The words “creative” and “organized” are rarely used in the same sentence. Usually it is one or the other. However, often being creative can help you be organized and there are plenty of cases of that all throughout the Internet. One of those cases is right here on MakeUseOf in this very article. Perhaps you may think that coloring a folder is being organized, but combined with other organizational habits, it can change the way you manage your files.
Before we go any further, I want to suggest that you take a look at the MakeUseOf article Creating Order From Chaos: 9 Great Ideas For Managing Your Computer Files Creating Order From Chaos: 9 Great Ideas For Managing Your Computer Files Creating Order From Chaos: 9 Great Ideas For Managing Your Computer Files It's frustrating isn’t it when you can’t find that file? When you’ve searched every folder imaginable on your computer, and somehow it got lost….or worse, deleted. Now, there are excellent search tools for Windows that... Read More , which is an in-depth guide to organizing your folders and files the right way. Color-coding folders won’t really be that much of a benefit if your files and folders are otherwise in a messy disaster of confusion.
How Color-Coding Your Folders Can Make You More Organized
When you open up your Documents folder, does it look something like this?
Perhaps you have even more folders than what is pictured above. And if that’s the case, you likely have a hard time discerning between all of them. Color-coding folders comes in handy when you want a folder to “pop” out from the rest. There are certain things you can do to access a common folder more conveniently, such as adding it to the favorites sidebar or pinning it to the Windows Explorer icon in Windows 7. However, that too can’t be used too frequently or it becomes counterproductive.
What I suggest is a combination of organizational methods and integrating color-coding into your practices.
As you can see, the color-coded folders are significantly easier to spot.
Two Programs To Achieve One Task
There are actually three really good folder customization programs available. However through my research I ran into a bit of a snag and found that one of the programs (I’ll mention it later) isn’t compatible with Vista or Windows 7 (I suppose that means it’s not “really good” right?). I was quite bummed out about this.
Folder Colorizer
Folder Colorizer, created by Softorino, is a simple program that works great. I want to point out a couple quick “notices” about the program though before we jump into checking it out.
First, watch out for the “bloatware” when installing the program. Just be sure to uncheck the box.
Second, you must give them your email for special offers in order to use the program for free (to my knowledge there isn’t any paid option to bypass this). I tried clicking through this, but it wouldn’t work until I provided an email. Now, what you might try is using a temporary email address Five Free Temporary Email Services To Avoid Spam Five Free Temporary Email Services To Avoid Spam Read More .
Now on to the program itself. To start, simply right click on an already existing folder, hover over “Colorize!” and pick your color. It’s that simple. Note that you may need to refresh the window for changes to appear.
If you decide you no longer want a folder to be “colorized”, follow the same steps as if you were going to change the color, but click “Restore original color”.
But wait! There’s more! Folder Colorizer also provides a folder color manager which allows you to add and remove colors, as well as creating custom colors with the color wheel. To delete a color, hover over it and click the red “x”.
Despite the first couple bad impressions about the program during the setup process, I was quite pleased with the simplicity and accuracy. And really, “bloatware” is to be expected with a free program so I’m certainly not knocking it for that. It’s just good to be aware of and to not just install everything that’s in the installation process A Simple Checklist To Safely Installing Free Software Without All The Junk A Simple Checklist To Safely Installing Free Software Without All The Junk Picture this - you've just found this awesome free software that you are stoked about because of all that it can do for you, but when you install it, you discover that it is packed... Read More on your computer.
Folderico
Folderico, by Shedko, is a robust folder color-coding program. Before I go into it though, I want to prevent some potential confusion right at the start. There are two programs with the same name and spelling. However, one is spelled with a capital “I”, FolderIco. This program doesn’t stack up against Folderico by Shedko and the vibe that I got was that it was trying to copy it. However, if someone has had a different experience with FolderIco, I welcome you to share your thoughts in the comments.
Now on to Folderico (hope that wasn’t too confusing). There’s no need to worry about accidentally installing any additional software during the setup, which is a plus. It also does a great job of explaining its features in a tutorial-type setting on the main page.
Folderico has seamless integration with Windows Explorer and can be accessed through the context menu by right clicking a folder. However, the way it works in Windows 7 64-bit is different than how it works in other versions, including Windows 7 32-bit. Below is an image from the website showing how you might typically interact with Folderico. This applies to all, but Windows 7 64-bit.
