CNET Editors' review
Desktop Icon Toy is a fun and useful utility that allows users to customize the display of their desktop icons. The program combines a variety of features in an easy-to-use format.
The program's interface consists of a slide-out menu that's accessed from the system tray, with the program's features neatly arranged within. The online Help file doesn't go into much detail about the program's features, but most of them are fairly self-explanatory, and users should be able to quickly figure them out. The less obvious features have tool-tip explanations that describe their functions. The program allows users to arrange their desktop icons into stars, hearts, polygons, and other shapes. We were particularly impressed with the clock option, which arranges icons into an analog clock that actually keeps time. Of course, this isn't the most practical feature, as it makes it hard to locate a given icon, but it's still cool. The program has more utilitarian options as well, such as the feature to align icons on the top, bottom, and sides of the desktop. There are also effects like animations, icon hiding, and text hiding that make this program both fun and useful. It was easy to play around with features and undo things we didn't like, making the program enjoyable to use, unlike many desktop customizations.
Desktop Icon Toy has a 14-day trial period, which is plenty of time for evaluation. It installs without issues but leaves a folder behind upon removal. We recommend this program to all users.
Publisher's Description
From iDeskSoft:
Desktop Icon Toy is a desktop icon enhancement tool that allows you to make many funny but useful things for your windows desktop icons. What cool things could you do with Desktop Icon Toy? Arrange Desktop Icons You can arrange desktop icons by many complex figures, like: Clock (all the icons will be aligned as a clock, showing the exact time) Circle, Cross, Around, Spiral, Horizontal Ellipse, Vertical Ellipse. Triangle, Rhombus, Pentagon, Hexagon. 4-pointed Star, 5-pointed Star, 6-pointed Star, Hearts Align to left, right, top or bottom. Animate Desktop Icons With Desktop Icon Toy, you could add a hover effect by placing the mouse over a desktop icon. This makes the icon dance. Mouse Gesture You can simply hold down the left mouse button in the empty area of desktop, and then move mouse to right (left, top or bottom) and release it. All icons will be arranged to right (left, top or bottom) Show/hide Desktop Icons or Icon Texts on Demand With Desktop Icon Toy, your desktop icons or icon texts could be always hidden. And only would be shown when you really need them (like click desktop, mouse over desktop or over desktop icons). Now, you could be always enjoying your beautiful wallpaper. Hide Desktop Icon Texts You can remove the classic ugly text of desktop icons, optional, instead of a cool pop-up tooltip. The whole desktop will become neat and tidy. Lock Desktop Icons Besides save and restore icons layout, Desktop Icon Toy also allows you to lock the desktop icons. Don't worry about carelessly moving your icons again. Other Features Save different icons' layout according to different screen resolution. Save multiple layouts by different layout names. Automatically re-layout/restore-layout when change screen resolution, or add/delete icons. Remove desktop icon shortcut overlay. Transparent background of desktop icon texts. Change the font color and background color of desktop icon texts.
What's new in this version: 1. Improved - Significantly improved hover effect performance. 2.Improved - By default, 64 bit version will install into "Program Files", instead of "Program Files (x86)". 3.Fixed - Animation layout not work if there are too many icons (more than 100) on desktop
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All versions:
4.4 starsout of 10 votes
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Current version:
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Results 1-10 of 10
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"Lets you set desktop icon background color in Win7-yay!"
Version: Desktop Icon Toy 4.5
Pros
Lets you customize almost anything you can think of concerning your desktop icons. If you have a picture as your desktop, the transparent icon backgrounds can be a pain. This lets you set any color you want, or leave transparent.
Cons
Not all features are intuitive. Some settings seem to revert to default if you play with Windows icon settings. But I'm still mastering this. Well worth giving the program a chance. It does so much that you need to play with it!
Summary
Wndows XP lets you customize the background of your desktop icons, but Windows 7 did away with this essential feature. If you have a picture (especially a busy one) set as your desktop, transparent icon backgrounds can be a pain.This utility restores full control over your icons, including background transparency and color. Well worth it!
Update: I have meanwhile (reluctantly) uninstalled the program. Unfortunately, every so often all the icons get rearranged and shifted to the right side of my desktop, for no known reason. No amount of tweaking the 'layout' options corrected the problem, and ultimately, this became too great a nuisance to bear. Very sad.
Updated on Sep 27, 2011 -
"Complete program for work with your icons."
Version: Desktop Icon Toy 4.0
Pros
Contains huge number of functions to make every icon on your desktop customized. For every user's taste. You can arrange icons to almost every shape which comes to your mind.
Cons
Nothing now.
Summary
My bottom line is: with this nice program you can do everything with your desktop and icons, you just need to be creative. With a little dosage of creativeness you can be a real "surgeon" to make your desktop looking good. Program with aesthetic purpose.
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"really worth dowloading this"
Version: Desktop Icon Toy 4.0
Pros
very attractive easy to manage
Cons
nothing to describe as such
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"A much needed program"
Version: Desktop Icon Toy 4.0
Pros
I like to have full screen wallpapers that I create and don't want icons obstructing the view.
Cons
Can't think of anything.
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"Works well, until you reboot."
Version: Desktop Icon Toy 3.3
Pros
"Align To Top" arranged my icons horizontally (the way I wanted).
Cons
Start Posiition options and Save layout are useless. My icons reverted to the Windows default after reboot.
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"Good Potential"
Version: Desktop Icon Toy 3.3
Pros
Good Interface, easy to install.
Cons
None at this time.
Summary
This looks like a fun,and useful utility. Unfortunately I'am not able to give a possitive review. It won't work on my Vista Premium 64bit Operating System. I would recommend you to download it and try it. It would be a Dream on WindowsXP 32bit.
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"If you like icons buy it I did."
Version: Desktop Icon Toy 3
Pros
You can hide the text under the icons and rearange them into fantastic shapes and paterns .My favorite was a clock that worked , and could be customize.
Cons
A little unstable.
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"plz help"
Version: Desktop Icon Toy 2.1
Pros
sorry but dus it have any viruss i'm, very scared now cinced smiley central destroyed my other computer :(
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"very funy"
Version: Desktop Icon Toy 1.5
Pros
this is the best program
Cons
unik
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"Cool, funny tool"
Version: Desktop Icon Toy 1.4
Pros
A fantastic program.
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