{"id":204166,"date":"2022-09-27T14:37:28","date_gmt":"2022-09-27T12:37:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sftarticles.wpenginepowered.com\/en\/?p=204166"},"modified":"2025-07-01T20:25:45","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T03:25:45","slug":"enable-windows-11-full-screen-widgets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/enable-windows-11-full-screen-widgets\/","title":{"rendered":"How to enable Windows 11 new full-screen widgets in new build"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Windows 11 was released to the public in October 2021<\/strong>. That means the OS is almost a year old at this point. Even though the operating system is getting up there in terms of age, it\u2019s still far from perfect. Luckily the Windows 11 team is still hard at work delivering updates and bug fixes and trying to get the OS to a more stable and user-friendly state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the article that follows, we\u2019ll delve into how to use one of the brand-new features<\/strong> coming in Windows 11 Build 25201; full-screen widgets<\/strong>! Whether this feature was on your bucket list for the operating system or not, it\u2019s here. Well, sort of. Microsoft has decided it best to roll the feature out slowly to Windows insiders. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to enable full-screen widgets as seen in Windows 11 Build 25201<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Before we start, we here at Softonic pride ourselves on accuracy and truth. Therefore, we need to clear up a common inaccuracy within the tech journalism industry. You\u2019ll no doubt have seen articles like \u2018how to enable feature x <\/em>in Windows 11 build number x<\/em>.\u2019 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Particularly in this case, where the build in question isn\u2019t out yet and is still in the hands of the Windows Insiders, this is false. You cannot enable a feature like full-screen widgets in Windows 11 Build 25201 because that version is not out yet. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When it does drop as a publicly available update, you likely won\u2019t have to enable such a feature as it would be inherently included in the updated Windows 11 productivity ecosystem. Therefore, we prefer to use wording like \u2018as seen in Windows 11 Build 25201<\/strong>\u2019 instead. If you think about it, we\u2019re teaching you how to enable a feature that your current version of Windows doesn\u2019t have before it becomes publicly available. Accuracy established – let\u2019s continue with the guide.<\/p>\n\n\n

  1. Getting started<\/h2>\"enable

    Before you get started, we recommend that you<\/span> back up all of your most important files<\/b>. Remember that this feature is not yet a part of your current Windows 11 version for very important reasons. <\/span><\/p>\n

    First off, the feature is still experimental<\/strong> and may cause issues with your operating system. Furthermore, your current version of Windows 11 was not built with this feature in mind, so enabling a feature like carries a certain amount of risk. <\/span><\/p>\n

    Also keep in mind that if you enable test features<\/strong> on your device, only you are responsible for any issues that may arise. This is similar to<\/span> upgrading to Windows 11 on an unsuitable device<\/span><\/a>. However, if you want to do that anyway, we have a quick guide you can follow. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/li>

  2. Download ViveTool<\/h2>\"enable

    You\u2019ll have seen us refer to this tool in past articles. It\u2019s an incredibly powerful utility and you can get it from GitHub. Once you\u2019ve downloaded the utility, extract it into a folder of your choice. The easiest would be to extract it to a new folder named ViveTool or Vive in your C drive. The path should then look something like this: <\/span>C:\\Vive<\/b> or <\/span>C:\\ViveTool<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/li>

  3. Command Prompt<\/h2>\"enable

    Next, you\u2019ll need to run Windows Terminal as an Administrator. All you need to do is head to your <\/span>Start menu<\/b>, right-click on it, and then select <\/span>Terminal (Admin)<\/b>. <\/span><\/p>\n

    From here, you\u2019ll want to head to the top of the Windows Terminal interface and click on the vee. This is the downward-facing caret, also called a \u2018V.\u2019 Now, you\u2019ll want to click on Command Prompt or hit <\/span>Ctrl+Shift+2<\/b> as a shortcut. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/li>

  4. Using Vivetool<\/h2>\"enable

    Next, you\u2019ll need to find the folder where you previously saved your ViveTool utility using the CD command. This will be the same path that you determined earlier. For example, <\/span>C:\\Vive<\/b> or <\/span>C:\\ViveTool<\/b>, unless you named it slightly differently. Now, type in the following string and hit Enter:<\/span><\/p>\n

    vivetool \/enable \/id:34300186<\/b><\/p>\n

    The last step is to <\/span>restart your computer<\/b>. This will solidify the changes that you\u2019ve made to your OS setup.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    When your PC starts up again, head to the Windows Widgets utility. Do this by either hitting the Widgets taskbar icon or hitting the <\/span>Windows button + W<\/b>. All you need to do now is navigate to your profile picture within the Widgets interface and hit the double-sided arrow next to it. This will extend your Widgets app into a full-screen layout giving you more space within which to view your favorite Widgets. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/li><\/ol><\/div>