As you can see, you can access quite a few settings directly in the context menu. However, if you have Windows 7 64-bit (which is what I have), you get the “lightweight version”.
Once you click it, you’re prompted with the Folderico program (this is the same as if you were to just click the icon on your desktop How To Clean Up Your Windows Desktop Once & For All How To Clean Up Your Windows Desktop Once & For All Your desktop is a mess. Admit it. Just like a desk with papers all over, a messy computer desktop is far from productive. Plus, it just doesn’t look nice. If you’re having issues finding the... Read More .
Next you want to select your folder type. There are two themes that come installed with Folderico, however if you want more variety, there are several more themes that you can download for free from the official website.
Now that you’ve selected your icon, simply click “Apply“. You’ll also notice that if you ever want to remove the customization you can simply click the “Reset folder icon” button.
Now let’s quickly take a look at what else Folderico offers us. With the window open, you’ll see a few more buttons – Options, Language and Tools. I suppose there’s the About button too, but that is pretty self-explanatory.
Most of the tools and options won’t likely be needed for the average user. In the Options, you can change how an icon is installed, how icon names or numbers are displayed in the context menu, as well as some advanced options such as adding hidden attribute to extracted icon files (which is enabled by default).
The Tools tab gives you some control on the integration to the shell and changing the library icon.
Let’s not forget the Language tab though. There are quite a few languages available and if your preferred language isn’t shown, you can download additional languages.
Note that Folderico isn’t only for Windows 7, but that it also has a version for XP as well as a portable version.
Folder Marker Free (XP Only)
When I was trying this out on my Windows 7 operating system, I couldn’t figure out if I was missing something about the program, if I didn’t install it right (unlikely) or if the program was faulty. Well, it was somewhat of a combination. I was missing something and the program is also faulty (in my opinion).
Only the premium versions (Home and Pro) of Folder Marker is compatible with Vista and Windows 7. So unless you use XP, this isn’t relevant to you. Now, that could change, but as of now – that’s the current status. I haven’t had the means to actually test this program, but Mark wrote about it a while back on Geeks Are Sexy and he had good things to say about it. It’s quite unfortunate that they have to be sticklers about not developing it for Windows 7.
Conclusion
Although color-coding Windows folders isn’t a standalone solution to file management and organization it can be a great addition to your methods, while spicing up your computer with a bit of creativity. What are your thoughts on color-coding folders? Do you see it as a helpful addition to your organizational methods? Have you tried it or will you? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
Image Credits: 3d colorful folders on white background via Shutterstock, Colored folders on a white background stacked via Shutterstock, Folder Marker, Folderico
Its not working in Network folders, is there any application i can use to change the colors of Network Folders. Thanks
Folder Colorizer on Windows 7x64 - crashed Explorer every time I tried to use it
Folder Colorizer on Windows 10 - activation dialog came up but it just shows a picture of Walter from Breaking Bad. useless.
Folderico on Windows 7x64 - different error dialogs each time I tried to run it.
Folder Marker on Windows 7x64 - has worked the first time. Will explore further.
Hi, i appreciate your post even when its not what im looking for i will try these programs, im looking for color labels for archives not folders, like in Mac, so i can label a single archive.
I havent tried non of these programs you recommended but for what i read it doesnt have these options, if you have knowledge of a program that actually doest what im looking for i will appreciate you contact me at arteinnovativo@gmail.com
Thank you.
What about Windows 8 or 10? I can't find anything.
Very disappointed in both of these recommendations. Folder Colorizer added crapware and a browser hijacker despite the fact that I declined these "offers."
Folderico worked sporadically at best and did not add a right-click context menu at all.
Both of these programs are junk.
Rfletch,
I appreciate your feedback, however I didn't have the same experience when I went back and redownloaded both of these tools. Both work fine. Also, this article is over 2 years old and a lot can change in the installation in two years. "Bloatware", though I hate it, doesn't define how well a program performs. I was able to opt out of all the additional installs that Folder Colorizer prompted me with. Folder Colorizer is also in my context menu and works fine. I would like to note that I specifically highlighted the need for unchecking these boxes during the installation in the article itself.
If Folderico is only working part of the time, please provide more information to me as to when it's not working. Only then will I have an idea as to what is going on. You may also want to contact the company.
