FanFolder turns any folder into an animated, arc-shaped popup on the Windows taskbar. Click the taskbar icon and the most recently modified items in a configured folder fan out in a smooth animation. Open items, use the full Windows shell context menu (right-click), or drag them into other applications.
Works with local folders as well as cloud-synced folders such as OneDrive, Dropbox and Google Drive — always showing the latest files.
Key features:
Multiple animation styles: Fan, Glide, Spring, Fade or None.
Sort by date modified, date created or name, with optional filename regex filter.
Configurable item count, folder path and display options via tray menu or registry.
Full Windows shell context menu and drag-and-drop support.
Per-user MSI install, no admin rights required.
Native x64 and ARM64 builds.
Small footprint and low memory usage.
What's new in 1.4.3
What's new in 1.4.3:
Fixed the taskbar icon showing a colored background plate. The icon is now transparent with no blue card behind it.
Added altform-unplated assets and built resources.pri so the taskbar renders the icon without plating it with the Windows accent color.
Scaled the icon to fill the entire tile edge-to-edge and centered it, so it no longer looks smaller than neighboring taskbar icons.
"Open FanFolder homepage" item on the tray right-click menu (opens the project page in the default browser).
Anonymous first-run install reporting via Aptabase (EU-hosted, privacy-friendly; opt-out via TelemetryEnabled=0 in HKCU\SOFTWARE\FanFolder; full details in PRIVACY.md). No personal data, file paths, or usage details are sent.
1.2.2
Highlights in 1.2.2:
Fixed a blank fan window on machines where the configured folder (or the default recent-documents list) is empty: the fan now shows a "This folder is empty" message instead of an empty frame with a loading spinner.
Removed the unused Microsoft Graph integration and its winhttp / nlohmann_json dependencies, shrinking the build and keeping the app free of runtime network dependencies.
Documentation fixes: corrected the default animation style, the MaxItems range and the default folder path in the README.
Frequently asked questions
Is FanFolder free?
FanFolder is proprietary software from Ole Bhartvigsen. Check the publisher's license terms for pricing and usage rights.
What is the latest version of FanFolder?
The latest version is 1.4.3, released on Aug 24, 2026.
Is it safe to download FanFolder?
The download button links to the official installer published on github.com, the same file Windows Package Manager installs. You can verify the downloaded file by comparing its SHA-256 checksum with 4f0c165f13c8d851ef389e7d20767e07c085acee5157bc16d9f357643db4bc65.
Which Windows versions does FanFolder support?
FanFolder requires Windows 10 version 1809 or later and is available for 64-bit (x64), ARM64 systems.
How do I install FanFolder silently?
Run the offline installer with msiexec /i "FanFolderSetup-x64.msi" /quiet /norestart, or install it with Windows Package Manager: winget install --id=OleBhartvigsen.FanFolder -e --silent.
How do I uninstall FanFolder?
Open Settings › Apps › Installed apps, find FanFolder and select Uninstall. From the command line, run winget uninstall --id=OleBhartvigsen.FanFolder -e.
Alternatives to FanFolder
Other Themes programs for Windows from different developers.
