Hacksar

Does the clutter of the taskbar below look familiar to you?

If you’re anything like me, your taskbar probably is constantly cluttered. I find that whenever I’m working on some intense project (whether it’s making a website or just some research paper), my taskbar seems to just explode with various programs. They’re all different programs, so I can’t even group them; eventually, it becomes difficult to even read what file is open where, so sometimes even just alt-tabbing to the right program becomes difficult. Many times, you don’t need all of the programs at the same time, but they still need to be running. (The classic example is iTunes, or whatever music player you use. You don’t actually look at the program if it’s on random shuffle all, but it still needs to be running.)

Thankfully, there’s an incredibly light program called TrayIt! that lets you minimize any program to the system tray. (That’s the little set of icons found next to the clock in the bottom right of Windows.) Keep reading for the step-by-step guide on how to set up and use this cool program.

1. Go to the TrayIt! website and download (link goes to v4.6.5.5) the program.
2. TrayIt is also a small, portable application that doesn’t need any installation. Just drag both TrayIt!.exe and TrayIt!.dll into any folder you want (even a flashdrive for you on-the-go folks).
3. Run TrayIt!.exe. The first time you do, it’ll give a short explanation on how to use it along with the choice to start it up at startup.
4. I strongly advise allowing TrayIt! to run on startup because it’s such a small program, you won’t notice any performance changes. (For those of you technically inclined, the exe has a 820 kb footprint on my system – that’s nothing.)
5. Now, all you have to do to minimize any window is to press control while you click the same minimize button found at the top right of every window. It will remove the program from the taskbar and add it to your system tray.
6. To bring a window back up, just click on the system tray icon of that program. It’s as simple as that.
7. If you want the program to perpetually be in the system tray, you can minimize it by control clicking minimize, and then right clicking on the icon and selecting the “Place in system tray” option.

TrayIt! is a free, light program that helps you save space on your taskbar.

Another benefit of TrayIt! is that it can be useful for more secretive business, such as to hide windows or programs that shouldn’t be open. If you’re at work and need to unwind with some MineSweeper, TrayIt! gives you the ability to minimize the program to your system tray if your boss ever walks over. Sometimes, just minimizing the program isn’t enough since your gaming endeavors will be betrayed by the large MINESWEEPER labeled box in the taskbar. Your boss may notice the game if he/she glances at your screen, but almost nobody thinks of checking the system tray. Even if they do, all they’ll see is the icon. Face it, if your boss can identify a game just by glancing at its 16×16 pixel image from 10 feet behind you, you’re in more trouble than just for playing games.

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