Aaron,
I tried both Folder Colorizer and Folder Marker. Folder Marker has been upgraded to work on Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8. However I liked Folder Colorizer much better since it works seamlessly with Windows, in that when using the Windows Explorer to search and or scroll through your Folders and Sub Folder you just have to right click on the one you want and the pop up menu appears with the Colorize item listed in the list of commands. Just hover over Colorize move over to the new Colorize pop up window with the selection of colored folders shown, move the mouse pointer to the color desired and right click or left click on the color (either right or left works) and voila your folder is colored.
I have an iMac with OS X 10.10.1 and Parallels 10 with Windows 7, and neither Folder Colorizer or Folder Marker would color the folders in my external hard drive even when a particular folder or drive was configured to be shared with Parallels and Windows 7. I can still readily access my external WD Book Hard drive with either Windows Explorer or my OS X Finder and open and save to it with either OS whether shared or not. The only folders I can colorize are those that are within my Windows 7 partition (C:) of my iMac Computer internal hard drive.
I do wish that the colorizer program would also color the files as well as the folders and sub folders.
As a new iMac user I have discovered that there are a lot of Apple - iMac and others users that are very upset with Apple for removing the ability of coloring files and substituted this long available feature with Tags, which is a colored dot or overlapping colored dots at the extreme right of the file names, not as readily apparent as colored files. However, Tags does have the feature of adding a written description of the file, which I'm not sure how useful it is because Apple's Finder has one heck of a search and find feature with spotlight. Although there are a lot of other Apple Users that claim that tags is much better than colored files, I believe that the truly creative types, that mostly make up the population of the Apple Orchard, are the ones that really depend on colored files and detest tags, because of who and what they are and what side of the brain they use. Those that like tags are probably the more ordered types - more Windows file structure oriented, who appreciate the quality and virus immunity of Apple products. I myself, a longtime Windows user and recent Apple convert, like both after having been introduced to colored files and labels, through the incorporation of XraFinder in my iMac which also works seamlessly with the Apple OS Finder, which has the fastest and most comprehensive file search capability that I have ever used.
All of you who have read this far I salute your patience and high threshold to tolerating rambling.
"All of you who have read this far I salute your patience and high threshold to tolerating rambling."
Haha well, I appreciate you sharing an in-depth user experience with me and the readers, Dennis! Thank you. I love comments like that.
I wish I had a solution for your problem with the programs not working with Parallels. If you ever do come across something else, I'd be very interested to hear about it! And I'll do the same in return.
Thanks for reading!
I have been looking for something like this but not had much luck. Reason being I want to be able to colour code ANY file or folder + be able to add a note to them. If anyone has any suggestions then thanks.
Jamie,
These programs SHOULD be able to color code any folder, but I don't think they can do files -- haven't heard of any apps doing that actually.
Also, I'm not sure I understand what you mean by "adding a note to them". I'm assuming "them" are the folders?
Ah thats a shame, my hunt continues!
By add a note for example in "details" view in a folder having a column to add notes in, small sentences e.g. "waiting on jimmy to get back to me". Just a little reference text. Cheers
I see what you're saying. Well have you looked into something like Evernote or Google Docs? Those might be better solutions. For something that you're looking for.
Thank Aaron but it has to be locally based as we work with a lot of folders/files and the added time to upload/organise would be hassle. I'm sure there is something out there that fits my our needs its just finding it!
are there any color that isn't so vibrant? It looks girly.
but great job though it really helps to organize folders
Folderico has quite a few "not-so-girly" colors. Might want to look into that one.
thanx 4 dis, i was searching for a software like dis for Windows 8..........
Great article. Gonna try it now
Another feature Windows borrowed (stole?) from Apple. This was a feature way back in 1990 when Apple released the first Macintosh to have a color monitor, the Color Classic. Starting with System 6 on color Macs, and continuing with System 7, OS 8 and beyond (to this day), You could apply "Labels" to your folders, which essentially were colors attached to different categories. If you went into the Labels Control Panel, you could change the labels' names (Essential, Hot, In Progress, Cool, Personal, Project 1, Project 2) to anything you wanted. You could assign different colors to, for example, different people using the same computer.
Apple also included an Easter egg in the System 7 Labels Control Panel. If you deleted all the names of the labels and left the text boxes blank, then restarted, you'd see the Label menu display the letters "ALAN JEF" for the Apple programmers who wrote the Labels control panel app.
reocities.com/SiliconValley/7933/mac.html
How did Windows (Microsoft) steal or borrow anything here? These are third party products adding a feature.
