macOS Sequoia/Sonoma Desktop Widgets Not Working? 13 Ways to fix it!

Key Takeaway: If widgets are not working on your Mac after updating macOS, there are various ways to fix it, such as checking desktop widget settings, ensuring internet connectivity, adding widgets again, restarting your Mac, resetting the Notification Center, force quitting Notification Center, opening and closing the app from the widget, disabling low power mode, checking location services, updating apps, removing and reinstalling relevant apps, updating macOS, entering and exiting safe mode, and contacting the app developer if needed.

With macOS Sonoma, you can add widgets to your Mac desktop and see all information with just a glance. However, these widgets aren’t interactive; at times, they fail to load real-time information and can’t be added, edited, or removed. If that’s the same with you, widgets are not working properly on your Mac after updating macOS. Fret not. Here are the different ways to fix it.

IN THIS ARTICLE

How to fix Widgets not opening or updating on Mac

There are many reasons why widgets won’t work on your Mac, and it could be internet issues, corrupted macOS, minor firmware bugs, etc. No matter the reasons, we’ve mentioned how to fix it.

Check Desktop Widgets Settings,

Desktop Widgets settings are available under the system settings. Go to the Apple Logo > System Settings > Desktop & Dock.

Show Items: Show and Hide items on the desktop screen:- Files, Folders, Connected External Drives, and more…

Show Widgets: To Quickly Hide and Show Widgets on the desktop.

Click Wallpaper to Show Desktop Items: in just a single click on the desktop, we can minimize all apps and re-appear by clicking on the desktop screen again. Enable this feature by selecting “Always” and “Only In Stage Manager.”

Widget Style: Aim Behind this setting is to Fade the Widget For Batter Focus. If you feel the desktop cluttered with colorful widgets on the screen, then set it to Monochrome for all time. Or Select Full Color for all time.

Automatic Option automatically adjust the Widget Color Style when the app window opens on the screen or Moves to the desktop.

To Stop Showing iPhone Widgets on Mac: Disable the toggle “Use iPhone Widgets”.

Solution #1. Ensure internet connectivity

Remember, most widgets, for instance, Weather, and mail widgets need Wi-Fi (Location Service) to refresh their information. And if this requirement isn’t fulfilled, you will not receive real-time information.

To verify that the internet isn’t culprit behind the cause, open Safari and play any Youtube video to see if you are connected to an active and stable internet connection or not. If it works, good luck!

But if not, refer our article on how to fix Wi-Fi & internet connection problems on Mac.

Solution #2. Add widgets again

If you are facing an issue with specific widgets on your Mac, you can remove and re-add it on the Desktop screen. For this, you can refer to our guide on how to add & remove widgets to your Mac Desktop.

(Control + Click) Right-Click on Widget (Remove Widget). Again Right-Click on Desktop, Select Edit Widgets… > Find Widget > Drag to Desktop.

Solution #3. Restart Your Mac

If you didn’t have any luck re-adding the Widgets, try restarting your Mac’s operating system. To do so, select Apple Logo > Restart. If prompted, give further confirmation.

If the Weather widget Shows “Location Services is Off“, Enable the Weather App location service from Mac settings.

Go to the Apple Logo from the top menu > System Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services > Enable Location Service toggle and Enable for Weather.

Fix Location Services is off in Weather Desktop Widget Mac

Solution #4. Reset Notification Center (Cleal all Desktop Widget)

If the widgets start acting weird on your Mac’s Notification Center, a handy way to get them to work normally is to restart Notification Center & Desktop Widgets. This can be done via Terminal. Here’s how.

Press Command + Space to open Spotlight Search.
Enter Terminal and select it from the search result.
In the Terminal Screen, enter the below command, and Hit the Return to Re-load Notification center.

defaults delete com.apple.notificationcenterui; killall NotificationCenter

Allow Terminal, to Access Data from Other Apps.

Wait until the procedure finishes, and then open the Notification Center.

If the issue still continues, move to the following solutions.

Solution #5. Force Quit Notification Center

Alternatively, you can force quit Notification Center using Activity Monitor. Here’s how.

Access Activity Monitor on your Mac.
In the right-upper corner, you will see a Search Box.
Enter Widges over there and press Enter.

Select Widgets Process (Command + A) from the result.
And then, click X Icon at the top of Activity Monitor.
As soon as you do so, you will receive a prompt, “Are you sure you want to quit this process?”
Select Force Quit.

force quit app in activity monitor on mac — force quit the app in activity monitor on mac

Solution #6. Open App from Widget and close it

However, this isn’t the ideal solution, but it’s a nifty little trick to refresh the Widget on your Mac. For this, you’ve to open the app from the Widget, wait for a minute, and then close it. That’s It!

Solution #7. Disable Low Power Mode (MacBook)

Low Power Mode on Mac temporarily restricts background tasks like downloads, Mail, and widgets to prevent battery draining. If you’ve enabled it on your MacBook, the screen will dim slightly. You have to turn it off to let the widget update automatically. Here’s how.

Go to Apple Logo.
Select System Settings…
Click on Batteries from the left pane.
Click on Low Power Mode drop-down from the right side, and then configure it to Never.

That’s it!

Solution #8. Check Location Services

Widgets like Weather rely on Mac’s location service to display real-time and correct information. Considering this scenario, the most vital step is to verify the Mac Weather app has access to your location. To check this, follow the steps below.

Go to Apple Menu.
Select System Settings…
Click on Privacy & Security from the left pane.
Select Location Services.

Click on the toggle next to the Weather App.

Solution #9. Update your Apps

Due to the corrupted app build, you might be left with broken widgets on your Mac. But the best part is that app developers are always quick to resolve the problem via updates. So verify that the problematic Widget app is updated to its latest version. Here’s how.

Go to the App Store.
Select Updates from the left side pane.
Tap on Update next to the problematic Widget.

That’s It!

Solution #10. Remove and reinstall the relevant Apps

If no app update is available, remove and reinstall the relevant widget app. For this, click on the Launchpad and then drag & drop the App to the Trash. Now, navigate to the App Store and download the latest version of the App.

Solution #11. Update macOS

Updating your Mac computer to the latest macOS is an efficient way to fix the issue with the Widget. So go to Apple Menu > Select System Settings… > General > Software Update. Now let your Mac check for updates….If available, click on Download Now. That’s It!

Solution #12. Enter and exit Safe Mode

Booting your Mac to Safe Mode helps to flush out the corrupted system cache, which could be the potential reason for various issues on your Mac, including Widget not loading or appearing. So try booting your device to Safe Mode and check for the issue. You can follow our guide on how to boot your Mac to Safe Mode.

Solution #13. Contact the App Developer

If none of the solutions worked, without delay, contact the App Developer or Apple Support.

Final Thought

Widgets not working or not updating on your Mac completely defeat the purpose of using them. Use the solutions above and make the Widgets work normally back. If any of the solutions from this guide helped you, do let us know in the comment.