In that context, a few strategically placed widgets can make the desktop far more useful without making it feel cluttered.
Microsoft has re-introduced a side widget in Windows 11, but it lacks the customization and some functionalities that you might want. I really used to like the classic desktop gadgets in Windows 7 and ...
Custom user actions can be defined and added to the right-click menus (aka. context menus) of files/folders. Each action may be limited to certain file types or certain places, so that it shows up ...