This customization app changed the way I work on Windows

I love an organized desktop. There’s just something about a cluttered screen that makes it harder to stay focused on the task at hand. It’s like the knowledge of the clutter sits at the corner of my mind, taunting me. Or maybe I just get distracted easily.

Either way, I’ve tried a slew of different desktop customization apps. I went with Rainmeter for a long time, but support has started to dry up and the community is less active than before. I discovered Fences next, and this little program is exactly what I was looking for. It automatically organizes desktop icons and makes it easy to sort through all the options (and delete those I no longer need). There’s also a slew of customization features that make it ideal for personalization.

Items are sorted automatically, and with a comprehensive set of rules

A place for everything and everything in its place

When you first activate Fences, it automatically sorts your desktop into four categories: Downloads, Programs, Folders, and Files & Documents. Almost everything was where it should have been, too. Two games on my desktop — Palia and Delta Force — were sorted into the Files & Documents section, but a deeper look at their properties shows they’re both classified as Internet shortcuts rather than applications. It seems that Steam shortcuts aren’t classified as an application, but correcting the issue is as simple as clicking and dragging it to the right place.

Those are just the default settings, though. Inside the Fences menu, under the Rules category, I can set much more extensive scenarios. These include creating rules based on type, name, target, and time, and size. Multiple rules can be stacked on one another, too.

Let’s use the Steam shortcuts as an example. Most application icons are at least one kilobyte in size, but Steam shortcuts tend to be around 223 bytes or so. Both Palia and Delta Force are that size, while Wallpaper Engine — another Steam shortcut on my desktop — is 222. Rounding up, I created a custom rule that any icons under 230 bytes in size and whose target contained “Steam” would go into the Programs fence automatically.

I can set up a series of custom rules and adjust the order those rules are applied to perfectly sort my desktop, including new icons.

I am not limited to a single desktop

My desktop is like a Russian nesting doll

I don’t mean multiple monitors, either. If I run out of space on one desktop for new Fences, I can activate the Pages function and quickly swap to a new, blank desktop. I know: any minimalists reading this are probably screaming right now. Keeping a desktop void of icons is in vogue, but I’m old-school. I like my desktop icons, but I like them organized. The Pages feature is easy to use, and a good way to divide a mixed-use computer into “work” and “play” modes.

Like I said earlier, I’m easily distracted. When I’m working on a project (this article, for instance), I don’t need a game taunting me to play when I’m supposed to be focused. I could create a new page that only includes applications I use for work, like WPS Office and GIMP, and keep it pulled up during the work day. When I’m finished with everything I need to do, moving back to the page with all the game icons on it is as easy as clicking and dragging from the edge of my desktop or clicking both mouse buttons at the same time.

There are actually five different ways to move from one page to another, and Fences allows users to enable or disable animations or screen bounce when switching. I can also choose to sync pages with Windows Virtual Desktops for even more functionality.

Changing resolutions doesn’t affect my layout

It doesn’t move, just like an actual fence

One my biggest gripes with Rainmeter was that switching to a monitor with a different resolution, or even just changing the resolution of my desktop, would scatter my layout like dandelions in the wind. Fences doesn’t have that same downside. I can choose to maintain my layout on a per-monitor basis, regardless of whether I have a single or multi-monitor setup. It extends those same options to keeping icons spaced evenly, with the choice to adjust how wide the spacing is and how icons should be grouped when moving.

In addition, I can create automatic backups each day, and Fences will store the seven most recent backups. I can easily return to a layout with just a few clicks.

The downside? It’s not cheap

Fences is paid software

Fences costs $10 per year, or $30 for a lifetime subscription. That cost goes up if you’re purchasing multiple licenses at once. The “best value” option is a $40 per year subscription that includes multiple other applications, so while it does offer more bang for the buck, it’s pricier, and there’s not an option for a lifetime subscription. Fences is useful, but I feel like the cost is too high for a desktop manager.

On the flip side, if you purchase Fences, you’ll get free updates to the latest version of the application for the life of the software. As long as the team is still developing the software, you’ll have access to all its features and any that are added in the future. Stardock first launched Fences in 2009, so the team has been going strong for 16 years now.

Plus, there’s a 30-day free trial. You can test the software out without spending a dime, and it doesn’t even require a credit card to download. That means no sneaky subscription payments when you forget to cancel; instead, you’ll be prompted to purchase the software to continue using it.

It’s like a white picket fence for my desktop

With Fences, my desktop is much more organized, and I don’t have to think about it when I add a new icon. Gone are the days of manually sorting icons into arbitrary groups that could vanish with a system update or a misclick. The number of times I’ve accidentally organized by name or file type haunts me, but Fences eliminates that concern.