-installed with a few common gadgets (along with Microsoft's default) and will give you the option to install more .gadget files.

Visit their homepage here.

Windows 8 Gadgets

.

Also see this if you do not want 3rd party software

.

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  • are you able to install GPU Observer or other gadgets that measures GPU temperature/memory/etc? because windows 8 blocked or removed the API that were being used on the ones i tested
    – user168623
    Oct 30, 2012 at 16:34
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The gadgets aren't removed from windows 8.

Here is my screen showing the gadgets:

Obviously

Perhaps the trick was to enable Media Center, which I have just done today, and don't know if gadgets were available earlier.

EDIT:

yes, they are removed from the later builds. Just read this.

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  • You are running release preview.
    – Joseph
    Sep 23, 2015 at 5:51
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GADGETARIAN adds gadget support on Windows 8 and 10 in a few seconds, and it is safe, because it just enables the native (now hidden) Windows OS gadget functions.

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