Lol i am gonna try it
Nice way to organize. Thank you guys
I used an Ave software but was disappointed because the colorized folder stay small even if we choose 'Large Icon'. Since then I prefer assigning unique icons to folders. Another workaround is using colored folders icons.
a think its better having colours it looks better as well, a bit colour
I used to have a freeware small software in Windows 7 which gave option to change a folder's color. Haven't tried anything like that in Windows 8 yet - do these programs work in Win 8?
I love, love, love this... i always play with icons, and color.coding them si so simple and so cool!
Sounds simple enough. I too am surprised that Windows 7 didn't come with this as an option.
Never thought of doing it and might save a tad of time when looking for something in my files....but it will look pretty!
How much space does it take on the hard drive if you eliminate everything you can from the download?
Nancy,
Thanks for your comment, but I'm finding your question a bit unclear. These are different programs, so they are going to be different file sizes... but again, if you could rephrase your question I feel I'd be able to help better.
Thanks for reading.
right now. i am downloading Folderico. i will try it. is very helpful if the tools like this are available and notified here in MUO. thanks
I'll give it a try, thanks for this article.
thanks for such a good review and nice tip
Call me a color geek - I like this! I use a tab colorizer in FF, now I find I can do this with windows?! Color me happy!
Thanks Aaron as a Bookkeeper this will help with organizing files in the to Do - To File and important doc to move to cloud. Love it.!
Nice article, I like the first one :D
Does this patch any .DLLs that could lead to security threats? I remember you have to replace 3 DLLs in order to do custom themes , I am wondering if this does the same thing just in the baclkground.
Edward,
I honestly don't know the answer to that question. You might want to ask that over on MakeUseOf Answers: http://www.makeuseof.com/answers/ask/
I've used Folder Marker Pro on my Windows 7 64-bit system for a couple of years. I like it a lot and the developmer is very responsive to both suggestions and technical questions. I use this product extensively in my color-coded genealogy organizing system so it was worth the $34. It allows you to color a folder and all its sub-folders in a single click and it allows you to create distributable copies of your color-coded folders so you can back them up and move them without losing the colors. I had previously tried a free version of another software but when I went to my new computer, I lost all the colors in hundreds of folders and had to do it all over again. Finally, it also includes some decorative folder icons in addtion to the colored ones. I have been very pleased with this product and I have not experienced any problems with it. I highly recommend it.
There is no need to install any new programs: right mouse button on a folder, Properties, Customize, Change Icon. This does not just colorize, but also associates your folders with special symbols.
What a brilliant idea, after 30 years of computing I have found a logical and workable way to organize my files.
These customisation tools are awesome!! Well done!!
I've always wondered why Windows didn't have this feature. It seems so natural, since plain manila color folders are so '90's. Microsoft OneNote has colored folders in the notebooks & tabs, why not file folders? Colorizer is a great product.
I've been using CustoPacks to change the entire windows shell they have a folder colr changer integrated with it but not all themes support it. I love the Folder Colorizer I'll be using that instead.
This is very useful. However, I could not download Folderico. I kept getting bounced around to different pages. I used the link below "Download to your PC." Folder Colorizer worked fine.
Years ago I purchased a program named "Folder Magic" by CloudEight. Although I had XP at the time, and I have Windows 7 64Bit now, the program installs and runs. It is the best I have tried, including a couple you had mentioned. The program also allows the installation of icons, and they have about eight packs that you get when you purchase the software. The cost is $12.95 but all updates are free. I have never had to purchase new versions, etc.
I like this tool and i read your article on organizing folders and it was a refresh to read it.
1. I thoroughly plan my partition before putting any folders. If i have 1 TB, i will distribute ans set the space according to media, (music and video will be higher). After that i label that partition so later on i remember this partition is for this
2. I automate the extract and moving of files and folders in different directories and use git for version control of some important documents, which i sync it with another computer
3. I avoid creating sub-folders as it becomes very difficult to process it for backup
4. I don't keep anything in My Documents, and only create important shortcuts for frequently accessed folder
I also believe one important user experience is too visualize thumbnails for pdf, or video files so organization becomes easy. In windows 7 i excluded ccleaner from cleaning thumbnails but thumbnails get cleared in windows 8 even though i am admin.
