Conky as a Linux alternative to Windows Widgets
Updated
Our verdict
Conky can replace Windows Widgets if you're comfortable configuring it manually and want a lightweight, customizable desktop overlay. It supports live weather, time, news via scripts, and calendar data if scripted, but doesn't integrate with online accounts or services out of the box. It's ideal for experienced Linux users who want minimal resource usage and full control, but not for those expecting plug-and-play widgets like in Windows 11. You’ll need to write or download configs for each data source.
- License
- GPL-3.0
- Price
- Free
- Latest version
- 1.25.5
- Rating
- —
What works the same
- Displays live weather and time using external scripts
- Shows news or RSS feeds via scripting (e.g., curl + parsing)
- Supports a sidebar or panel-style layout on desktop
- Highly customizable in appearance and layout
- Uses very low system resources (typically under 10 MB RAM)
What is different
- No built-in calendar integration—requires manual scripting
- No native to-do or task list support without external tools
- No graphical widget manager—configuration is text-file only
- No default dashboard; everything must be set up manually
- Not enabled by default—must be installed and launched separately
Opening your Windows Widgets files
Windows Widgets does not export or save data in a standard file format that Conky can read. There is no direct import mechanism for widget layouts, feeds, or calendar data. You cannot open or convert Windows Widgets files in Conky. Any migration requires manually recreating content using Conky configuration syntax and external data sources like RSS URLs or weather APIs.
Switching from Windows Widgets to Conky, step by step
- Install Conky via your package manager (e.g., sudo apt install conky-all)
- Find or create a config file that includes weather, time, and news sections
- Add RSS feed parsing using curl or wget in a script, then display it in Conky
- Integrate calendar events by scripting output from tools like khal or parsing .ics files
- Launch Conky at startup via .xsessionrc or your desktop environment’s autostart
Key features of Conky
- Configurable via plain text file
- Displays CPU, memory, disk, network, and custom scripts
- Supports multiple instances on different desktops
- Can show weather, news, or system logs
- Extremely lightweight (few MBs)
- Runs on X11 and Wayland
How to install Conky on Linux
sudo apt install conkysudo apt install conkysudo dnf install conkysudo pacman -S conkysudo zypper install conkyFrequently asked questions
Can Conky show weather without third-party tools?
Yes, but only if you script it. Conky can call external commands like curl to fetch weather from an API and display the result.
Is there a GUI for configuring Conky like Windows Widgets?
No. Conky is configured entirely through text files. Some community tools offer basic previews, but no real-time GUI editor exists.
Does Conky support dark mode or transparency?
Yes. You can set transparency and custom colors in the config file. It blends well with any desktop theme if properly configured.