Repeat step for each widget you want to keep on the desktop. Press, then release F12, and VOILA! The dashboard disappears and the widget is now on the desktop. Click & hold the widget while still IN the dashboard keep holding it with the mouse Ģ.
DESKTOP WIDGETS FOR MAC HOW TO
(a version of how to keep widgets on the desktop found elsewhere).įor others still using Tiger, This is exactly what I did in 10.4.11:Īll I had to do was enter BOTH terminal commands above sequentially:ġ. My widgets that I wish to keep on the desktop kept disappearing when I would click the widget in the dashboard, drag it to the desktop while holding the mouse down, then I would press F12, but it wouldn’t stay on the desktop. Thanks so much for this I FINALLY got you tip to work with Tiger 10.4.11 on a PPC imac - only from reading your tips.
Pressing Command+R will refresh the most recently selected widget with a nifty swirl effect.Pressing the Option key while hovering over a widget will give you quick access to the close button in the upper-left corner.In addition, you can deactivate widgets on the desktop altogether by running the same command in Terminal, except replacing YES with NO.Īs an added bonus for all you widget fanatics, here are a couple keyboard shortcuts you might find useful whether they’re running on the desktop or in Dashboard: To bring a widget back into Dashboard, do the exact same thing in reverse - click and hold the widget, launch Dashboard, and let go of the mouse. This could either be a positive or a negative, depending on the amount of screen real estate you have available. The only sticking point is that it will always float above any windows you have open. From there it will act just as it did in Dashboard - you can move it around the screen, interact with its features, etc. Letting go of the mouse will drop your widget right on the desktop.
Click and hold a widget of your choice and hit Dashboard’s keyboard shortcut (usually F4 or F12 on most Macs). Once you’re back up and running, launch Dashboard.
In order to actually run a widget on your desktop, you must first log out and then back in again. Generally, devmode is used by developers to facilitate quick creation of widgets, but it works just the same for casual users like us.
DESKTOP WIDGETS FOR MAC CODE
What this code does is create an entry in the preferences file to activate a behavior known as devmode. Open Terminal (Applications > Utilities), copy & paste this command in the window, then press Enter:ĭefaults write devmode YES Apple has included a hidden option in the Mac operating system which enables support for running widgets right on the desktop. When hitting the keyboard shortcut to invoke Dashboard becomes too cumbersome, rest easy knowing an alternative method is available. Learn how to fix that pesky problem along with a couple other helpful hints related to Dashboard.
DESKTOP WIDGETS FOR MAC MAC OS X
One of the most common complaints about Dashboard in Mac OS X is the inability to run widgets on the user’s desktop so they’re always visible.