Organize your desktop like magic!

Desktop Fences + creates virtual fences on your desktop, allowing you to group and organize icons in a clean and convenient way. With enhanced visual effects and right-click options, it aims to provide a more polished and customizable user interface.

Desktop Fences+ is an open-source alternative to Stardock Fences, originally created by HakanKokcu under the name BirdyFences.

This project is a continuation and substantial modification of the original BirdyFences codebase, which was licensed under the MIT License at the time of forking.

Desktop Fences+ has been significantly enhanced and optimized for improved performance, stability, and user experience, while respecting the terms of the original license and acknowledging the original author.

$\color{red}{\text{A simple how to use guide is located here:}}$ https://github.com/limbo666/DesktopFences/blob/main/desktop_fences_simple_manual.md

$\color{red}{\text{Also some advanced usage tips:}}$ https://github.com/limbo666/DesktopFences/blob/main/TIPS.md

Read them before starting an issue.

If this project has helped you, please consider supporting its development! Your contribution directly impacts how fast and far this project grows.

Maintaining and improving this tool takes time, effort, and resources. Donations help me:

• Dedicate more time to fixing bugs and adding features

• Cover the cost of tools (like AI assistance that speeds up development)

• Stay motivated and keep pushing the project forward

🚀 Your support literally drives the pace of development — the more help I get, the more I can deliver!

☕ Buy me a coffee

💡 Help cover my AI subscription

Even small contributions mean a lot. Thank you for keeping this project alive and evolving! 🙏

• Improved Performance and Stability
• Fence JSON File now placed in the same directory as the executable
• First Fence Line is created automatically during the first execution
• Program Icon added
• Error Handlers for Move actions, Program execution, Empty or invalid JSON files

• Tray Icon indicates the application is running
• Program Exit Option in the tray icon’s context menu
• New Fence Creation at mouse location for intuitive placement
• About Screen
• Shortcuts no longer depend on original shortcut files
• Execution Arguments of original shortcuts are preserved
• Target Type Detection with proper error handling
• Visual Effects on icon click and icon removal
• Right-Click Context Menu for Icons with: Run as Administrator (when applicable), Copy Path, Find Target
• Folder Icon Appearance fixed
• Broken Link Detection on startup and updated every second
• Automatic JSON Format Updater for existing fences.json
• Fences No Longer Take Focus from other windows when clicked
• Options Window to: Enable/disable snap function, Set tint level, Select base color
• Options Saved in options.json
• Manual Backup Mechanism: Saves fences and shortcuts to a backups subfolder
• Logging Option for diagnostics
• Selectable Launch Effects: Zoom, Bounce, Fadeout, SlideUp, Rotate, Agitate
• Run at Windows Startup option

• Added: Custom animation selection for each fence
• Added: Custom background color selection for each fence
• Fixed: 🐛 Bug on fence movement across multiscreen systems #2
• Changed: Start with windows option moved under Options window
• Fixed: Passing argument in Run as administrator selection
• Fixed: 🐛 Bug on portal fences causing program crash on startup when target folder is missing
• Changed: Code improvements on log function
• Added: Basic Hide function for each fence

• Added: ❤️ Heart menu to separate right click menu item on fences
• Added: Function to undo fence deletion (Restore fence)
• Fixed: 🐛 Bug on fence removal causing program to crash
• Changed: Lot of menus, descriptions, and other visual elements changed.
• Added: Number overlay on tray icon that indicates number of the hidden fences

• Changed: Background color codes
• Added: More background colors
• Added: More launch effects (I ♥ Elastic)
• Fixed: 🐛 Bug on context menus items unchecking behavior
• Fixed: 🐛 Bug on customization where changes were not applied into fences under same name
• Added: Random name generator for new fences instead of the dull "New Fence"
• Added: Custom delete confirmation message box

• Added: Restore for previously backed up configurations
• Added: Reload all Fences function
• Added: Tooltips on options window
• Added: Restore hidden fences to their hidden status on startup
• Added: Temporarily hide function for all fences (show desktop) on tray icon double click, restore with double click

• Added: Snap to Dimension function for better size alignment
• Added: Export Fence and Import Fence options to help move fences across systems. Few exported fences can be found here
• Added: Ability to get icons from dll libraries or executables on under Edit Requested on #1
• Changed: All message boxes changed to internal themed ones to follow mouse position across multimonitor systems
• Changed: Some theming correction on message boxes.
• Added: Sound on custom message box appearance.

