How to Obtain WidgetResources from an OS X Installer

Download WidgetResources

If you do not care about the process of acquiring WidgetResources, you can download a ZIP of it below and be done with it:

WidgetResources.zip
Taken from 10.9.5 • 236KB

Manual Extraction Guide

The WidgetResources folder is needed to run most widgets properly.

This guide explains how to extract WidgetResources from an OS X installer. You need at least 20 GB of working space.

Step 1: Download the OS X Installer

First, get an OS X installer from Apple Support. If you get it from elsewhere, the structure will likely be different.

OS X 10.8 Installer
Directly from Apple • 4.45GB

This guide uses Mountain Lion 10.8 as it is the smallest.

Step 2: Extract the Initial Package

After downloading, mount the DMG file and use pkgutil to extract it:

Note: For macOS Sierra and later, the volume name is different.

Step 3: Find the Install ESD

Go into the new InstallMacOSX_Extracted folder and you will see another InstallMacOSX.pkg file. Right-click it and select "Show Package Contents". You will see another disk image called InstallESD.dmg. Mount it.

Step 4: Locate the Widget Resources

Inside, you will see several folders. The Packages folder contains most of the system folders. What we're interested in is Essentials.pkg as it contains the WidgetResources folder.

In some cases, there is another pkg file called AdditionalEssentials.pkg. If it exists, the Widgets folder is there; otherwise, it is also in Essentials.pkg. The Widgets folder contains the stock widgets.

Step 5: Extract the Essential Package

You can extract the pkg file using:

This might take a while to complete.

Step 6: Find Your Files

After completion, the new folder will contain OS X system files. WidgetResources is located in:

If you want the Widgets folder too, it is located in:

Step 7: Clean Up

After you have copied the folders you want, you can unmount all disk images and delete the downloaded files to free up space.