DeskBar

DeskBar is a customizable desktop bar and launcher designed to sit along an edge of the screen and provide fast access to applications, folders, system controls, and widgets. It is designed to be docked on the left, right, bottom, or top of the desktop, and it supports multi-monitor setups as well as theming and layout presets.

DeskBar originated as an open-source project in the mid-2010s and later spawned variants that were offered as both free community editions and commercial editions with additional features and support. It has been developed by a loose network of volunteers and partner companies, with official releases focusing on cross-platform compatibility for Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Key features include a resizable dock with drag-and-drop organization of apps, a searchable launcher, and a command palette for quick actions. Users can add or remove items, group apps into folders, and enable window previews or task switching. The system supports extensions and plugins to integrate with file managers, calendars, notifications, and other desktop services. Theming options allow color and icon style changes, and accessibility features are provided, such as keyboard navigation and screen-reader compatibility. DeskBar is designed to be lightweight, with a modular architecture that uses native UI components where possible to blend with the host operating system.

Reception has been mixed: users appreciate the speed and configurability, while some criticize complexity and overlap with existing panel features on modern desktops. Variants include lighter editions for low-resource machines and feature-rich pro editions with enterprise support.

Related concepts include desktop docks, launcher utilities, and widget platforms.