• Fixed: 🐛 Bug on Start with Windows. The program now displays shortcuts correctly #6
• Fixed: 🐛 Bug with Options and About screen that misplaced controls on scaled displays #5
• Added: Function to display fences which are saved out of screen bounds (restored from other systems).

• Fixed: 🐛 Bug on Portal Fences created by misuse of FileSystemWatcher. The program now updates target files as renamed, removed. #3
• Added: Context menu items for Portal Fences and items. Now user is able to copy target file path or shortcut destination path and open Portal Fence target folder from right click.

• Added: Option to show/hide tray icon (requested on #9). Attention: Hiding tray icon means you don't have access to: showing hidden fences and hiding/showing fences by double clicking on tray icon.
• Added: Option to show/hide portal fences watermark (requested on #11).
• Added: Option to use recycle bin when deleting files or folders using portal fences right click menu.
• Added: Lock function to fences (requested on #9).
• Changed: 🔨🔩🔧 Large refactoring on Log code to organize and filter logs.
• Changed: Options window redesigned for better user experience.
• Fixed: 🐛 Bug on custom message box with wrong color selection.
• Added: "Peek Behind" right click selection to make fences to reveal desktop contents behind them for 10 seconds.

• Added: Rollup function when Ctrl + Click on Fence title (📝 Use CTRL + click).
• Added: Function to filter hidden files on Portal Fences (request #13 and possibly fixing #14 as well).

• Changed: Delete Fence option moved to Heart context menu
• Fixed: 🐛 Bug on handling shortcuts targeting web links.
• Added: New icon for shortcuts targeting web links.
• Changed: Target check mechanism to prevent errors.
• Added: Indicator for network based files.

• Added: Function to re-order icons within a fence (#15). 📝 Use CTRL + drag.

• Changed: 🔨🔩🔧 Major code refactoring.
• Added: 🎇 Four new launch effects.

• Added: Error Handles on JSON loading for better stability against corrupted fences.json files
• Changed: Portal Fences are named after the target folder upon creation.
• Changed: Minor interface improvements for systems with resolution scaling enabled.
• Fixed: 🐛 Handling of shortcuts with unicode characters.
• Changed: Improved stability of filesystem watcher for portal fences.
• Added: Rename option for files on portal fences.
• Added: Lot of tweaks user can set by editing JSON files.

• Changed: Major changes to existing windows messages and other forms.
• Changed: 🔨🔩🔧 Another massive source code refactoring.
• Added: Customize window, available on fence context menu of each fence that allow user to tweak all available options.
• Removed: ❌ Customization submenus for effects and colors from context menu.
• Fixed: 🐛 Bug on Unicode folder icon.

• Fixed: 🐛 🪲 A majority of minor bugs and annoyances

• Added: Program made single instance (with a twist 😃).
• Added: "Clear Dead Shortcuts" right click option to remove all not valid shortcuts from a fence.
• Added: "Send To Desktop" right click option to copy a shortcut to desktop (📝 Use CTRL + right click).
• Added: "Copy and Paste" options to copy items across fences.
• Fixed: 🐛 All forms were redesigned and made dpi aware to work under monitors with scaling enabled.
• Added: Message boxes accepted Enter and Esc as validation.
• Added: Variables can be set on options.json to manual tweak program. 🐉 See tweaks.
• Changed: Target launch mechanism. This probably will fix most common launch errors. #24
• Changed: 🔨🔩🔧 Another source code refactoring.
• Added: Option to disable Fence scrollbars. #21
• Fixed: 🪲 🐛 Edit icon panel. Now arguments editing, icon preview, restore default settings bugs are eliminated.

• Fixed: 🐛 Folder name display for folder with dots on their name.
• Fixed: 🐛 Steam shortcuts support finally fixed #25.
• Added: Function to override Win + D key combination. Fences now re-appearing after Win + D is pressed #26.
• Added: Opacity change effect on Heart menu and Lock icons #31.
• Added: Option to select Menu icon and Lock icon (4 icons for each one) #31.
• Added: Option to set shortcut to "Always run as administrator".
• Added: Option to disable sound globally. 🔇 Requested on #40.
• Added: 🎇 Note fences (still a bit buggy but working).
• Changed: Double click on fence title scrolls up/down. Ctrl + Click enters rename mode. Requested on #38.

