qap-MASTER--512 Upgrade to Quick Access Popup!
Quick Access Popup (QAP) is the next generation of Folders Popup. You will benefit from multiple enhancements including: new revamped Add/Edit favorite dialog box, mouse or keyboard shortcuts for any favorite or submenu, hotkeys management dialog box, switch to any running Windows Explorer or application window, copy favorites, new favorite types Snippet, FTP and Shared submenus, integration with Windows folders icons and much more.
... And it's still free!

Import your existing favorites and settings automatically
What’s new in Quick Access Popup compared to Folders Popup?

*QAP is optimized for Windows 7 and more recent OS. Windows XP and Vista users can still use Folders Popup that will continue to be maintained for these versions.

 

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Folders Popup lets you move like a breeze between your frequently used folders and documents!

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Download

Absolutely free to download and use, for personal or commercial use.

Easy one-step installation

  1. Download, execute this exe file and just follow the setup instructions.
    Note - If you upgrade from a v3 installation: Before upgrading using the new setup tool follow these instructions to preserve your previous configuration: Update from a v3 (or older) version using the new setup tool.
  2. Enjoy! And if you get a virus or malware alert from your anti-virus or protection software about Folders Popup being a potential threat, this is not the case (you can trust me... or read this independent report :-). Please, also read this post: How to stop Anti-virus blocking Folders Popup.

Portable installation
Follow these instructions if you want to use Folders Popup in "portable" mode. This will, for example, allow you to run it from an external drive or USB key. You'll just need to unzip a file.

  1. Download this zip file.
  2. Just extract the executable (.EXE) from the zip file to the folder of your choice.
    Note: It is recommended not to install Folders Popup in system-protected folders like those under “C:\Program Files”. This could prevent FP from saving your configuration.
  3. Run the .EXE file from this folder (choose the 32-bit or 64-bit version depending on your system). Folders Popup will create and update the folderspopup.ini file in this folder. See Folders Popup is a Portable App, below.
  4. At your convenience, create a shortcut on your Desktop or select Run at Startup in the System Tray to launch Folders Popup automatically at startup.

Note: Again, if an anti-virus or protection software reports Folders Popup as a potential threat, this is not the case. Please read this post: How to stop Anti-virus blocking Folders Popup.

Quick Start

When you run it, Folders Popup adds an icon in the System Tray and await your orders. You want to retrieve a document in a frequently used folder?

  1. In Windows Explorer or in a file dialog box, just click the middle mouse button (MMB).
  2. In the popup menu, select the desired folder.
  3. Folders Popup will take you there this instantly!

Need a new file Explorer window while working in any application or window?

  1. From any window, hold the Shift key while pressing the MMB. Or simply click on the Folders Popup icon in the System Tray.
  2. In the popup menu, choose the folder to open in the new Explorer window. You're done!

In this menu, choose Folders Popup Settings to open the Folders Popup settings window where you can add to your menu all kind of favorites, delete, move or rename them and group your folders in submenus. Click Save to keep your changes.

Folders Popup Main Features

All your favorite folders, documents and web pages at your finger tip

  • To open the popup menu, press the middle mouse button (MMB) or press Windows-A *over* a file dialog box, a file Explorer window or the desktop to popup your personalized favorites launcher menu.
    • The folder you choose in the menu is open in the current Explorer window or file dialog box.
    • If your mouse has a scroll wheel, you can press it: this is the middle mouse button.
    • If your mouse does not have a middle button, you can choose another trigger in the Options dialog box.

    • OR...

  • Hold the Shift key while pressing the MMB (or press Shift-Windows-A) from *any* window.
    • The folder you choose will open in a new File Explorer window.
  • In addition to your own favorites, these special menus add more efficient ways to browse your content:
    • The My Special folders menu gives an easy access to Desktop, Document, Pictures, Downloads, My Computer, Network Neighborhood, Control Panel and Recycle Bin.
    • The Current Folders menu lists the folders currently open in all active Windows Explorer windows.
    • The Group of Folders menu allows to save and restore groups of folders at their original state.
    • The Recent folders menu lists the recent folders memorized by Windows.
    • The Clipboard menu shows the folders, documents, application path or URL saved in your Windows Clipboard.

