ShortcutMan.G

Workspace customization doesn’t just mean changing the background picture every now and then, or the color of window borders. Third-party applications like ShortcutMan.G bring a lot of flexibility to your desktop, this one in particular letting you launch files and folders from an intuitive launchpad.

Although it’s a feature found in the default set of modern Windows iterations, you need to make sure that .NET Framework is installed on the target PC, because it’s a required component for functionality.

On launch, the application goes directly to the tray area, which is also the place from which to bring up the launch panel. Sadly, there’s no hotkey support for faster trigger of the panel, and manually assigning a hotkey to the program’s shortcut only opens up a different instance, so this bypass method doesn’t work.

The panel itself serves as both the launcher, and configuration panel. Related options allow you to set layer priority to top, so no other window gets in the way, automatically run with Windows to have the launcher ready by the time you reach the desktop, design orientation, opacity level, as well as one of the several color schemes for the panel.

Adding items to the list is easily done by dropping them over the panel. This can include files of any kind, shortcuts, executables, and even folders. You can use the browse dialog, but there’s no advanced set of options to specify optional parameters for program launch.

Created entries are subject to change, in case you want to modify path. Files are only shown by their icon, with no tags, or possibility to add any. What’s more, you’re only limited to a maximum number of 20 items, and sadly, no additional panels can be brought up.

Taking everything into consideration, we can say that ShortcutMan.G is a straightforward application you can use to keep your desktop a clean place, and reach items of interest a little faster. However, it feels a little rough around the edges, with a disappointing limitation to available slots, and no advanced parameters to add to files.