FreeBar

If you want to manage the available space on your screen in a more effective manner, FreeBar is here to help you, providing a very simple Quick Launch toolbar replacement.

The purpose of the app is obviously to bring the files, folders and programs you use the most at one-click distance, thus allowing you to start any of them from the comfort of your desktop.

Just like it happens with the standard Windows Quick Launch, FreeBar can be customized with any file, folder or process you want, but the design was created specifically to save space on the screen.

By default, FreeBar displays 16x16 icons, but there are multiple settings at your disposal, so you can use either 32x32 icons or user-defined dimensions.

What’s more, the app supports various colors for the toolbar, while each button needs to be manually added, regardless if we’re talking about files, folders, Internet addresses, special shortcuts for built-in Windows utilities or separators.

There are no complicated settings to play with, so FreeBar can be safely installed by both beginners and professional users, but a help manual is also included in the package to make sure you figure out how to take the most out of each feature.

The CPU and memory footprint is minimal, but FreeBar most of the time works smoothly, without even asking for administrator privileges on Windows 7 workstation.

All things considered, FreeBar is a nice program launcher that needs only minor improvements. Skin support for example could make the app a lot more eye-appealing and provide a greater level of customization.