Manage your personalized popup menu

  • Add folders on the fly with the Add This Folder item in the popup menu.
  • To edit your menu, choose Folders Popup Settings in the popup menu or press Shift-Control-S.
  • Use the various buttons to add, reorder, remove or edit favorites in the Settings window. The horizontal line button inserts separators in your menu and the vertical line button inserts column breaks to give even more room to your menu.
  • Move favorites with hotkeys (see hotkeys help under the favorites list), select multiple favorites to move them together.
  • Assign custom icons to your favorites in the Add / Edit Favorite window. Pick icons in any .EXE, .DLL or .ICO file (see www.iconverticons.com to create your own icons from PNG or JPG files).
  • Drag and drop favorite folders or documents to the Settings window to add them to your menu.

Five types of favorites

  • Folder: add your most frequently used local or network directories to reach them in a snap in a Windows Explorer or a file dialog box.
  • Special Folder: add Windows system folders from a list of more than 50 special folders, for example: Libraries, Recent items, Recycle Bin, Startup folder, History, Favorites, Quick Launch, Downloads, Cookies, Temporary files, etc. (Windows 7 and more recent).
  • Document: create your day-to-day documents list and launch them in their native application from any window.
  • Application: add your favorite applications and get full control on their execution (command line parameters and working directory).
  • Link (URL): add your preferred web pages and open them in your default browser at any time. Note: In any file path (folder, document or application), the system environment variables like %appdata%, %public%, %temp% or %userprofile% are supported in favorite location (for example: "%appdata%\Microsoft\Templates" will take you to the folder C:\Users\[your_name]\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Templates). Tech support, sysadmin and other power users love it!

Submenus

  • Group favorites by subjects or locations in nested submenus.
  • To add a submenu, in the Settings window, click the Add button and, in the new dialog box, select the last radio button Submenu.
  • In the Settings window, select the menu to edit in the Menu to edit: dropdown list.
  • To move a folder from one menu to another, click the Edit button or double-click the folder name in the Settings window and select the new menu in the Folder parent menu dropdown list.

Current folders

  • Use the Current Folders menu to open a folder already open in another Explorer window (especially convenient in a file dialog box).

Save and restore groups of folders based on projects or tasks

  • Create a new group of folders including all folders currently open in Explorer windows with the Group of folders… Save Current Folders as Group menu.
  • Select a group in the Group of folders… menu to restore these folders in their original Explorer window size and location.
  • Restored windows can replace the windows currently open or can be added to them. You decide it when you save a group.
  • Currently, Windows Explorer and Directory Opus windows are supported (Total Commander windows support is waiting for a new command in a future version of TC).

Recent folders

  • The Recent folders menu lists the recent places memorized by Windows.
  • An option in Settings determines the number of displayed recent folders in the menu (default is 10).
  • More info and discussions about how Folders Popup handles Recent folders.

Clipboard submenu

  • Use the Clipboard menu to open folders, documents, applications path(s) or URLs found in the Clipboard.
  • Only existing folder, documents or application files are displayed in the submenu.
  • When the Clipboard contains no path or URL, the previous Clipboard submenu content is preserved.

In Folders Popup Settings, Options

  • In the Settings dialog box, click the Options button to open the Options dialog box.
  • Select Run at Startup option to launch Folders Popup automatically.
  • Select your working language: English, French, German, Dutch, Korean, Italian and Swedish are currently supported.
  • Display or hide the Current Folders, Group of Folders, Recent folders and Clipboard special menus.
  • Select the option to use numeric menu shortcuts to launch favorites with your keyboard.
  • Display or hide menu icons, and choose menu icons size.
  • Select the option to remember the Settings window position and size from one session to the other.
  • Display the popup menu near the mouse pointer, in the active window or at a fix position.
  • Display or hide the startup Tray tip.
  • Enable the popup menu when clicking on the taskbar (or disable it for compatibility with other utilities like 7+ Taskbar Tweaker).
  • In the File managers support tab, enable Directory Opus (DOpus) or Total Commander (TC) support.

Configurable triggers

  • In the Options dialog box, Menu hotkeys tab, change the mouse triggers to open the folders menu (by default, middle mouse button and Shift-MMB).
  • Choose the keyboard triggers to open the folders menu (by default, Windows-A and Shift-Windows-A).
  • In the Other hotkeys tab, choose the keyboard trigger to open the Settings dialog box (by default, Shift-Control-F).
  • Choose the keyboard triggers opening instantly the special menus Current Folders (Shift-Control-F), Groups of Folders (Shift-Control-G), Recent Folders (Shift-Control-R) and Clipboard (Shift-Control-C).
  • Select the option to display or hide the special menus shortcuts reminders in the main menu.

