Windows Sidebar

Windows Sidebar: Mini-Applications for Easy Access

Discover the mini-applications and features of Windows Sidebar, a component of Microsoft Windows Vista and Windows 7, providing easy access to information like weather, news, and more.

What is Windows Sidebar?

Windows Sidebar was a vertical bar component of Microsoft Windows that was introduced in Windows Vista and included in Windows 7. It displayed small applets called gadgets that provided quick access to information and features like weather, news headlines, photos, calendars, calculators, clocks, RSS feeds, and more.

The Windows Sidebar occupied the right side of the desktop screen by default. Gadgets could be dragged and resized freely along the sidebar and they would automatically rearrange themselves. The sidebar could also be made wider to accommodate more gadgets if desired.

In addition to several gadgets that came pre-installed with Windows, many third party gadgets could also be downloaded and installed from websites. This allowed users to customize their sidebar with the information that was most useful to them.

While useful for quickly glancing at information, the Windows Sidebar concept was eventually discontinued and not included with later versions of Windows after Windows 7. But at the time, it introduced an innovative idea of desktop widgets and mini-applications that have become commonplace today.

Windows Sidebar Features

Official Links