DockFolders

Not all files and folders are created equal, and we all have certain elements on our drives we deem more important than others, or that we simply access often. One way to get to them faster is by pinning them to Quick Access in File Explorer, but even then, it's not the most efficient of workflows.

A nice alternative would be to access those files from your toolbar somehow, and thankfully, DockFolders addresses that by providing a hassle-free way to allow users to get to their most-used files.

This is a quite straightforward program, designed to help users get to their files and folders of importance quicker, made possible by the tray functionality. The installation is nothing out of the ordinary, and so is operating the software: everything just works as you would expect, with no (negative) surprises.

Clicking the program's tray icon will initially show you the contents of your Documents folder — the respective folder can later be changed in the settings. Upon clicking the tray icon, the program triggers a zoom-in effect that can be distracting for some, but it can be disabled right away. Accompanying the effect is also a sound cue, which can likewise be disabled.

After that, the contents of your chosen folders will be displayed, and you can launch executables, open images, documents, and so on, right from the tray.

The hotkey is not toggled on by default: you'll have to enable it in the settings. Afterwards, pressing Shift+Ctrl+F1 will bring up your files from the tray, just as if you were to press the icon.

An interesting design decision was adding a curvature of sorts to the item list: this can be modified to your liking in the Preferences.

DockFolder is a simple, quite fancy-looking solution to help users more readily access their often-used files. Try it out for yourself, and you might want to integrate it into your workflows.