Directory Opus support (DOpus)

  • Automatic enabling of DOpus support if the software is found on your system.
  • Change user folders, recent folders and special folders (My Computer, Network Neighborhood, Recycle Bin, etc.) in DOpus listers reliably and seamlessly.
  • More info here: Using Folders Popup with Directory Opus.

Total Commander support (TC)

  • Automatic enabling of Total Commander support if the software is found on your system.
  • Change user folders, recent folders and special folders (My Computer, Network Neighborhood, Recycle Bin, etc.) in TC windows reliably and seamlessly.
  • More info here: Using Folders Popup with Total Commander.

Universal File Managers Support

  • FPconnect is an universal file manager connector for Folders Popup from Roland Toth (https://github.com/rolandtoth/FPconnect).
  • This Folders Popup addon allows integration of any file manager that supports command line navigation. Thanks to tpr (Roland’s nickname).
  • Support on FPconnect is available on Roland’s blog.

Standard installation tool

  • Easy setup with standard Install / Uninstall procedures using Inno Setup.
  • Folders Popup is also distributed in a zip file for portable installation.
  • For previous portable installation users, the easy setup tool will retrieve your previous configuration if the Run at Startup option has been selected before the upgrade.

System Tray menu

  • Left-click on the Folders Popup icon in the Tray menu to open your favorites menu.
  • Right-click the icon in the Tray menu to:
    • open the Settings dialog box;
    • open the FoldersPopup.ini file;
    • select the Run at Startup option;
    • suspend temporarily the FP hotkeys;
    • check for new version of FP;
    • open the Help, About and Support Freeware! windows;
    • and quit Folders Popup and unload it from the active memory.

Final notes

  • Tested on Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8/8.1 with Explorer windows, File Dialog Boxes (Open, Save, etc.*) and Console Window (CMD command prompt).
  • Works with all international version of Windows.
  • Supports regular file system folders and UNC locations like network folders or WebDAV folders (Sharepoint libraries, etc.)**.

* Works with all software developed for Windows that use the standard file dialog boxes (most software do).
** In a file Explorer, if a location is password protected, you will need to be logged in manually *before* navigating to it using Folders Popup.

Screenshots


What's new in version 5

*** Upgrade to Quick Access Popup, next generation of Folders Popup ***

Version: 5.2.3 (2016-05-08)

  • Display clearer message when prompting for upgrade from FoldersPopup to Quick Access Popup (prompt displayed only for QAP releases with new features)
  • Add the auto-detection of .ahk and .vbs extensions when user add a favorite using drag-and-drop to the Settings window
  • Stop launching Directory Opus when refreshing the list of open folders in listers if Directory Opus is not running
  • French, Sweeden and German language files update
  • New runtime v1.1.23.5 from AHK

Version: 5.2.2 (2015-11-29)

  • Italian and French language updates
  • Fix an error in link for setup file in v5.2.1

New in release v5.2.1 (2015-11-15)

  • Windows 10 compatibility update:
    • update special folders initialization
    • adjust menu icons to Windows 10 icon files
    • shorten application description in executable file (used in Tray menus)
    • shorten notification tray tip texts for better display
  • disable beep on some Tray tips
  • fix bug with favorite application parameters, letting user enclose parameters with double-quotes only if required
  • German and French language updates

New in bug fix release v5.1.2 (2015-08-29)

  • Fix description label errors when changing a hotkey in Options, Other hotkeys".
  • When the Explorer extension Clover is installed, support folder navigation in the current tab instead of opening a new tab.

New in bug fix release v5.1.1 (2015-07-21)

  • Fix a bug for FPconnect users preventing the middle-mouse-button click to be recognized by FPconnected file manager (see: FPconnect support page).
  • Improve group load error handling.

New in version 5.1 (2015-05-06)

  • New menu Copy a Favorite's Path or URL... and shortcut Shift-Control-C to copy a location to the Clipboard.
    • This option opens the popup menu where you can choose what favorite's location you want to transfer to the Clipboard.
    • A tip in the notification zone prompts you to select the favorite to copy.
    • A message in the notification zone confirms that the location has been copied to the Clipboard.
    • A new check box in Options (first tab) allow you to choose to display or not the Copy a Favorite's Path or URL... menu.
  • Two new languages!
    • Addition of Spanish translation, thanks to Kiketrucker.
    • Addition of Brazilian Portuguese translation, thanks to Igor Ruckert.
  • Various improvements
    • Expand the relative path (like ../folder/) in favorite locations, based on the current working directory.
    • Sort URLs in the Clipboard menu.
    • Enable keyboard shortcuts even if Current folders, Groups of Folders and Clipboard menus are disabled.
  • Bug fixes
    • Fix a bug causing an error when trying to show icon in the Clipboard menu when icons were not allowed.
    • In Change hotkey dialog box, make the selection of no hotkey (None) more obvious.
    • Fix a bug when adding folders using the drag-and-drop technique, these favorites being wrongly created as application favorites.
    • Various minor display and under-the-hood improvements.

