In our previous article we have shown you how to check the time for multiple time zones directly from your taskbar. Now I will show you how to do the same thing from your Windows Sidebar.
How to add clocks to the Windows Sidebar
In case you don’t have it already, you need to add the Clock gadget to the Windows Sidebar. To do that, click on the small “+” sign. Alternatively, you can right click on the Windows Sidebar and select Add Gadgets.
From the list of available gadgets, double click on the Clock gadget or drag and drop it to the Windows Sidebar. Also, you can right click on the gadget and then select Add.
You can add as many clocks as you want. However, you should keep in mind that only a maximum of six will be shown. If you have other gadgets enabled the maximum number of clocks that can be added will depend on the amount of space left on the Windows Sidebar.
How to configure the time shown on each clock
Move your mouse over a clock and click on the small key that appears on the right side.
Now you can edit the properties of that clock. If you want to change its appearance, browse through the different available models using the two small arrows right beneath the clock picture. You can also type a name for the clock and choose the time zone.
When finished, click on OK. To configure the other clocks you enabled, repeat these steps for each of them. As an example, we enabled six clock gadgets, each with a different time zone. We started from the bottom with a clock showing our time zone, continued with India, CET (Central Europe Time), GMT (Greenwich Mean Time), EST (Eastern Time) and Pacific Time. As you can see, each clock has its own style. You can customize them as you want, to match your desktop background or Windows theme.
How to show the clocks on your desktop
Gadgets can be removed from the sidebar and placed anywhere on the desktop. Click on a gadget and while you keep the left mouse button pressed, drag it to your desktop.
It’s quite hard the get all the clocks perfectly aligned because they don’t have an “auto arrange” option. What you see in the screenshot below, is the best I could do.
Once you have placed them where you want, you can also change their opacity. Right click on a clock, go to Opacity and select one of the available levels.
As an example, this is how clocks with 20% opacity look like. If you move your mouse over a clock, the opacity automatically increase to 100%.
How to add digital clocks to the Windows Sidebar
If you prefer a digital clock, there is a Digital World Clock gadget available. You can download it from here. The configuration procedure is very similar to the analog clock.
This is how it looks on the Windows Sidebar.
If you have problems downloading and installing this gadget, you can always consult our guide called Windows Sidebar – the complete guide. You will find a complete set of information about Windows Sidebar and its gadgets.
Related articles:
Checking the time for multiple time zones directly from your taskbar
Windows Sidebar – the complete guide
Time zones change; clocks disappear
Any thoughts as to why the times of the clocks automatically revert to local time every time I start the computer? It’s very annoying to reset them each time I log on to the computer.