Taskbar Shuffle

This simple freeware application has two functions, but it does them exceedingly well. It allows you to drag-and-drop programs on your taskbar for quick reorganization, and it extends the feature to the system tray when you hold down the Control key and then drag-and-drop. Although previous versions seemed to have some installation quirks, v2.5 installed absent of any problems. During setup, Taskbar Shuffle gives you the option to install an access point in your Start Menu, but it can also be accessed by right-clicking on its system tray icon.

The Options menu feels lean, except that for what’s essentially a one-trick program it’s got quite a robust set of choices. You can set it to launch at startup, to show a splash screen at startup so you don’t forget it’s running, and the system tray icon is optional. You can also have it automatically group similar program icons together under one umbrella button, or set it to group similar apps live side-by-side but never hidden.

Users can also use Taskbar Shuffle to set a middle-click close program feature for the mouse, and even the system tray function key, default to Control, can be altered to one of five others. If you decide not to go with a taskbar replacement dock, Taskbar Shuffle can work wonders for anybody stressed about the chaotic placement of minimized programs in both Windows XP and Vista.