Uninstall and Reinstall Windows 7 Gadgets

Microsoft introduced the world to desktop Gadgets in Windows Vista and also made them a feature of Windows 7. Gadgets are little desktop elements that can display just about any information that can be displayed using XML, HTML, and image files.
Anyone with administrative privileges can uninstall a gadget from a Windows 7 computer. Uninstalling a gadget from Windows 7 affects anyone else using that gadget. Luckily, Microsoft makes it easy to both uninstall and reinstall the gadgets that ship with Windows.

It is good administrative practice to warn other users of the computer that you are about to do something that will affect them. Many people try to streamline Windows by eliminating any elements not used or needed.
However, gadgets are made up of nothing but XML, HTML, and image files that hardly take up any space on the hard drive at all. Rather than do something that may adversely affect others, look for other ways to streamline Windows if you want to make it more efficient or if you need the hard drive space for other uses.

Uninstall a Windows 7 Gadget

To uninstall a gadget from Windows 7, you must be logged in with an account that has administrative privileges. Before you uninstall the gadget, make sure it isn’t currently running on  your desktop or any other desktop in an account that is logged in. Now, right click on your desktop and choose Gadgets from the menu.

The gadgets window should now be open. Right click on the gadget’s icon that you want to uninstall and choose Uninstall.

Windows will ask you to confirm if you want to uninstall the gadget. Click the Uninstall button.

The gadget will disappear from the Gadgets Window and will no longer be one of the gadgets that users can display on their desktops.

Reinstall a Windows 7 Gadget

If you or someone else with administrative privileges uninstalled a Windows 7 gadgets and you want to reinstall it, follow these directions. Remember that you can only reinstall default gadgets or gadgets that shipped with Windows 7. To reinstall custom gadgets, you will have to download and install them from scratch.
Begin by clicking on Start and then clicking on Control Panel. In the top right of the Control Panel window, type Restore in the Search Control Panel box and press Enter. The Control Panel window will change its content to those options associated with restoring different features in Windows 7.

Locate the option titled Desktop Gadgets and click the option underneath it titled Restore Desktop Gadgets Installed in Windows.

Immediately, Windows 7 will open up the Gadget window and you will see that all of the default gadgets that shipped with Windows 7 are reinstalled and ready to be  placed on the desktop.
Windows 7 was able to reinstall these gadgets so quickly because the operating system doesn’t actually delete them from your computer when you or someone else uninstalls them. Windows 7 simply makes them not appear in the gadgets window. In a sense, they are deactivated rather than actually uninstalled from your hard drive.