New in bug fix release v5.0.1 (2015-04-10)

  • Change default hotkeys for Current Folders (Shift-Control-F), Groups of Folders (Shift-Control-G), Recent Folders (Shift-Control-R), Clipboard (Shift-Control-C) and Settings (Shift-Control-S) for Windows 8.1 compatibility. Note that this will not change the hotkeys for users upgrading to this version; use the Reset default hotkey in the Change hotkey dialog box to use the new shortcuts.
  • Fix bug with special folders Pictures and Favorites (Internet) when user change these folders default location.
Add an Application favorite

Add an Application favorite

New in version 5.0 (2015-04-05)

  • New Application favorite type allowing you to launch your frequently used programs or utilities with options for full control on application execution:
    • Parameters to pass to the application (arguments).
    • Start in to set application's working directory.
    • See screen capture beside.
  • Clipboard submenu:
    • Submenu with folders, documents, applications path(s) and URLs found in the Clipboard.
    • Only existing folder, documents or application files are displayed in the submenu.
    • When the Clipboard does not contain path or URL, the previous submenu content is preserved.
    • When FP is launched, the Clipboard submenu is empty (disabled) as long as the Clipboard does not contain a path.
    • An option allows to determine if the Clipboard menu is shown (default is true).
  • Three new hotkeys to open special menus
    • Hotkey to open directly the Current folders menu
      (by default Ctrl-Win-C).
    • Hotkey to open directly the Groups menu
      (by default Ctrl-Win-G).
    • Hotkey to open directly the Clipboard menu
      (by default Ctrl-Win-V).
    • Changed the Settings window shortcut to Ctrl-Win-S.
    • The Clipboard menu and the special menu shortcuts

    The Clipboard menu and the special menu shortcuts

  • Redesigned Options dialog box
    • Redesign the Options dialog box splitting hotkeys settings in two tabs: one for popup menu hotkeys and the second for other hotkeys.
    • Review hotkeys language in Options (I hope this will make more clear the difference between “Middle mouse button” and “Shift-Middle mouse button”).
  • Check for beta version updates
    • Check for beta versions updates at startup if user enables the Check for update option.
    • Active only for users who ran a beta version previously.
  • Bug fix
    • Fix a bug from v4.2 when opening a special folder (Libraries, My Computer, etc.) from the Current Folders menu.

Full version history on the GitHub source repository.

Updating Folders Popup

Update from a previous v4 version using the setup tool

  1. Download the new version setup file under Easy one-step installation in the Download section at the top of this page.
  2. If it is running, quit Folders Popup before launching the setup file: right-click the Folders Popup icon in the System Tray and choose Exit FoldersPopup.
  3. Run the setup program and follow instructions. Folders Popup will be launch at the end of the installation.
  4. The new setup procedure will preserve your previous configuration in the FoldersPopup.ini file.


Update from a v3 (or older) version using the new setup tool

  1. Download the new version setup file under Easy one-step installation in the Download section at the top of this page.
  2. Make sure the Run at Startup option is selected in the previous version before the upgrade. This will allow the setup program to retrieve the configuration from your previous installation. This is highly recommended if you want to keep your previous custom menu.
  3. If it is running, quit Folders Popup before launching the setup file: right-click the Folders Popup icon in the System Tray and choose Exit FoldersPopup.
  4. Run the setup program and follow instructions. Folders Popup will be launch at the end of the installation.
  5. The new setup procedure will not overwrite the previous .exe files and your previous FoldersPopup.ini. Delete them manually when you are comfortable with the new installation.

