One disadvantage of Mac OS Big Sur is that you can no longer quickly access the interactive widgets present in the notification center. You can still access the widgets like weather and world clock, but a calculator is no more than a few clicks away.
Spotlight search is available for Mac OS Big Sur for simple equations, but it cannot be quickly accessed if you need a calculator.
But here are some great alternatives that can compensate for your missing widget and some shortcut tricks to open your existing Mac calculator app from the Dock using your keyboard.
Calculator widget alternatives
- Calculator Pro is one of the best free options. It is a great calculator for simple equations. It has all the basic operators and functions, and you can use the calculator on number keys on your keyboard and operate basic equations. You can even make some adjustments to your calculator.
Calculator Pro is a Free app with in-app purchases. - Another great app to use as a menu bar calculator is CalcBar. It is a great tool for expanded equations, and you can work with it for exponent, square root, absolute values, and many more features. Although the app interface is not similar to a usual calculator, the feature of solving complex calculations makes it an excellent option.
Adding Calculator shortcut to the Dock
- Go to the calculator app from the application folder.
- Right-click on the icon or hold control and click on the Dock.
- Now select keeping dock from the option bar
- Now you can open the icon in your Dock and easily move it to wherever you please.
Creating a keyboard shortcut
A keyboard shortcut for your calculator can be the handiest tool you have on your Mac.
Go to the keyboard and select the shortcut in your system preferences. Now you can select the quick action you want to give and create a key combination for that quick action. Your keyboard shortcut for the calculator will be created.
Conclusion
There are multiple free and paid apps that you can use as an alternative for your calculator widget.
