sDock

Perhaps one of the most important features of modern operating systems remains the compatibility with a broad range of third-party programs designed for older OS versions that can alter not just the look and feel of the graphical interface, but also the functionality. While Linux remains the most flexible variant in terms of customization out of the box, Windows can achieve a similar level through apps the likes of sDock.

In an attempt to ensure the end product can comply with a large variety of consumer requirements, many pieces of software tend to prioritize function over form, with the latter receiving more attention only recently through the introduction of deeper customization layers after dark mode finally became mainstream enough for widespread adoption by app and OS developers alike.

When it comes to Microsoft’s flagship operating system, despite its latest iteration’s lack of certain tweaking options such as snapping the taskbar to any of the screen’s four margins, many legacy capabilities are still present, such as hiding it unless the cursor is focused on it. This lets you manually replace it with an alternative that matches your personal taste without losing out on its pivotal functionality.

Once installed, starting up the app summons a transparent dock that users can populate with shortcuts to the programs of their choice. Adding items can be done by dragging and dropping existing shortcuts and folders from the desktop or other directory through the File Explorer unto its operational area at the bottom of the screen.

Hovering over the newly implemented icons slowly increases their size and displays the title for differentiating between two different Chrome browser profiles, for instance. Apps whose default icons happen to be of a lower quality can have custom ones implemented to prevent eye-sores. Finally, not only can apps’ titles, paths and arguments be changed, but selecting and holding down on an item lets you reorder them as well.

Whether you happen to be transitioning from macOS to Windows for work-related reasons or you simply wish to have larger icons for use with touch-screen devices, sDock’s ability to increase the icon size and zoom value may be the right tool for the job.