Windows 7 Tutorial

Add / Get the Clock gadget for Windows 7 desktop + Customize settings

Clock gadget in action in Windows 7 The clock gadget comes with Windows 7, no need to download it. In this tutorial, we will explain how to add the clock gadget to your desktop, how to change the appearance of your calendar gadget, and how to customize its settings, including 8 different looks, the ability to show or hide the second hand, give a name to your clock, etc. You can even use a different time zone for your clock gadget than is currently showing on your computer - and you can add several clock gadgets to your desktop if you want to show multiple time zones at the same time!

 

Get the clock gadget, and add it to your desktop in Windows 7

Follow these steps to add the clock gadget to your desktop:

Customize the clock gadget settings in Windows 7

Follow these steps to customize your clock gadget:

Clock gadget in action in Windows 7 Tip: even if you have chosen not to show the seconds, you can move your mouse above the clock gadget to show you the current time in "long time" format: you can make Windows 7 use military time instead of the AM/PM format, for example.

Force the clock gadget to stay above other windows ("Always on top")

Force the clock gadget to stay on top in Windows 7 A couple of additional settings are available to the clock gadget and all other gadgets: right-click on the clock, and choose "Always on top", and Windows 7 will always leave the clock gadget floating above all other program windows you have open.

To disable this option, simply right-click again, and uncheck "Always on top" from the context menu. Then, and by default, you will have to minimize all your open program windows to see the desktop gadgets that are currently running.

Make the clock gadget transparent, translucent, or opaque

A final setting you can configure for the clock gadget and other Windows 7 gadgets is their Opacity. Right-click on the clock, and select opacity to pick a level or transparency: 20% (nearly completely transparent), 40%, 60%, 80%, and 100% (the default, completely opaque).

Below, the clock gadget barely translucent at 40% opacity:

Transparent / translucent clock gadget in Windows 7
Just move your mouse over the clock gadget, and it will appear fully opaque, regardless of the customized transparency level you may have chosen.

Remove the clock gadget from your desktop

Like all other Windows 7 gadgets, you can remove the clock from your desktop without uninstalling it: to hide the clock gadget from your desktop, just click on its close button ("x"), and it will be hidden.

Caution: when you close a desktop gadget, Windows 7 will keep it on your computer, but it will not save its settings. In the example above where you named your clock, showed or hid its second hand, and optionally changed its time zone, all these options would be lost.

Delete / Uninstall the clock gadget from your computer

To completely delete and uninstall the clock gadget from your Windows 7 PC, type "Gadget Gallery" inside the start menu's search field, and hit Enter to open it.

Once Windows 7 has opened the Gadget Gallery, right-click on the clock gadget, and choose "Uninstall" from the context menu. Since desktop gadgets take so little space, and our out of your way once you close them (to remove them from the desktop), we recommend that you don't uninstall the standard clock gadget. If you accidentally chose Uninstall, Windows will give you a last chance to change your mind before uninstalling the clock: "Do you want to uninstall Clock?" Click on the "Don't Uninstall" button to keep the clock gadget:

Windows 7 preventing an accidental uninstall of the clock gadget

This is all it takes to get the clock gadget, add it to your Windows 7 desktop, customize its settings, remove it from your desktop, or uninstall it from your computer!

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