DeskRipple v0.4.1 (beta)

DeskRipple v0.4.1 (beta)

An update to the v0.1.2 beta, focused on smoother drag-and-drop, nicer animations, and display-scaling fixes. If DeskRipple is already installed, it updates itself in the background — there's nothing to do. New here? Grab DeskRipple-beta-Setup.exe below.

⚠️ This is a beta. Things may break or behave unexpectedly. Please report anything you hit (see Feedback below). A paid version is planned later, with a founder discount for beta testers.

⏳ Free beta — this build stops working after September 1, 2026. It keeps itself updated automatically (you can turn that off in Settings → Updates). By downloading you agree to the beta license (EULA).

🔧 What's new in 0.4.1

• Reordering inside a folder now previews itself as you drag. When you drag a shortcut to a new spot, the other icons slide out of the way in real time so you can see exactly where it'll land before you let go. Dropping in a new shortcut from the desktop gets the same live preview.
• Smoother open and close. The expand animation now plays the very first time you open a folder (not just on later opens), and the easing, stagger timing, and icon caching were reworked so panels open and collapse more fluidly.
• Better behavior when you resize desktop icons. Changing your desktop icon size with Ctrl + Scroll (or the View menu), especially at the largest and smallest extremes, no longer mis-sizes the folder icons — DeskRipple keeps the last good size instead of jumping. Also fixed a z-order glitch with stay-open panels.
• Restyled tray menu. The right-click menu on the tray icon now matches the app's dark folder menus — same palette, font, and rounded hover highlight.
• Founder-discount sign-up, in the app. Beta testers can now join the founder-discount list right from DeskRipple, so you're first in line for the discounted paid version when it ships.
• Polish. New installs get a slightly richer "Getting Started" example folder (File Explorer, Downloads, Calculator, and a tips link), and the app now describes itself as supporting Windows 10 and 11.

Everything from the earlier betas — desktop folder docks, five expand styles, drag-and-drop, desktop-icon displacement, acrylic panels, multi-monitor/mixed-DPI, multi-profile, and opt-in diagnostics — is unchanged.

📦 Install / update

• Already installed: nothing to do — DeskRipple checks this repo in the background and applies the update silently at an idle moment. A tray notification confirms it. (Or force it now from Settings → Updates.)
• New install: download DeskRipple-beta-Setup.exe below and run it. It installs per-user (no admin prompt), adds a Start Menu entry, and launches.

🛡️ SmartScreen prompt on the installer. DeskRipple is code-signed (Microsoft Trusted Signing). Because it's a new app still building download reputation, Windows SmartScreen may show a prompt — if it does, click More info → Run anyway.

🔎 Can't find the tray icon? On Windows 11 it starts hidden in the ^ overflow chevron near the clock. Drag it onto the taskbar, then right-click → Open Manager.

System requirements: Windows 10 and 11, 64-bit. Full details. (The .nupkg, releases.beta.json, and meta.json assets are the updater's feed; DeskRipple-beta-Portable.zip is an unsupported convenience — the installer is the supported path.)

🐛 Feedback

Found a bug or have a suggestion? Report it here — no login required. The easiest path is right-click the tray icon → Send feedback (it pre-fills your version, OS, and DPI scale, which makes reports far easier to act on).

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🔒 Privacy: DeskRipple runs locally — no account, no login. Out of the box its only network traffic is the background update check against GitHub (no identifiers; can be turned off). Anonymous usage diagnostics are strictly opt-in and off by default — you choose on first run and can change it anytime in Settings. Privacy policy.