DeskRipple v0.4.3 (beta)
An update to the v0.4.2 beta — you can now choose how open folders are themed (follow Windows, or lock them Dark or Light), plus a batch of fixes for light-mode legibility, hovering into Fan/Ring folders, dragging shortcuts out, and unplugging a second monitor. 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 the About dialog). By downloading you agree to the beta license (EULA).
🔧 What's new in 0.4.3
- Choose your panel theme. A new Panel theme setting lets you pick how open folders look: Match Windows (follow your system light/dark setting), Dark, or Light — independent of the rest of Windows. It's per-profile, next to the panel opacity slider.
- Light panels are readable now. When a panel is light, the shortcut labels, the hover highlight, and the empty-folder text were nearly invisible (light-on-light). They're now theme-aware and legible, and they restyle instantly if you flip Windows between light and dark while a folder is open.
- Smoother hovering into Fan and Ring folders. Moving your cursor slowly from a folder's icon out to its Fan arc or Ring no longer closes the folder in the gap between the icon and the ring.
- Your shortcut is safe if a drag-out is blocked. If antivirus or Windows' Controlled Folder Access blocks writing a shortcut back onto the desktop, DeskRipple now keeps it in the folder and tells you why — instead of removing it and losing it.
- Unplugging a monitor no longer breaks a folder. After disconnecting a second screen, a folder that had been moved off it could show a clipped icon or a squished / blank panel until you restarted the app. It now corrects itself automatically — no restart needed.
Everything else from the earlier betas — desktop folder docks, five expand styles, drag-and-drop, desktop-icon displacement, multi-monitor and mixed-DPI support, multiple profiles, automatic updates, and opt-in diagnostics — works as before.
📦 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. (Prefer to update on your own schedule? The About dialog has an "Install updates automatically" toggle.)
- New install: download
DeskRipple-beta-Setup.exebelow 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).
🔒 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.