• Fixed: 🐛 Fences now are escaping the Windows Snap Assistant. #39
• Changed: Portal fences background image.
• Added: ☑️ Controls to new customization functions.
• Changed: Options window. Controls re-arranged. Added function to remember last tab used on options menu (during runtime).
• Changed: Start with Windows function changed into a more reliable approach. Now registry is used instead of startup folder. This possibly fixes the issue: 🐛 #29
• Fixed: 🐛 Failed to save new name bug. #45
• Added: Basic support for MS store based apps. This is a bare minimum implementation, no shortcut icon customization support. 🐞 Bugs expected to be found on this. #34
• Fixed: 🐛 Bug with program stability. Caused by icon updates and introduced during code migration.
• Fixed: 🐛 Bug with lost context menu on fence customization and dead shortcut cleanup. #27
• Added: ✨🔎📣 Search pane "SpotSearch" to search and quick launch shortcuts in all data fences. 🔥📝 Use hotkey CTRL+`
• Changed: 🔩 Some code refactoring.

• Added: ☑️ Update checker engine
• Fixed: 🐛 Missing functions from drop icon restored.
• Added: ⚙️ Additional tweaks to automate icon extraction to desktop on fence deletion and icon removal from desktop on drop to fences.

• Added: ☑️ Tweak to select a key combination for SpotSearch (~, title, space, q, F1)

• Changed: Initial startup values and fences. Added a short Note fence on first start for user information.
• Fixed: 🐛 Bug in the fence renaming escape mechanism.
• Added: ☑️ Tweak to show/hide file extensions on Portal Fences.
• Added: ☑️ Filters for Portal Fences.

• Changed: Portal Fence filters. Added predefined filters. Added a (hidden) option to disable wildcards.
• Added: ☑️ Filter history for Portal Fence filters.
• Fixed: �� Bug in tint application.

• Changed: 🎨 Customization window for Portal Fences now allows changes to icon size, icon text, etc., which were previously disabled.
• Changed: Snap logic improved for better Snap Near Fences functionality.
• Changed: 🆒 Right-click menu items on Data Fences are now populated dynamically and displayed only when actions are available.
• Added: ☑️ Ability for Portal Fences to display folders with their original customized icons.
• Added: ☑️ Daily automatic backup functionality.
• Added: ☑️ Cut and Copy options in the right-click menu for Portal Fence items.
• Added: ☑️ Reset and Clear All Data buttons in Options.

• Added: 💥 Tabs❕ 👋 Half of the tabs code was already present, but this release involved a long journey of debugging, stabilizing, and improving functionality to finally bring tabs to life.
• Fixed: 🐛 Minor bugs discovered during tab development. Overall program stability improved.
• Changed: Backup engine updated. The program now backs up and restores options.json (if selected during restore).

• Added: 🎨 Icon customization option for shortcuts targeting folders.
• Added: Support for rearranging icons on tabs using CTRL + Drag.

• Fixed: 💊 Visual glitches in various program functions.
• Fixed: 🐛 Missing context menu for weblinks dropped into fences.
• Added: 🎨 Icon customization option for shortcuts targeting weblinks. (This one was not easy.)

• Changed: Massive tab-related adjustments.
• Changed: Backup and Export/Import engine updated to support tabs.
• Fixed: 🐛 Several minor bugs.

• Changed: Heart Menu rearranged.
• Added: Tab overflow management and navigation mechanism.
• Fixed: 🐛 Bug in settings application from the Options window.

• Changed: Log engine optimized to reduce file system load.

• Added: Basic folder navigation for Portal Fences.
• Changed: Tab naming pattern.

• Added: ⤵️ Import tab function.
• Fixed: 🐛 Tab renaming bug fixed.

Desktop Fences + brings a powerful and visually optimized experience for users who want to organize their desktop with flexibility and style. The program is designed to enhance productivity by combining intuitive interactions, aesthetic customization, and practical right-click options.

Get the latest release here: https://github.com/limbo666/DesktopFences/releases

Simply extract the executable and run it. The necessary configuration files (fences.json, options.json) will be created on first run. Attention: Only user-writable locations are compatible. See (#51)

Compatible with Windows 10/11
No installation required — fully portable

This project is licensed under the MIT License.

Based on the original BirdyFences by HakanKokcu
Desktop Fences + is Enhanced and maintained by Nikos Georgousis. Hand Water Pump 2025