14 DAY TRIAL // There are plenty of users that drop all their downloads on the desktop only to later find it cluttered with data. DropIt is a simple solution that lets you organize all the files by sending them to predefined folders, according to their format.
It is free of charge and the only piece of interface you will see from it will be a floating button on the desktop, which can very well pass as a desktop shortcut. There is also the configuration panel and the destination folder association window where you get to make your settings.
DropIt is absolutely free of charge and it does not require any installation if you choose the portable edition. Once you have it on the desktop you can start customizing which file format goes to what directory when dropped on the floating button.
First off, assigning folder to each file type is an easy job that implies only defining the folder and the file extension it should host. The application is smart enough to recognize where a file should go not only by its format, but also by its name.
A list of supported patterns is available in the program and it features the possibility to recognize the destination folder of an item based on its name or a text string contained by its name. Multi-string patterns are also supported, which means that you can create a single rule to govern multiple files.
Once you make all file-folder associations, each time you drop an item into DropIt’s floating button the application will move the item to its assigned destination. It may appear like there is no clue to the active transfer, but you will notice the refresh sign on the floating button for as long as the copying or moving of the file takes.
Although the program has not been built to be used with large files, some users may want to take advantage from its sorting abilities with heavier data. The downside of this sort of usage is that you are not informed on the amount of time you have to wait for the transfer to complete.
One option that comes in very handy if you use this program portably is the support for multiple profiles. This allows you to customize the file and destination associations according to the computer you’re using. Also, in order to know at all times which profile is active DropIt puts at your disposal an extensive set of floating buttons, of different colors and allows you to associate each profile with a different button.
Size of the button is also configurable, but the default values for the images are 64x64, so enlarging it only leads to lower quality. However, you can add any custom image you want as long as it is a GIF and you can set any size you want or you feel more comfortable with.
Configuring the entire application is a walk in the park and any user can handle this task. These allow you to disable “always on top” feature for the image, which can be really annoying if you’re working with more than one window at the same time as it may block access to functions in other programs.
Also, if you find a spot and want to always have the floating in that position, you can lock it in that area. This means that you will not be able to drag it from there to a different place. But it seems like this affects all the other windows of the application: profile customization, Options or Manage screen.
Two important settings in DropIt refer to the behavior of the program when an item is dropped onto its button. The choices allow it to either move the file or copy it to the new location. Also, in case duplicates are encountered you can choose for these to be overwritten; there is also the possibility to rename the data, but in our case this did not work.
DropIt’s options are simple, just like the application itself and its purpose, but during our tests we felt the need to control it through our keyboard instead of wasting a bunch of clicks to make it visible from system tray. Hotkeys to hide and make it pop on the screen would come in pretty handy in the application as you won’t have to deal with the “always on top” state when you work with multiple applications.
It can also be used with folders. The application may work fine for some users as it is now, but it would be nice to have control over the floating button from the keyboard. Also on the wishlist would be the possibility to make it start with Windows. It is not perfect in its simplicity, but the minor loose ends it comes with are bound to be tied up as it is still in an early stage of development.
The Good
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This article is also available in Spanish: Clasifica tus archivos con rapidez
