Just repeat these steps for each of your icon groups, as shown in Figure D. Then, use the Text tool to add a title to the top of the group. Now, select an appropriate color, choose the Rectangle or Rounded Rectangle tool, and frame the first group of icons. That way, you can edit the working template and keep the backup in case you mess up and want to start all over. Before you begin editing the image, I suggest that you save the image file twice–once as a backup and once as a working template. Next, launch Paint, maximize the window, and then press Ctrl + V to paste the image of your desktop in Paint’s workspace. To take a screen shot of your desktop, close all open applications and press the key to place an image of your desktop in the clipboard. While you can use any graphics program you want, Windows’ native Paint program will do just fine. You can then use this image as the foundation on which to create the template.
Begin by taking a screen shot of your desktop and pasting the image into your graphics program. Once you’ve organized the icons on your desktop, you’ll need to create a template for your virtual program groups wallpaper.
SEE: 20 pro tips to make Windows 10 work the way you want (free TechRepublic PDF) Figure C In this example system I arranged the 42 desktop icons into seven logical categories.Īfter arranging the desktop icons, I came up with the seven names to use as the titles for my virtual program groups: You’ll notice that I decided to leave the Recycle Bin outside the virtual program groups. On my example system, I had 42 icons on the desktop, which I was able to arrange into seven logical categories, as shown in Figure C. Figure B Make sure that the Align To Grid option is enabled. To do so, right-click on the desktop, access the View submenu, and make sure that the Align To Grid option is enabled, as shown in Figure B. Once you’ve settled on a layout, you’ll need to align the icons horizontally and vertically according to the desktop’s internal spacing grid. As you do so, jot down some names that you can assign to each of the categories. Next, you’ll simply drag the icons around on the desktop and arrange them into categories. To begin, you’ll want to remove any existing wallpaper and set the background to a solid color. The first step in implementing the virtual program groups technique is to plan the desktop layout. SEE: Introduction to Windows 10 Bundle (TechRepublic Academy) Getting started You can then arrange icons on the desktop according to the structure displayed by the wallpaper.
How to enable access to god-mode in Microsoft Windows 11Įssentially, this technique is an organizational system in which you use a graphics application, such as Paint, to create a wallpaper image that displays a grouping structure on the desktop. How to find your Windows 11 product key: 3 simple methods Kaspersky uncovers fileless malware inside Windows event logs
Get Microsoft Office for Windows with this lifetime license To give you with the best of both worlds–that is, the ability to use the desktop as an application launching system and still keep your icons as organized as they are on the Start menu–I’ve devised a technique I call virtual program groups. Figure A Even with all its faults, Program Manager provided a nice desktop-based organizational structure. Program Manager did have its drawbacks, but it offered a nice organizational structure, called Program Groups, for organizing icons ( Figure A). Back in the days of Windows 3.x, the main application launching platform, Program Manager, was basically a bunch of icons on the desktop. The idea of placing icons on the desktop is not a new one. However, I’ve often encountered desktops that are so cluttered with icons that it’s nearly impossible for the user to locate the one they’re looking for. Of course, having the icons appear on the desktop can make launching applications a snap. If so, you may have chosen to save shortcuts to your applications right on the desktop.
Lots of Windows 10 users out there simply despise the new Start menu as well as the full Start screen.
For more info, visit our Terms of Use page. This may influence how and where their products appear on our site, but vendors cannot pay to influence the content of our reviews. We may be compensated by vendors who appear on this page through methods such as affiliate links or sponsored partnerships. Start menu haters, take note: This simple technique can turn your desktop into an efficient, organized application launcher. How to bypass the Windows 10 Start menu with virtual program groups