Desktop Icon Text On the Right? D-Color Does The Trick

Martin Brinkmann
Nov 11, 2011
Image, Software, Windows, Windows software
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11

If you are like me you have some documents and files stored on the desktop for fast access. Some users may prefer to pin those files to the taskbar or start menu instead, or use a program and file launcher. When it comes to icons on the desktop you have only a few options to customize their appearance. Icons can be displayed as small, medium or large icons on there, but that is basically the only option that users have to customize the look of their desktop icons.

Some Registry keys and programs can modify the looks of desktop icons further, like Iconoid or Windows System Settings to make desktop icons transparent.

D-Color is an old software for Windows that provides a similar functionality like Deskview, a program that we reviewed here on Ghacks in 2008. The developer has discontinued development of D-Color but at least part of the software's functionality is still working on the latest versions of the Windows operating system.

You can use D-Color to change the position of the desktop icon text. Usually text is always displayed underneath each icon. With D-Color that position can be changed to the right side of the icon instead, so that all icon descriptions are displayed on the right. Take a look at the screenshot below to find out how this looks like.

desktop icons text right

D-Color needs to be installed before it can be used. The application minimizes automatically to the Windows System Tray on startup. A right-click on the system tray icon displays a context menu with options to modify the appearance of desktop icons.

desktop icons

The selection of Small Icons or Tile Icons moves the text position to right side of the icons. You can then close the application again; The changes will remain visible on the desktop.

You can furthermore use Windows's own menu to change the icon size back to medium or large if that is preferred.

D-Color is no longer available at the developer website. I have uploaded the latest version to the Ghacks servers. You can download it from the following link: (Download Removed)

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Comments

  1. DW said on August 4, 2015 at 3:38 am
    Reply

    Just adjust the ICON Size, Horizontal and Vertical size so the width is larger than the height….no 3rd party needed Do the reverse to restore to default text on bottom.

  2. bojler said on December 9, 2011 at 1:34 pm
    Reply

    unfortunately i can’t get this software to work.. i tried installer version, and portable too. results are the same, when i change option in dcolor, nothing happens.. tried also running in compatibility mode, but it didn’t help either..

    do you have any solution? thanks

  3. Matt said on November 13, 2011 at 7:25 am
    Reply

    I think I’ve been using D-Color XP for 4 or 5 years now. The tiled icons looks so much neater on my desktop. My only complaint has always been the lack of drop shadow on the text, but that’s not a big deal at all since D-Color makes changing the font color so easy.

  4. Q said on November 12, 2011 at 8:58 pm
    Reply

    It looks like the developer of the software referred to in this article intended for the software to be called “D-Color XP”; however, he did not seem to include the ” XP” part of the name in the installer (which also is used to create start menu shortcuts and program directory).

    There is a version available without an installer (previously referred to as “App Only” on the developer website). It and the installer version may be downloaded from the Internet Archive archive page of the old software page on the developer’s website. The page with the information is at:
    http://web.archive.org/web/20060116172351/http://dliboon.freeshell.org/?view=software

  5. Q said on November 12, 2011 at 8:12 pm
    Reply

    CTRL can be used, but it is functionally different and may take significantly longer.

  6. Q said on November 12, 2011 at 7:31 am
    Reply

    I have seen these or other utilities that do things that you reviewed in the article herewith.

    However, I have been looking for (for over a year), but have never been able to find, something or some means to change the Windows XP range selection behavior (“List” view notwithstanding) to function as it did in Windows versions prior to Windows XP. In Windows versions prior to Windows XP, a range selection would only encompass the icons within an array, when the array’s endpoints are selected.

    The newer Windows selection behavior is especially problematic when trying to select ranges from a group of icons from multiple groups of icons (such as often when using Extended Desktop with multiple monitors); icons from different groups may become unintentionally selected.

    I found a forum thread that described what I have been looking for ( http://www.msfn.org/board/topic/141667-changing-selection-behavior/ ), but have not found a way to enable the old selection behavior.

    Martin, if you see a method or utility to allow the classic selection behavior, it may be good to review (I would certainly be interested).

    1. Martin Brinkmann said on November 12, 2011 at 10:15 am
      Reply

      Can’t you use CTRL instead?

  7. tinwheeler said on November 11, 2011 at 8:49 pm
    Reply

    I don’t personally need it right now but will keep it around just in case. Good find Martin.

  8. odio said on November 11, 2011 at 5:33 pm
    Reply

    you are experimenting with desktop this week isn’t, Martin? About your reply on the other post, Im not saying to put a lot of files on the taskbar, just pin one folder.
    One click and it open in your Libraries, another one and you are in desktop. And im pretty sure you can edit the folder to be open, in this case, the desktop.

    1. Martin Brinkmann said on November 11, 2011 at 6:16 pm
      Reply

      Yeah I’m trying some desktop apps out :)

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