TAGO Fences is a free application that lets you keep your desktop clean and organized by grouping icons, files and folders into virtual containers known as fences. It’s a very simple and elegant way of ensuring a clutter-free desktop, plus the fences flawlessly blend into any type of desktop layout.
Installation & Requirements
TAGO Fences has a speedy, adware-free setup with only a few basic settings required. Once the software is installed all you have to do is agree with the License Terms and you can run TAGO Fences right away.
Concerning system requirements, this tiny application runs on both old and new Windows operating systems as follows: Windows Me, XP, 2003, Vista, Server 2008, 7 and 8.
Interface
It’s hard not to notice the strong resemblance of TAGO Fences with Fences, the commercial application created by Stardock. The “fence” concept and functionality as well as the Welcome screen that offers options of creating fences automatically or manually are very similar with the ones provided by Fences.
The creation of a fence is quite simple: drag the mouse on the desktop to create a container and click on the “Add Fence” option. Then, you can drag and drop into the fence any desktop items you want. Any “fence” can be easily resized and moved. Other customization options you can find in the fence’s context menu. These include sorting icons, changing the fence colors, edit the title and change the header’s location. You can also resize items, making your desktop icons appear larger or smaller as you prefer. There’s only one problem with this option: your choice is not preserved. The default size is 25 and you cannot change it permanently. So every time you create a new fence you’ll have to manually change the item size, unless you’re satisfied with the default value.
The program also adds two white dots at the bottom edge of the desktop screen. You can switch between them to see your desktop with/without fences. Also, your original desktop layout will not be changed. All icons will remain in their original location even if you add them to fences. A simple double-click on a blank area of the screen will make them show/disappear. As a result you can easily go back and forth between your classic desktop and “fenced” desktop view.
TAGO Fences runs in the system tray and the dedicated icon has a context menu from where you can access the program’s settings. Some of the most interesting settings include the possibility of syncing desktop shortcuts with their real files. If you delete the real file, its shortcut will also be automatically removed. You can set your fences to auto collapse and stay hidden until you mouse over them. The show/hide fences and show/hide desktop icons also have keyboard shortcuts which can be customized in the same settings menu.
Pros
– Free to use with no adware or third-party applications included.
– Allows you to create an unlimited number of fences.
– Automated fence creation groups icons into different fences based on their type.
– Users can easily switch between their old desktop view and the new fenced one via mouse and keyboard shortcuts.
– Fences can be set to auto-collapse showing only their title bars.
– Users can resize, move and change the fences’ colors and titles.
Cons
– Modified settings in the fence context menu are not preserved. Users have to perform the same settings over and over for each fence.
Conclusion
TAGO Fences offers a free solution for those who seek to have a well-organized desktop, in a clean minimalistic manner. This lightweight application will tidy up your desktop and goes well with any wallpaper, theme and other visual customizations.
