However, you can create a portable app menu for accessing programs on a USB stick (flash drive) with SyMenu and LiberKey. Those are freeware software packages designed to assist users with managing and accessing portable apps on USB drives. This is how you can set up a menu for portable software with SyMenu and LiberKey.
How to Add a Portable Software Menu With SyMenu
SyMenu is a portable app menu to which you can add software, document file, website URL, folder, and command shortcuts. It adds a menu for portable software you can access on the desktop or by clicking its system tray icon in Windows. You can add a portable software menu to Windows 11 and 10 with SyMenu like this:
First, insert a USB flash drive into your PC. Open the SyMenu download page. Click the exe package option. Once downloaded, double-click SyMenuPackage. exe file to open an archive extraction window. Click the ellipses button. Select your USB drive and a folder to extract it to, and click OK. Add SyMenu to the end of the program path to create a separate folder for the software. Then click the Extract option for the archive.
Now it’s time to get SyMenu up and running:
Double-click the SyMenu. exe file. Choose a preferred language option and click Next. Select the I accept and agree checkbox for the SyMenu software license terms, and select Next again. Click the I accept this condition option for privacy policies. Finally, select an Advanced menu structure option and click Next.
How to Use SyMenu on Windows
Now you should see a floating “Sy drive” icon on the desktop area. Click that drive icon to view the portable software menu. That menu will include Search items, My Computer, and Tools submenus.
To add portable software to the menu, click the Tools submenu > Configuration; click the Item Manager tab and select Add Program from there. Click the ellipses button for the Path box, choose a portable app on your USB stick, and select Open. Press the Save button to apply.
Then you can launch the added software from the app menu. To view more options for an app, right-click its entry on the menu. You can select Run elevated, Open folder, and Delete item options from a program’s submenu.
Or you can add new apps to the menu from the SyMenu program suite. To do so, select the Get new apps option on the menu. Choose portable software in the SyMenu Suite tab, and select the Download option.
You can customize colors for the menu from the SyMenu options. Select Tools > Options to bring up that window. Click Theme to view the options shown below. You can change the menu’s colors by clicking the palette boxes and choosing alternatives.
The SyMenu options window also includes a Structure tab. You can restructure the menu by dragging items up and down the Menu structure box. To add more separators, drag
If you’re looking for apps to add to your repertoire, why not check out the best portable apps that require no installation?
How to Add a Portable Software Menu With LiberKey
LiberKey adds a bigger portable software menu to Windows that includes animation effects, tabs, and larger icons. Its tabbed layout enables you to create alternative menu tabs for opening portable apps. These are the steps for adding a portable software menu to Windows with LiberKey:
Plug a flash drive into a USB slot on your PC. Bring up the LiberKeys website in browser software. Select the Download LiberKey 5. 8 option. Double-click LiberKey_5. 8. 1129. exe to open a setup wizard for the software. Click Next to select the I accept software license agreement option. Select Next a few more times to reach the directory selection option. Click Browse, select a folder on your USB stick, and press the OK button. Select Next > Yes when prompted to create a new LiberKey folder. Then select Install to add LiberKey to your USB stick. Click Finish with the Launch LiberKey checkbox selected.
Now you’ll see a LiberKey icon in the Windows system tray area. Click that system tray icon to view the menu. That menu has Most used and Recent which will fill up when you start using LiberKey a bit more. It also includes a pie chart icon that shows the amount of free and used drive storage when you hover the cursor over it.
LiberKeys has a smaller floating menu. You can access it by pressing the Shift + Windows key hotkey. That keyboard shortcut opens a small menu that includes the apps added to LiberKey.
First, you’ll need to add a new menu tab for your portable software. Click the small User menus arrow button to select Create new menu. Input a title for the tab in the Menu name box and select OK.
Then you can add software to the new menu tab. Right-click anywhere in the tab and select New shortcut > Application/file. Choose a portable app to include on the menu and click Open.
You can also add categories for grouping software to menu tabs. Right-click a menu tab to select the New Category option. Input a title in the name box and select OK. Then you can drag app shortcuts on LiberKey into category submenus.
LiberKeys, like SyMenu, has portable apps you can download and add to the menu. Open the LiberKeys website, and select a program to add to the menu from there. Click the Install on my LiberKey option to add the portable software to the menu. You’ll see a new tab on the menu that includes all apps added to the menu from the software’s website.
To customize the menu, select LiberKey Tools > Configuration. You can change the menu’s color scheme from the Color tab on the Configuration window. Choose a primary menu color on that tab, and select Apply to save it.
You can reconfigure LiberKey’s effects from the User Interface tab on the Configuration window. Select the disable options there to turn off the menu’s animation effects. To add an analog clock to the menu’s LiberKey logo, select the Displayclock checkbox. You can also adjust the menu open delay by selecting Custom and entering an alternative millisecond value.
If you’re a student on the go, be sure to check out the best free portable apps for students you can take anywhere.
Make Your Portable Apps More Accessible on Windows
A SyMenu or LiberKey software menu gives you an entirely new way to manage and launch portable apps on Windows PCs. You can make all your portable software more directly accessible from the system tray area with LiberKey and SyMenu. That menu will also be truly portable since you can utilize it from a USB stick on different PCs.
