Simple OSX style Folder Stacks in Windows 7

admin — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 19:08:57 +0000

We were surprised that we couldn’t easily add folders to the taskbar when we moved to Windows 7. This seemed like a natural fit, but as near as we can tell is absent.

First off, we should point out that the easiest way to add folders to the taskbar is through the explorer application which is by default pinned to the taskbar. Right clicking on any folder in the frequent list will give you an option to pin it to the menu. Obviously, clicking on the thumbtack does the same thing. The thing that annoys us is that we can’t find a way to pin a folder outside of the jumplist.

We had written about another way to simulate a clean hack to display a hierarchical menu in Windows XP. This same technique works fine in Windows 7 and allows quick access to common folders. We are quick to admit that it may not have the graphical pizazz but it is certainly effective. It also, most importantly, doesn’t require any application launchers.

Simply create a folder anywhere in your file system. This folder will hold shortcuts to your common folders. Inside this folder drag or create shortcuts to your folders that you frequently access. If you want to categorize your shortcuts, no problem. Just create another folder and then add more shortcuts inside of the new folder. An example folder from our machine looks like this.

Once you are done adding your shortcuts, you need to get it on to the taskbar. All we have to do is right-click and select Toolbars -> New Toolbar. This gives us an option to select a folder. It is here that we select our folder full of shortcuts. A note: It seems that it is best to add the new toolbar with the taskbar locked. If the taskbar is not locked and then you decide to lock it at a later time, part of the first shortcut’s icon peeks out.

Once complete, you should see the name of the folder with your shortcuts next to a double arrow. Clicking on the arrows, will display your popup menu. Clicking on folders that have submenus will popout their respective shortcuts.

The Leprechaun Works, LLC » taskbar

Simple OSX style Folder Stacks in Windows 7