Update from an older version using the portable installation

  1. Download the new version zip file under Portable installation in the Download section at the top of this page.
  2. Extract the executable (.EXE) from the zip file to the folder where you already run Folders Popup. The new file have a different name.
  3. Folders Popup will not overwrite the FoldersPopup.ini file that contains your folders shortcuts. All your settings will be preserved. Even if you upgrade from v1, v2 or v3.
  4. Quit the previous version of Folders Popup before launching the new one: right-click the Folders Popup icon in the System Tray and choose Exit FoldersPopup. When you run the new version, the shortcut in your Startup folder is updated to launch the new version.
  5. Run the new .EXE file (choose the 32-bit or 64-bit version depending on your system). When you are comfortable with the new version, you can delete the old .EXE.
    Note: If whenever you want to re-install the latest v1, v2, v3 or v4 release, download the v1.2.7 zip file, the v2.2.1 zip file, the v3.3.1 zip file or the v4.3 zip file.

Folders Popup is a Portable App

A portable application (portable app), sometimes also called standalone, is a program designed to run on a compatible computer without being installed in a way that modifies the computer's configuration information. This type of application can be stored on any storage device, including internal mass storage and external storage such as USB drives – storing its program files and any configuration information and data on the storage medium alone (source: Wikipedia).

Specifically, when installed using the Portable installation procedure, Folders Popup does not write any information in the Windows registry or in any system or temporary Windows folder. Running the .EXE file launches Folders Popup in its current directory. That's it! The app creates a temporary subdirectory (named _temp) to store small images and language files required at run time. This folder is deleted when the app quits. The only permanent files created by Folders Popup are the FoldersPopup.ini file containing your favorite folders and options and, if you select the Run at Startup option, the FoldersPopup.lnk file in your Startup folder.

To completely remove Folders Popup from a PC, delete the folder where you are running the app (preserve the FoldersPopup.ini file if you plan to re-use it) and delete the file FoldersPopup.lnk from your C:\Users\[name]\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup folder.

Translation

  • Select your working language in the Settings window.
  • Folders Popup was originally written in English (English proof checking would be appreciated).
  • Help for translation to other languages appreciated. Please see the Folders Popup Translation resource page.
Language Thanks to translators! Review in your language
French Jean Lalonde Folders Popup : un logiciel portable pour accéder rapidement à vos dossiers utilisés fréquemment (Freewares & Tutos)
German Edgar “Fast Edi” Hoffmann Folders Popup hilft uns bei der Navigation im Windows Explorer (Giga Software)
Dutch Pieter Dejonghe Folders Popup - Supersnel naar je favoriete mappen (Computer Totaal)
Korean Om Il-Sung (aka Dollnamul) 자주가는 폴더를 빠르게 가보자 (OSMANIA.com)
Swedish Åke Engelbrektson (www.svenskasprakfiler.se) Programtips: Folderspopup
Italian Riccardo Leone Aprire le cartelle preferite con un solo click utilizzando FoldersPopup (scarichiamo.it)
Spanish kiketrucker (AccionGlobalXSoft) FoldersPopup (x32 y x64) Standalone y Portable [Freeware] (Conocimiento Adictivo)
Brazilian Portuguese Igor Ruckert Please, suggest a review in Brazilian Portuguese

Source

  • Developed using the portable programming language AHKScript v1.1 (aka AutoHotkey or AutoHotkey_L).
  • Source files on GitHub.

Licence

Folders Popup - Copyright (©) 2013-2015 Jean Lalonde

This software is provided 'as-is', without any express or implied warranty. In no event will the authors be held liable for any damages arising from the use of this software. Permission is granted to anyone to use this software for any purpose, including commercial applications, and to alter it and redistribute it freely, subject to the following restrictions: 1. The origin of this software must not be misrepresented; you must not claim that you wrote the original software. If you use this software in a product, an acknowledgment in the product documentation would be appreciated but is not required. 2. Altered source versions must be plainly marked as such, and must not be misrepresented as being the original software. 3. This notice may not be removed or altered from any source distribution. Jean Lalonde, ahk@jeanlalonde.ca

Credits

Icons by: Visual Pharm

“ Improve your workflow and become more productive by saving time ”

- Softpedia

Support

  • Online support: post a comment below.
  • Email: ahk@jeanlalonde.ca.
  • Bug reports: comment or email.


Other resources
How to stop Anti-virus blocking Folders Popup
About Folders Popup Recent folders
About Folders Popup color themes

Using Folders Popup with Directory Opus
Using Folders Popup with Total Commander
Using FoldersPopup with almost any file manager thanks to FPconnect

Folders Popup Translation

Archived or "closed cases" comments
Folders Popup v1 archives
Folders Popup v2 archives
Folders Popup v3 archives
Folders Popup v4 archives
Folders Popup v5 Archives