Why macOS widgets are winning while Windows 11 lags behind | Windows Central

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Windows 11's Widgets Board, launched in 2022, faces scrutiny as only 50 widgets clutter the space while a cumbersome news feed dominates. With Microsoft testing an AI-curated experience, users may be left questioning the board's true purpose.

And now Windows 11 users have another reason to be jealous of those on macOS. Apple just announced a new sports widget that extends the iOS and iPadOS experience to the desktop.

While the new sports widget on macOS is nice, it's not what taunts me and other Windows 11 users. Microsoft has actually had a sports widget available for quite some time on Windows 11. What's frustrating is that Apple has made an effort to promote widgets on macOS, which is a stark contrast to what Microsoft has done over the years and of late.

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Microsoft first launched the widgets board on Windows 11 in 2022. Shockingly, it took until the end of 2023 for the tech giant to start testing the option to disable the news feed within the widgets board.

Microsoft is testing an AI curated news feed within the Widgets Board that pushes widgets to a separate tab. (Image credit: Windows Central)

The widgets board doesn't feel like a dedicated section for useful tools. It feels like a billboard for MSN. For over a year it wasn't even possible to use widgets without seeing a news feed.

The most meaningful update to Widgets Board this year is the addition of an AI curated news feed that replaces the MSN feed — because that's what a Widgets Board needs, AI and more news. That update actually requires an extra click to even get to widgets.

The tabbed layout is still in testing, so Microsoft has a chance to shift back to presenting widgets first when you open the widgets panel. If the layout that's in testing ships to everyone, Microsoft should just rename the Widgets Board to "News Board." What kind of Widgets Board opens to everything except widgets by default?

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A new app gap

There are only 50 widgets available for Windows 11. (Image credit: Future)

Long-time readers are familiar with the app gap that plagued Windows Phone for years. A similar issue affected Windows 11, though the Microsoft Store is great in 2025 — with one glaring exception. The widgets section of the Microsoft Store looks like a shopping mall that's about to close down.

There are 50 widgets in the Microsoft Store. That's it. Many of those widgets are for niche use cases or variations of already existing widgets.

Even the widgets from well-recognized companies are poor. The Spotify widget just presents trending playlists. It doesn't even let you control the Spotify app on your PC.

There are some nice widgets available, including a handy package tracker. But overall, the selection is an embarrassment. HowToiSolve has a list of the 21 best widgets for macOS. A similar roundup for Windows 11 would include over 40% of all widgets available.

Considering there are several clock and calendar apps among the 50 widgets available, I doubt you could find 21 widgets worth trying at all.