One of my favorite Windows utilities, Fences, got an update recently, and is now available on Steam. For those who are unfamiliar with this “must have” utility, it allows the end-user to draw out a “fenced in” area on the desktop, apply sorting rules, and apply general tidiness to their desktop. It’s a must for anyone that has to deal with multiple file-types, document formats, or things that need temporary sorting from the desktop. The new update really seems to only add a couple of new things to this beloved utility, better Windows 11 support and “Peek.”
Stardock claims improved Windows 10 support as well, although I’ve not had any issues with the previous version, Fences 3. However, in Windows 11, the animation of opening fences seems smoother than with the earlier iteration. While the improvements could all just be under the hood, this is a daily use kind of utility, and that warrants keeping it up to date.
The new feature “Peek,” adds a new keyboard shortcut “Windows” + “Space” to bring the fences to the front of the screen, making it easier to access the files, folders, and applications stored there.* Furthermore, it does so without minimizing windows or any other “hacky” work around. The new “Peek” feature fits in well with the other features of Fences, which are all designed to make organization a breeze. To put it in gaming terms, it’s inventory sorting for your desktop.
It’s great that development of Fences is on-going, and even more-so that they are continuing to have releases on Steam. You can find out more about Fences at the Stardock website and their Steam Store Page.
*Some Lenovo owners may need to use the settings to change the Peek shortcut, since that is a common command for turning on/off the keyboard light.