Windows 7 - Gadgets - Enable or Disable

**Brink**

How to Enable or Disable Gadgets in Windows 7

Information

This will show you how to enable or disable all currently running gadgets, and from being able to add new desktop gadgets in Windows 7 for all users.

Warning

For you to be able to use and add gadgets to your desktop, you must:

Have gadgets enabled below.
Show Desktop Items needs to be checked in order to see the gadgets.

EXAMPLE: "Desktop gadgets are managed by your system administrator."
NOTE: When gadgets is disabled, this will be the message all users will get when they try to add a gadget.

OPTION ONE

Using a REG File Download

1. To Enable Gadgets
A) Click on the Download button below to download the file below.
Enable_Gadgets.reg

B) If not already, make sure that you have Windows Gadget Platform checked in Windows Features.

C) Go to step 3.

2. To Disable Gadgets
A) Click on the Download button below to download the file below.
Disable_Gadgets.reg

3. Click on Save, and save the .reg file to the desktop.

4. Right click on the downloaded .reg file and click on Merge.

5. Click on Run, Yes, Yes, and OK when prompted.

6. Log off and log on, or restart the computer to completely apply.
NOTE: Gadgets that are currently running may not be disabled until you do this step.

7. When done, you can delete the downloaded .reg files on the desktop if you like.

OPTION TWO

Through the Local Group Policy Editor

1. Open the all users, specific users or groups, or all users except administrators Local Group Policy Editor for how you want this policy applied.

2. In the left pane, click on to expand User Configuration, Administrative Templates, Windows Components, and Desktop Gadgets. (See screenshot below)

3. In the right pane, right click on Turn off desktop gadgets and click on Edit. (See screenshot above)

4. To Enable Gadgets
A) Select (dot) either Not Configured or Disabled. (See screenshot below step 6)

B) If not already, make sure that you have Windows Gadget Platform checked in Windows Features.

C) Go to step 6.

5. To Disable Gadgets
A) Select (dot) Enabled. (See screenshot below step 6)

6. Click on OK. (See screenshot below)

7. Close the Local Group Policy Editor window.

8. Log off and log on, or restart the computer to completely apply.
NOTE: Gadgets that are currently running may not be disabled until you do step 8.

That's it,
Shawn

Related Tutorials

**anas malas** · 08-26-2010

hi and thanx for every thing this worked good

**Brink** · 08-26-2010

You're most welcome Anas Malas, and welcome to Seven Forums.

**WindowsStar** · 09-13-2010

Note: The registry change only seems to work in Vista. I could not get it to work in Windows 7.

Here is how to do it in Windows 7 :

Gadgets - Turn On or Off

**Brink** · 09-13-2010

Hello WindowsStar,

It still works fine for me. Did you log off and on, or restart the computer afterwards?

**WindowsStar** · 09-14-2010

Quote: Originally Posted by Brink

Hello WindowsStar,

It still works fine for me. Did you log off and on, or restart the computer afterwards?

Yes I sure did (log off and back on as well as reboot).

The above Registry Modifications do not work in Windows 7, or at lest for me, I tried several machines. Howerver the replaced link pointing to uninstalling Gadgets does work perfectly in Windows 7.

Thanks for fixing my link. -WS

**Brink** · 09-14-2010

Hmmm, ok. Let's see if we can figure out why it's not working for you.

Is there any particular part that is or is not working? For example:

Do you get the example message when you right click on the desktop and click on Gadgets after disabling gadgets?
Is is that the currently loaded gadgets to not get turned off after log off or restart when set to disabled? If so, what gadgets?
Does using the Group Policy option instead work for you?

**WindowsStar** · 09-14-2010

Humm; Picture worth a thousand words:

Forgot to say I did not try the Local Policy.

However the uninstall method works perfectly. -WS

**Brink** · 09-14-2010

Double check at the registry location below to see if you may have a TurnOffSidebar DWORD entry. If you do, delete it.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Windows\Sidebar

You might also use the Find and Find Next option in regedit to search for any TurnOffSidebar DWORD entries other than at the location below, and delete any found.

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Windows\Sidebar

**Brink** · 09-14-2010

Quote: Originally Posted by WindowsStar

Forgot to say I did not try the Local Policy.

However the uninstall method works perfectly. -WS

Yeah, either method will basically do the same thing. It just bugs me that the REG files here will not work for you. Hopefully we'll find out why.

Windows 7 - Gadgets - Enable or Disable

Gadgets - Enable or Disable

Gadgets - Enable or Disable problems?