Yes Windows offers a clock in the system tray. No it hasn't always done a good job, and it even disappeared from secondary displays in Windows 11 (Microsoft added it later). It's a basic feature, but some users feel they deserve a better clock on their desktop, and that brings us to DesktopClock by Daniel Chalmers. We can change its appearance, format, size, general behavior, and of course, the position.
I admit I don't have a great appreciation for Windows widgets. Redmond tries to bring them back (one way or another), but they always become an obstacle, or end up devouring resources they don't require. Now, it doesn't have to be that way. The difference is that we need good widgets, flexible ones, with intuitive options for their configuration. DesktopClock by Daniel Chalmers points in that direction. Anyone might say that on the surface it's a simple clock, but that perception changes once we dive into its functions.
DesktopClock: How to install a clock on your desktop without headaches
DesktopClock is available in two versions: Portable, and with MSI installer. From its context menu we can define the size, activate any of the preconfigured themes, and specify if the clock should stay in the foreground (that is, above all windows). Once we go to the configuration section, the format, appearance, and behavior tabs appear. The format includes a long list of presets, and a countdown mode to add a countdown.
The appearance tab defines the font type for the clock, its style (not all fonts allow this), the color of the letter and the border. It's also possible to completely disable the background, modify its transparency level, or use an image instead of a solid color. Finally, the behavior tab includes parameters to show the DesktopClock icon in the taskbar, start it with Windows normally or hidden, align the clock to the right, and avoid burn-in.
DesktopClock has some details, such as its appearance in Alt+Tab, and the need to clone the process to generate additional clocks, but those are minor elements that should be resolved in future versions. Link below!
Official site and download: Click here
How to download programs from GitHub: Click here
