Nimi Places vs Portals: Desktop Organization

Nimi Places organizes a Windows desktop into customizable containers that display files and folders from chosen locations as icons or thumbnails. Files stay in their original locations while the containers provide desktop access. Views include grids and single- or multi-column lists, with optional details. Items can be labeled, searched by name and sorted by type, size or dates. Containers can use individual item sizes, accent colors, themes and smooth scrolling. Rules can duplicate, move or link files and folders that match selected conditions, and containers can appear only under conditions such as time, location or foreground window title. Supported media can be previewed through a built-in multimedia front end. The application is free for non-commercial use under the Nimi projects general application license. It can run portably, including from removable storage, without installation on a specific computer. The Windows download is a multilingual installer with optional portable mode and a built-in uninstaller. The download page lists a requirement compatible with framework 2.0 or newer. Its license says personal data must not be used with the software and assigns users responsibility for information they choose to process.

Portals: Desktop Organization displays selected folder contents directly on a Windows desktop in customizable portals. Users can adjust colors, fonts, borders, margins, header position, icon sizes, and backgrounds, with individual portals able to override settings such as color and font. Portals can be minimized, sorted using custom or predefined orders, and arranged in tabs linked to separate folders. The folders can be stored outside the desktop, such as in Documents. Users can save portal arrangements as layouts and apply them automatically when display setups change; settings profiles can also be linked to layouts. A configurable keyboard shortcut brings all portals to the top. The app supports command-line actions for creating portals and applying layouts or profiles, and it can use QuickLook or Seer for file previews. The installer can add registry keys for Portals buttons in Windows folder and desktop-background context menus. The maker describes the app as lightweight with minimal background resource usage. It is free, with a pay-what-you-want license that allows users to enter any amount.