If you installed Open Exchange apps in SDL Trados Studio 2011, you’ll be wondering if they’ll work in Studio 2014. Most of them will. Some may have to be updated by their developers(*), others have been updated already and will automatically appear in the Welcome View of Studio 2014, and another group of apps just need a bit of a helping hand to work in the new environment.

(*) See Paul Filkin’s comment below

Studio apps fall into two categories: plug-ins, which work inside Studio (e.g. MyMemory TM) and standalone apps, which work independently (e.g. PackageReader).

How to use Studio 2011 plug-ins in Studio 2014 

To transfer plug-ins (i.e. apps that work inside Studio) from 2011 to 2014, most will simply work by closing Studio and then copying the plug-in from here:
C:\Users\[Username]\AppData\Local\SDL\SDL Trados Studio\10\Plugins\Packages
to here:
C:\Users\[Username]\AppData\Local\SDL\SDL Trados Studio\11\Plugins\Packages

How to use Studio 2011 standalone apps in Studio 2014

To transfer standalone apps, you can now clear them off your desktop and launch them straight from the Open Exchange list in the Studio 2014 Welcome view.

How? Download and install Menu Maker from the Open Exchange. This app is specially designed to customise the Welcome view. To do this, open Menu Maker, select any Open Exchange app from the right column (this lists any apps you’ve already installed on your computer) and click on the arrow to add them to the left column (this is your Open Exchange list in Studio 2014).

They’re ordered alphabetically, but you can rename them using a number system to sort them in your preferred order.

Another feature of Menu Maker is being able to add direct access buttons to programs you access frequently, straight from Studio. Note that you’ll only be able to do this with 32-bit programs. In the screenshot above, you can see I’ve added Archivarius 3000, Notepad ++ and SnagIt to my Studio window.

Enjoy!