Windows 11 is a great operating system, and I love using it, even with all the flaws it might have. But one of the great things about Windows is how many tools are out there to enhance its functionality and make it even better. Among them, Stardock's Fences is one of the more interesting apps around.

In fact, Stardock makes a lot of great customization apps for Windows 11, such as Start11 and WindowBlinds, but Fences is tailor-made to improve productivity and organization. I've reviewed it in the past, so I want to highlight a few reasons why you should be using this app to enhance your productivity on Windows.

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4 It cleans up your desktop

In more than one way

The main selling point of Fences is the organization tools it provides for your files on the desktop. How many people do you know that have a desktop full of items where it's almost impossible to find the thing you're looking for?

Fences lets you create specific areas for different kinds of items. You can create rules for sorting them automatically, but you can also manually move items to fit your needs so you always know where to find the things you need at any given time. Fencing off different kinds of items is great for organization, and because you can resize and scroll within Fences, you can also reduce visual clutter significantly to make things a bit cleaner.

To add to that, Fences has a feature where you can double-click the desktop to hide all your icons, so you can make it look as clean as possible in a flash. It's a very convenient way to have both quick access to your files and a clean-looking setup.

3 Customization options

Make it look just right

Visuals aren't necessarily a productivity boost, but I do think having some customization options makes Fences far more appealing. This app is very flexible, and you can make it work for you in different ways. You can make it so fences fade when they're not in use so you can see the background a bit better, you can resize fences, and move them wherever you want.

You can also give each fence different colors to make them easier to identify, give them titles, and even change the font used by the titles to make them easier to read. This can help you more quickly find the fence you want to use, making it that much easier to get to the files you need.

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2 Instant access to your folders

Folder portals are so useful

While Fences is known mostly for organizing your desktop files and folders, what makes it truly special is a feature called folder portals. This creates a fence on your desktop that essentially links to any folder of your choice on your PC, giving you instant access to its files without having to open File Explorer or navigating through it.

The files are still stored in their original location, though — As the name indicates, this is just a portal to that original folder, so you can access those files more easily. This truly takes file management to a new level, but it doesn't require you to move files to the desktop.

1 Access your files any time

You don't even need the desktop

Finally, we have the big one that can really boost your productivity by a lot. One of the big features in Fences is called Peak, and it essentially brings up your fences over anything you have open at that time. Need to drag a file into an app? Enable peek and drag it from the fence directly into the app. Want to reference a file for something you're working on? Peek lets you open it without having to minimize your current window.

The usefulness of the Peek feature can't be overstated, and it truly lets you do things so much faster. Not having to close or minimize apps is a true game changer for productivity.

Fences is a great tool

Stardock is no stranger to making great productivity and customization tools for Windows, and Fences is no different. Between organizing your desktop, creating folder portals, and the ability to see your fences over any apps you have open, this app makes it so much easier to find the files you need and work more quickly.

Fences isn't a free app, but $35 for a lifetime license (outside of discounts) isn't a huge price considering how much it can help you get done. I definitely recommend taking advantage of the free trial to see how useful it is for you. You can also pay $10 for a one-year subscription if you want to take it for a longer test drive.