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Rainmeter
What it is
Rainmeter is free, open-source Windows software for displaying customizable desktop skins. Skins can show hardware and other system information, RSS feeds, weather, notes and to-do lists, and can launch applications or control media players. The NowPlaying feature retrieves track details and controls supported players such as AIMP, iTunes, Winamp and Windows Media Player; some players need extra plugins or have partial support. Users can create or edit skins with Rainmeter’s skin language, meters, measures, plugins and Lua scripting. Measures and plugins can gather information from the computer or internet for display. The Manage interface loads or unloads skins, changes settings and saves layouts. An About window can show logs, measure values and application or plugin status. Portable installation stores program, skin and settings files in a chosen folder without changing the Windows Registry or Start menu. Safe Start can unload active skins and load the default Illustro layout after startup problems. Rainmeter runs on Windows 7 Service Pack 1 with Platform Update and later.
For and against
For
- Displays customizable desktop skins
- Supports system, weather and feed widgets
- Allows custom skin authoring
- Offers portable installation
- Includes Safe Start recovery
Against
- Windows-only software
- Some media players need extra plugins
- Some player support is partial
The verdict
Rainmeter provides a flexible, open-source way to put information and controls on a Windows desktop. Its skin language and plugin model suit customization, while media-player compatibility can vary.
Who it suits
It suits Windows users who want desktop widgets, monitoring panels and custom layouts. It also fits people comfortable editing skins or using community documentation and support channels.
Plans and prices
Rainmeter
Windows 7 or above · distributed under GNU GPL v2
Read 4 Oct 2026 · rainmeter.net
On the record
- Community support
- Rainmeter documentation directs users to its forum, an unofficial Discord channel, and a web-based IRC channel for help.docs.rainmeter.net · read 4 Oct 2026
- Custom skin authoring
- Users can create and edit skins using Rainmeter's skin language, meters, measures, plugins, and Lua scripting.docs.rainmeter.net · read 4 Oct 2026
- Desktop customization
- Rainmeter displays customizable desktop skins, from hardware usage meters to audio visualizers.rainmeter.net · read 4 Oct 2026
- License
- Rainmeter is open source software distributed under the GNU GPL v2 license.rainmeter.net · read 4 Oct 2026
- Low resource use
- The maker says Rainmeter uses very little hardware resources and runs well on PCs using Windows 7 through Windows 11.rainmeter.net · read 4 Oct 2026
- Management and diagnostics
- The Manage interface loads and unloads skins, controls settings, and saves layouts, while the About window can show logs, measure values, and application and plugin status.docs.rainmeter.net · read 4 Oct 2026
- Media players
- NowPlaying can retrieve track information and control supported players including AIMP, iTunes, Winamp, and Windows Media Player; some players require extra plugins or have partial support.docs.rainmeter.net · read 4 Oct 2026
- Portable installation
- Portable installation keeps program, skin, and settings files in a chosen folder and makes no changes to the Windows Registry or Start menu.docs.rainmeter.net · read 4 Oct 2026
- Recovery
- Safe Start unloads active skins and loads the default Illustro layout if a skin prevents Rainmeter from starting or causes it to crash on startup.docs.rainmeter.net · read 4 Oct 2026
- Skin features
- Skins can show system information, RSS feeds and weather, keep notes and to-do lists, launch applications, and control media players.docs.rainmeter.net · read 4 Oct 2026
- Web data
- Rainmeter measures and plugins can gather information from the system or the internet for display in skins.docs.rainmeter.net · read 4 Oct 2026
- Windows support
- Rainmeter runs on Windows 7 Service Pack 1 with Platform Update and above.docs.rainmeter.net · read 4 Oct 2026
