Windows 11 will add third-party widgets and list them in the Microsoft Store

One of the new flagship features in Windows 11 is the Widgets panel, or board, a new feature for accessing Microsoft News, weather updates, Microsoft To Do, Microsoft Store content, and more. These widgets are similar to Android widgets (which are small graphical web-based applications) and are accessible directly from the widget panel.

The widget board is designed to provide information at a glance. In addition to news, these include weather, sports, stocks, and more. You can customize the widget board by adding or removing features, or you can customize the widgets to display only certain information you want.

The Widget Board currently only supports Microsoft widgets, and the options are very limited as you can only access apps like To-Do, Photos, and Movies & TV. While the Widget Board bears some resemblance to the Windows 7 and Vista-era "Widgets" feature, it doesn't support third-party apps.

That may be changing soon, based on the updated list of widgets in recent Windows 11 preview builds.

Windows 11 will apparently get third-party widget support via the Microsoft Store later this year. Various third-party widgets may be available on the Microsoft Store, according to a new reference that states "Download new widgets and widget updates in the Microsoft Store."

So, in theory, third-party widget support will be available through the Microsoft Store and the company will restore the functionality we had in Windows Vista, but you won't be able to pin widgets to the desktop.

Currently, the operating system does not include API support for third-party widgets, and there may not be any third-party widgets in the initial release of Sun Valley 2, the 22H2 version of Windows 11.

Needless to say, third-party support will open up the widget board to many new widgets and potentially unlock the functionality of Windows 11’s WebView.

This may change based on testing and feedback. However, sources familiar with Microsoft confirmed that the company is already testing some third-party widgets with a small group of developers, which may be released later this year.

Full-screen support for widgets

In its Hybrid Work event, Microsoft is offering a number of new features for Windows 11 and native apps. This includes support for tabs in File Explorer and the option to switch the widget panel to full-screen mode, similar to the full Start menu in Windows 10 and Windows 8.

Currently, the widget panel opens on the left side of the screen, and users need to scroll through the feed to access the rest of the widgets. You can soon maximize the Windows 11 widgets panel to fill the full screen and access more news content from Microsoft Start.

It will also support work and personal accounts, with access to OneDrive photos through the personal widget account widget.

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