Desktop Broom vs Paddock

Desktop Broom sorts loose files from a desktop, Downloads folder, or another chosen location into folders by file type. It can work on any drive the computer can access, including USB and external drives. Before moving anything, it shows a preview of the planned changes. Files are moved rather than deleted, and a one-click undo is available. The organizer leaves existing folders and projects alone: it does not open, move, or rename them. Its default Rules mode works offline, according to the maker's GitHub README. Optional Smart Mode uses the user's own key with Claude, GPT, or DeepSeek to suggest descriptive filenames. Smart Mode is disabled by default; when enabled, it sends small text snippets to the selected provider, while the site says the key remains on the user's machine. Desktop Broom is free forever and donation-supported, with no ads, sign-up, or premium tier. It supports Windows 10 and 11 on 64-bit x64, and the maker provides a macOS DMG download. The maker warns that Windows or Chrome may flag the freeware as unfamiliar and says a verified publisher signature is on the way.

Paddock is a free, open-source Windows desktop icon organizer that groups icons into styled zones. Users can create resizable areas and set each zone’s transparency, background color, corner radius, and title visibility. Icons can be sorted by name, modification date, file type, or file size, in either direction. Zones can be hidden or shown from the tray icon or with the default Ctrl+F12 shortcut, then rolled up to their title strips. Named layout profiles can be saved, switched, and exported as .paddock files for sharing. Paddock adds native Windows context menus such as Open, Open With, and Properties. Items moved into zones are stored in hidden folders under the Desktop; removing a zone or dragging an item out returns them without deleting or overwriting files. It requires Windows 10 version 1903 or later, or Windows 11.