Windows 11 offers a few lock screen widgets out of the box. Casual games, countdown timer, daily discovery, events near you, focus session, Clipchamp, photos, sports, timer, weather, and watchlist are some of the built-in lock screen widgets.
While some of these widgets are useful, you might be interested in exploring widgets that are not offered by Windows 11. In other words, you might want to install third-party lock screen widgets to make the most out of the lock screen widgets feature.
Luckily, Windows 11 offers an easy way to install third-party lock screen widgets. This guide shows you how to install a third-party lock screen widget in Windows 11. The best part is that we can install lock screen widgets from the official Microsoft Store app just like other apps and games.
Install new lock screen widgets from Microsoft Store in Windows 11
Step 1: Open the Windows 11 Settings app. On the left pane of the Settings app, click Personalization and then click Lock screen on the right side.
Step 2: On the lock screen settings page, click Widgets to see all currently active widgets.
Step 3: Click the Add widget button. If it’s grayed out, click the dots next to a widget and then click the Remove button from the list, which will also activate the Add widget button.
Step 4: On the bottom left of the Add Widget dialog, click the Find more widgets link to see all available widgets on the official Microsoft Store app.
Step 5: Scroll down the Store app page and then click the widget tile that you would like to install. Unfortunately, many of the widgets are not free at the time of writing this article in September 2026.
Step 6: Finally, click the Get or Install button to download and install the widget.
Step 7: Once installed, the installed widget should appear in the Add Widget dialog. Click on the newly installed widget and then click the Add widget button to add the newly installed widget to the lock screen.
If the newly installed widget doesn’t appear in the Add widget dialog, close and reopen the Settings app. If the issue persists, please reboot your PC once after saving your work.
Our how to install desktop gadgets in Windows 11 guide might also interest you.
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