PS - I have just written the manual for make use of - automate the web part 1 and part 2..and love make use of
Thank you
I have been using colored paper file folders in my law practice to organize case files for a decade, so why not colorize the computer file folders likewise. Particularly when scanning is leading to paperless offices. Thanks for the article because I didn't have any idea this was possible. I am all for organization and color.
My thoughts exactly! Glad you found this useful! Thanks for reading.
Are any of these compatible with an iMAc or can you suggest a free programme
thanks
I love this idea!! I have so many files for different things. Thanks!
It sounds very interesting. I will dowload one of the programs and install it in my computer
Feel free to share your thoughts after trying them Armando. Thanks for reading.
As I like to organize my information visually Folder Colorizer has become of a great help. And it is so intuitive! Great job! I became a huge fan and hope we`ll see more great apps coming from Softorino. Cheers:)
Terry,
Do you use any of their other apps? I had never heard of them prior to discovering Folder Colorizer.
Thank you for sharing your user experience. I know the readers appreciate that as well. I too found Folder Colorizer very intuitive.
Thanks for reading!
Hi, Aaron!
I was just looking for the software to arrange my folders somehow, `cause there are lots of them. So I got to their website and decided to try Folder Colorizer. Then I downloaded PhoneStick as well as i needed to transfer my media files from iPhone4s.
Unfortunately one doesn`t benefit much if he/she lacks the series of their devices (i mean mac-ipad-iphone). For my PC it was a nice option.
At the moment am testing the app in a trial mode, and am pretty satisfied. It has some limitation for transferring, of course, so soon i must consider buying the app, i guess.
But I have doubt, I think it will increase power because more processor power is used to render different colors
Personally, I wouldn't say I have the quickest computer (it's going on 4 years old) and I didn't have any issues at all. I run several programs plus a Chrome browser with a lot of extensions for all that I need to do.
Perhaps some older computers might notice a decline in power, but otherwise I don't think the typical user, especially with today's computers, will have many issues.
The only other people that might not want something like this would be gamers who are trying to salvage as many resources as possible.
I can't believe that Windows hasn't come up with this option yet. I love using colors to make note of special items on my PC> Thanks for the software tips.
Yeah it does seem quite ironic, seeing that their logo (except for the most recent one with Windows 8) has been quite colorful.
And not a problem Dee. I'm happy to help! Also, some readers pointed out Rainbow Folders, which seems good too. I overlooked it though prior to this article so I haven't had a chance to personally try it.
I like sub folder methods of arranging files.
Thanks for the article.
Usually I change each folder's icon manually but Folderico simplifies the process
I have already been using Folder Colorizer for a few months now and loving it. Really organises things visually with a simple color changing of the folder.
Thanks for sharing your personal experience about it!
Thank you for this. I'll definitely try Folder Colorizer. Its always a pain when trying to search for a particular folder, although I've been using a custom icon folder. Having coloured folders will surely catch your view at a glance, and the ease to access the colors through the context menu is much nicer than having to go through several windows for a custom icon.
Rainbow Folder was popular soft to color folders.
http://www.english.aionel.net/
I've been using Rainbow Folders for years. But I'll try those two. Seems more integrated in Windows. Tnx for tip.
Thanks for sharing about Rainbow Folders. Wish I had known about that one. When researching for this idea, I never came across it.
But thanks again and hopefully the readers will see it and try it too.
They have a color changer for folders that is called "folder marker"....there is a paid version and a free version....the paid version only offers a few more colors from what i could see but its similar to both colorizing programs u recommended...
i am using it last 3 years and it is very good to identify the folders....
Thank you Aaron. I like how quick and easy it is to use the Colorizer one. Also when you open the folder you colorized, I noticed that the color stays even in the taskbar when you hover over it, in Windows 7 of course.
I noticed that as well! It's quite integrated with Windows 7, contrary to the other two, which I like! Thanks for reading!
does it changes the color of startbar ??
or Folderico can change the color of startbar ?
because I wanted a tool for changing the color of startbar ...
No. The programs change the color of your folders.
You can change the color of the Windows toolbar without a program by going to Properties and adjusting the theme.
For more Windows customization tips you can ask a question on MakeUseOf Answers: http://www.makeuseof.com/answers/ask/
Or you can check out these articles:
http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/5-excellent-ways-customize-windows-simply/
http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/5-cool-ways-customize-windows-7-system/