How to Add the ‘Windows Vista Sidebar’ to Windows 10

Using a fantastic and completely free piece of software you can add the “Vista Sidebar” back to Windows 10. This guide will give you an overview of the software and its features.

I wasn’t a huge fan of the Sidebar when it appeared in Windows Vista. It took up a bit too space on what were typically smaller monitors at lower resolutions. Today, with monitors so large and resolutions so high – the sidebar has become a welcome part of my Windows 10 desktop. The App is free, small and uses minimal system resources – give it a try! :)

1. Head over to the 8GadgetPack home page and click the download button in the upper-right corner of the site. Run the installer once the download has completed.
2. Once the installation has finished 8GadgetPack will launch. By default, 3 ‘gadgets’ will be visible – a clock, a clipboard and the weather.
3. Almost all of the gadgets have some configurable settings. To find them, hover your cursor over the gadget you want to customize until a series of buttons appears. Click the one with a small “wrench” icon (see screenshot below).
4. Then you’ll be able to customize that gadget.
5. There are a couple of ways to add new gadgets to your toolbar – the first is to right-click anywhere on your Desktop and select Gadgets from the pop-up menu.
6. The second is to right-click an empty space within the sidebar itself and select Add gadgets… from the pop-up menu.
7. Make sure to scroll through each page – there are a lot of gadgets to choose from!


click to enlarge

8. If you right-click anywhere inside the sidebar and select Options from the pop-up menu, you’ll be able to configure the sidebar itself. There are a lot of settings and features you can enable to really make the sidebar your own.
9. Some of the gadgets I find most useful include: the default weather gadget, the ‘basic’ calendar gadget, Network Monitor II and Top 5 Processor.