How to Put Widgets on Your Mac Lock Screen
While iPhone and iPad have supported lock screen widgets for years, macOS still leaves your Mac's lock screen bare. Here is how to add live widgets to your Mac lock screen — safely, without battery drain, and tailored to your setup.
macOS 15+ · Apple Silicon · One-click install
Can you natively add widgets to the Mac lock screen?
In macOS Sequoia (and Sonoma), Apple added desktop widgets, but the lock screen remains strictly restricted: you only get the system clock, your user avatar, and the password field. Apple's built-in WidgetKit does not allow any third-party widgets on the macOS lock screen.
BetterMacWidgets bridges this exact gap. Using a native SkyLight overlay surface, it renders your chosen widgets over the lock screen without interfering with macOS security or password input. When you click anywhere to type your password, your clicks pass directly through to macOS.
Step-by-Step: Adding widgets to your Mac lock screen
1. Open BetterMacWidgets
Launch BetterMacWidgets from your Applications folder or menu bar, then navigate to the Lock Screen tab in the configuration window.
2. Copy desktop or arrange custom widgets
Click 'Copy desktop 1:1' to mirror your existing desktop layout instantly, or place custom widgets specifically for the locked screen.
3. Choose your privacy settings
By default, private widgets like Sticky Notes, Reminders, and Calendar are automatically hidden on the lock screen so passersby cannot read them. You decide exactly what shows.
4. Test the lock screen
Press Control + Command + Q (or close your MacBook lid) to lock your Mac. Your widgets appear immediately in crisp Liquid Glass.
Privacy-first: Protecting personal information on the lock screen
A major concern with lock screen widgets is privacy: an open laptop at a coffee shop or office should not reveal your private reminders, calendar events, or clipboard history to strangers.
BetterMacWidgets addresses this with an intelligent privacy filter. Personal widgets (Notes, Calendar, Reminders, Clipboard) start hidden on the lock screen by default. Only glanceable, non-sensitive widgets like Weather, World Clock, Battery, and System Gauges are visible unless you explicitly enable them.
Does it drain battery while locked?
BetterMacWidgets includes a dedicated Lock Screen power profile separate from your desktop settings. Because a locked Mac is typically left unattended, the lock screen surface drops to still frames or low-cadence updates, keeping idle energy consumption near 0%.
Furthermore, a built-in session watchdog ensures the overlay suspends the instant your Mac unlocks, freeing GPU and compositor resources.
Which widgets work best on the lock screen?
The most popular lock screen widgets among Mac users include:
• Weather: Live temperature, rain forecast, and sunset/sunrise arc.
• Battery: Real-time charge level and time remaining for your Mac and connected Bluetooth accessories.
• World Clock & Minimal Clock: Elegant typography matching your lock screen wallpaper.
• System Monitor: Subtle circular gauges for CPU, RAM, and storage utilization.