Folder Marker Pro

Lots of productivity tools promise to help you look after your folders, but few go as far as Folder Marker Pro, or in such a basic yet effective way. Folder Marker Pro lets you change any folder's icon or color to indicate its contents, priority, hierarchy, or even loyalty (team colors, anyone?). Color-coding looks great and works great, too. It's much easier to learn than any other "personal organizer" or folder manager, because it's your own scheme.

Such a basic and intuitive idea deserves a basic and intuitive interface, and Folder Marker Pro follows through with a compact, tabbed dialog that lets you view and choose icons and colors. It's totally easy: In field 1, which is marked "Folder," browse to your folder. In field 2, Folder Icon, choose a new icon for your folder. Click "Apply." You're done! Folder Marker Pro makes the change in Windows, and your new icon appears anywhere the plain old manila folder did. Check boxes let you apply changes to subfolders and make your customized folder distributable. Language options and a good Help file are available, too.

So what kind of folder icons does Folder Marker Pro offer? Too many to describe; everything from Priority indicators, Star Ratings, and Accepted and Rejected folders -- though the Teddy Bear and Heart markers show it's not all business! Icons are grouped under tabs labeled "Additional," "Colors," "Everyday," "Main," and "User Icons" (for your own custom icons). Plenty of colors are available, though a color picker tool would be welcome, especially since this is shareware. Many more icons are available with a paid license, which also adds capabilities that the free trial version lacks. Folder Marker Pro combines a great idea, easy execution, and widespread application in one easy-to-use tool.

Editors' note: This is a review of the trial version of Folder Marker Pro 4.1.