Every user is a universe, but Microsoft doesn't seem to agree with that detail. Its strategy prioritizes a “unified experience” for Windows, limiting customization options. Luckily, there are different developments that help us escape, even for a moment, from Redmond's delirium. One of them is Mint. What does it do? Essentially, it enables the creation of a mini start menu in the system tray, where we can configure all our favorite programs with ease.
Anything can be a start menu if we are brave enough, or rather, if we are willing to ignore official options. Some users decide to pin everything to the taskbar, others keep an army of shortcuts on their desktops, and then there are those who want to explore alternatives. For them there is Mint, a compact tool with a single objective: Place a launcher or mini start menu in the system tray, to run any program we configure there.
How to load programs from the system tray with Mint
The interface is simple and intuitive: On the left side, you'll find functions to locate the app you want to add to the menu, assign a name, configure special groups, and add secondary execution parameters. The app locator is compatible with traditional shortcuts, so you're not (always) forced to track down the exe file. The rest is a matter of assigning a color, sorting all entries alphabetically, and telling Mint to start with Windows.
However, there are occasions when Mint only recognizes programs through a manual search. For example, if you try to add a shortcut to Control Panel, Mint will ignore it completely, but if you locate the official control.exe file in C:\Windows\System32, it will work perfectly. We also recommend this for Command Prompt and PowerShell.
For now, Mint has only one technical limitation: programs configured in its menu do not support execution with elevated privileges. I imagine an update can fix it (this has already been requested in the Issues section), but the repository hasn't recorded changes since January. To conclude, Mint is free, portable, open source, and requires .NET Framework 4.5.2 or higher.
Official site and download: Click here
