Windows 7 simplification and condensing of the task bar is really excellent compared to previous iterations of Windows. Before 7, the task bar in Windows consisted of a title bar representing almost every running application on the system. With smaller monitors and resolutions, it was quite often the case that so many applications were open that the task bar could not appropriately display the title bars. Instead, the display would be truncated or grouped if multiple instances of an application were running – like Internet Explorer or Windows Explorer. Open enough applications and the truncation would extend to the point that the only application icon was left in the task bar. That is clearly the inspiration behind the design change in Windows 7 – simply show the application icon but make it larger so it is more readily identifiable.

Nevertheless, users of any iteration of Windows might be interested in minimizing applications directly to the system tray, by-passing the task bar in the process. Now, there are numerous utilities that can do just that so typically the goal is to minimize the system resources necessary to accomplish the task and, equally important, the interface or actions necessary to initiate the relocation.

RBTray is a free utility that satisfies both of those requirements. At just over a 1MB of system memory usage, RBTray extends the functionality of the traditional minimize button found on every application.

A left-click on the minimize button produces the traditional behavior. However, after installation of RBTray – which is really just extracting the zip file contents and executing the software, a right-click will send the application right to the system tray. How simple is that?

Download RBTray