Service Monitor

Similarly to fashion, graphical user interfaces usually go through various design changes influenced by consumer feedback, industry trends or the need for originality. The same has been applied to Microsoft’s flagship operating system as well, switching from the large fonts, bold colors and clean layouts of the tile-based Metro style to the curved edges of the Fluent design language’s latest iteration.

While our highly adaptive human nature allows us to get accustomed to a vast array of changes to our quotidian lifestyles, our workflows tend to take a hit, which is where utilities such as Service Monitor come into play.

The removal of resizable live tiles from the Start Menu in Windows 11 affected many avid users of its original approach that combines notifications, widgets and app drawers into a single, highly customizable hub where the most important utilities were one click away. In response, the open-source community released programs like ExplorerPatcher meant to bring back the old Start Menu that is currently hidden away within the operating system’s source code.

However, those who want to avoid experiencing the stark contrast between the two layout styles may be better served by the app at hand. Once downloaded, double-clicking its executable summons a straightforward interface that matches Windows 11’s Fluent design language and fits right in with the rest of the built-in apps.

When selecting the “Config” section from the sidebar, users can insert the process name of the apps they want to be shown in the dashboard, followed by a semicolon and its title, thus allowing them to add extra notes for each app, which may come in handy when distinguishing similar browser installations with different profiles enabled. Finally, each item is red by default and automatically turns green when processes are running, ultimately reminding you what background apps’ work needs to be saved before shutting the computer down.

If you are looking for a dedicated hub for your most frequently used apps that happens to fit in with the rest of Microsoft’s in-house developed apps, Service Monitor’s highly customizable nature and portable form factor may be the right choice to enhance your workflow.