Clear Taskbar of Inactive Windows

How much does it take to close a bunch of applications minimized in Windows taskbar? It is a simple operation requiring just a right-click routine and picking the “Close” option. But closing multiple apps at once has never been among the choices. JustCloseSomeTasks gives you the possibility to automatically select a set of inactive windows and with a single click of the mouse close them all.

The benefit of this software may not get too many users hyped, but those handling great numbers of software apps realize the importance of a better taskbar management. On Vista and XP this can be achieved either by expanding the taskbar and thus diminishing the desktop space and breaking the natural appearance of the desktop (by making it look at least weird for some users) or by using a third-party taskbar manager that can automatically group similar windows under one tab, allowing you to re-order the apps in the taskbar. If the latter option sounds more appealing, TaskbarShuffle is the program for you.

However, it will not permit you to close multiple apps with one click of a button. JustCloseSomeTasks is the deal you're looking for. It is a freebie that lets you close inactive tasks thus saving precious taskbar space. The utility can come in handy for users who forget to close some apps despite the fact that they are scarcely used, if at all.

JustCloseSomeTasks is no complicated piece of software (it is actually a script) and working with it resumes to starting it, checking on the last activity time of opened applications and choosing which ones should be terminated. The program is portable so it can be camped on a removable drive and used on any computer you stick the drive into. All its settings are stored in the application folder and returning to the defaults requires a simple deletion of the settings.ini file.

The main application window displays all current tasks and the time elapsed from the last point of activity. Time is expressed in seconds and after a specific value (default is 360) a check to mark inactivity will appear. You can also check other apps on your own and on clicking the “Close Tasks” button terminate them all at once. The order of the windows is according to their inactivity time: the longer it is the further down the list they go.

More to be said on inactivity time is the fact that it automatically adjusts itself according to when you close the tasks from the program. That is, if you decide to terminate a task before the inactivity time to be checked for closure is reached, the app will automatically recalculate it and drop it to a lower average. The opposite happens if closure is delayed after the default inactivity time has passed.

Despite the fact that it is a simple application, JustCloseSomeTasks provides a context menu in the task window. It comes in extremely handy if you want to exclude an application from being affected by JustCloseSomeTasks, either for the current session or permanently. Additional options permit bringing a selected app to the front or send it to the back as well as close it altogether.

Truth be told, though the options are pretty good, it would have been nice to have a function that allowed per application automatic closing once a user-defined expiry time was set.

The Preferences panel accessible from the right click of JustCloseSomeTasks' tray icon presents you with the choice of setting a hotkey for calling the program as well as setting the inactivity time interval to elapse until tasks are marked for closure. For those who will grow fond of the software the developer made available the possibility to start it with Windows.

During our testing on Vista the pitfalls continued to appear when we tried to access the Preferences menu after several refreshes of the application (simply double click the tray icon for an updated inactivity time of the tasks). It would pop up showing only the three window management buttons (Minimize, Restore and Close) and the application icon.

Again, defying its simplicity, JustCloseSomeTasks provides brief statistics on the number of tasks closed and the current task expiration date. The window can be accessed from the “File” menu of the main application window.

JustCloseSomeTasks is an AutoHotKey script that can come in extremely handy to some users but, unfortunately, it needs further polishing and testing as based on our tests it proved to be highly unstable. But it will close multiple windows at once with no trouble as long as there is no file to be saved or any pop up window to appear. Looking on the bright side, JustCloseSomeTasks manages to provide a pretty wide array of options given its simplicity.

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