A plugin in Rainmeter is a dynamic link library (.dll) program specifically written to provide additional functionality not built into Rainmeter. A plugin is used in Rainmeter with the specific measure type Measure=Plugin. Each plugin in turn has its own settings that must be placed in this section. Click on any of the plugins listed on the right to learn more about the plugins included with Rainmeter and what settings are required for each.

You may also use a 3rd-party plugin developed for Rainmeter but not included with the installation. Simply place the new plugin .dll file into the Plugins folder under the location of your Rainmeter.exe and the new plugin can be used like any of the default ones. Note: Be sure that the 3rd-party plugin you add was compiled for the same architecture version of Rainmeter (32bit or 64bit) as the version you are using. You may not use a 32bit plugin with 64bit Rainmeter or a 64bit plugin with 32bit Rainmeter.

If you are interested in creating a 3rd party plugin for Rainmeter, there are source code templates available for both C++ and C# coders. Further information can be found at Developers.