How to create a Windows shortcut

Shortcuts are a great way to quickly access programs, files, folders, and even web pages. They can be conveniently placed on your desktop or in certain directories or folders. There are a few methods used to achieve these results. To proceed, make your selection from the list below.

Create a shortcut using Microsoft’s wizard

This method allows users to create shortcuts on the Windows desktop or in a folder.

1. Right-click a blank space on the Windows desktop, a folder, or in a directory.
2. Move your mouse cursor over New in the drop-down menu that appears.

1. On the Create Shortcut window, click the button.
2. Locate the program you’d like to use for the shortcut ( A ), and then click OK ( B ).

1. Click the button.
2. Type in a name for the shortcut, then click the button.

You can pin a desktop shortcut for a program to the taskbar by dragging and dropping it there.

Create a shortcut from a folder

1. Open the Windows File Explorer by pressing Windows key + E at the same time.
2. Browse to the folder containing the program you want to use for the shortcut.
3. Right-click the program and select Create Shortcut from the drop-down menu that appears.

1. Doing so creates a shortcut named » — Shortcut» in the current directory.

If you want to rename this shortcut, right-click the file and select Rename.

Create shortcuts for apps, files, folders, and web pages in Windows 10

One of the most efficient ways to access your favorite apps, files, folders, and web pages is through shortcuts. That is why, in spite of the clutter, many of us choose to have lots of shortcuts on our desktops. This tutorial shows you how to create all kinds of shortcuts in Windows 10. There’s quite a bit of ground to cover, so let’s get started:

How to create shortcuts to desktop apps and files in Windows 10

To create a shortcut, right-click or press-and-hold on a free area on your desktop. In the contextual menu that appears, tap or hover over the New option to reveal another menu, and then click or tap on Shortcut.

The Create Shortcut wizard opens. Type the location of the item you want to create a shortcut to, or, better yet, click or tap on Browse.

A pop-up window asks you to “Select the target of the shortcut below.“ Navigate to the app or file you want to create a shortcut to, and then click or tap OK. We wanted to create a shortcut to Mozilla Firefox, so we had to navigate to “This PC > Windows (C:) > Program Files > Mozilla Firefox > firefox.exe.”

TIP: If you’re creating a shortcut to an app, make sure to choose the app’s executable file and not some ancillary file.

In the Create Shortcut wizard, you can see that the item’s location has been filled in automatically based on your selection. Click or tap Next to continue.

Now you can change the name of your shortcut or leave the default one. When you are done, click or tap on Finish.

The shortcut is now available on your desktop.

How to create shortcuts to folders in Windows 10

Shortcuts to folders are created the same way as the ones to apps and files. First, right-click or press-and-hold on a free area on your desktop to open a contextual menu. Go to New and click or tap on Shortcut to open the Create Shortcut wizard. Once here, either type the location of the folder in question, or click or tap on Browse to navigate to it. Select the folder you want to create a shortcut to, and then press OK. Click or tap on Next when you are returned to the Create Shortcut wizard.

All you need to do is choose a name for your folder shortcut and then click or tap on Finish.

The shortcut should now be available on your desktop.

How to create shortcuts to web pages in Windows 10

Unsurprisingly, in Windows 10, the process of creating a shortcut to a web page starts precisely the same way as the one for files and folders. Open the Create Shortcut wizard by first right-clicking or pressing-and-holding a free desktop area, and then clicking or tapping on the Shortcut option from the New menu.

In the wizard, type in or paste the web address of the page you are trying to create a shortcut to. Then, click or tap on Next.

The default name for your shortcut is “New Internet Shortcut,“ so you might want to change it to something else to avoid confusion. When you are done, click or tap on Finish.

When you first create a shortcut to a web page, the default icon looks like a blank document.

The first time you use a web page shortcut, Windows 10 asks in a pop-up window how you want to open the file. Click or tap on Internet Browser, make sure to check the option to “Always use this app to open .url files,“ and press OK.

This opens the target link of your shortcut in your default browser. At the same time, the icon for the shortcut is replaced by a variation of the icon used by your default web browser. The same icon is used for all the shortcuts to web pages you create from now on.

TIP: To learn how to change a shortcut’s icon, read How to change the icon of any shortcut in Windows.

How to create shortcuts to Start Menu items in Windows 10

Windows 10 allows users to create shortcuts for all the items listed in the Start Menu. To begin, open the Start Menu by pressing the Windows key on your keyboard and find the item you are looking for in the apps list. Then, click or tap on it, but do not release. Hold down the mouse button or do not take your finger off the screen, and drag the item to the desktop. When the text Link appears next to your cursor, you can drop the item anywhere on your desktop to create a shortcut.

Alternatively, you can also grab any of the shortcuts and tiles from the right side of the Start Menu the same way, and you can drag and drop them on the desktop with the same results.

In both these cases, dragging and dropping creates a new shortcut, leaving the original shortcut or tile in its place.

How to create shortcuts to files and folders using their right-click menu in Windows 10

You can also use the options in an item’s right-click menu to create a shortcut to it. Open File Explorer, navigate to the location of the file or folder you want to create a shortcut to, and then right-click or press-and-hold on it to open its contextual menu. Tap or hover over the Send to option, and then click or tap on “Desktop (create shortcut).“

A shortcut is created on the desktop, pointing to the item you have selected. The right-click menu also has a Create shortcut option you can click or tap.

Unlike the other option, a shortcut to the selected item is created in the same folder as the original file, and you can move that shortcut to another location.

If you try to use this last method to create a shortcut to a file found in a folder where your user account doesn’t have permissions to create new files, you get an error message, letting you know that you can’t create a shortcut in that location. Click or tap on Yes to place the shortcut on the desktop instead.

What type of shortcuts do you prefer?

Thank you for reading this tutorial, and we hope you learned how to make a shortcut in Windows 10, be it to an app, a file, a folder, or a web page. Before you close this article, let us know what shortcut(s) do you want to create? Do you prefer desktop, taskbar, or Start Menu shortcuts? Comment below and let’s discuss.

How to create a Desktop Shortcut in Windows 10

While this may sound very basic to some users, others may find it useful. I received a couple of mails in the last few months asking me to prepare a basic tutorial on how to create shortcuts. So in this post, we will see how to create a desktop shortcut in Windows 10/8/7, for your favorite application, program, website, etc, and place it on your Desktop or any other folder, for easy access.

Create Desktop Shortcut in Windows 10

1] The simplest way to create a desktop shortcut for your favorite program is to right-click on its .exe file and select Send To > Desktop (Create shortcut). You will see that its shortcut has been created on your Windows desktop.

If you instead select Create shortcut, its shortcut will be created in the same location. You can then drag and drop into your desired folder location.

2] There is another way, and that is by right-clicking on your desktop and then selecting New > Shortcut. You will see the following box open.

You have to enter the path of the program executable file, for which you want to create the shortcut.

If you know the path enter it, else click on the Browse button and browse to the .exe file and select it.

As an example, I have taken FixWin, a free tool that helps you fix Windows problems in a click. Once you have selected it, click om OK.

Now click on Next to open the following window. You may keep the same name or modify it.

Clicking on Finish will create a desktop shortcut. But you will notice that it takes the default icon.

To give the shortcut a proper icon, right-click on it and select Properties.

When the Properties box opens, click on the Change icon button.

The following box will open. You may select one of the system icons or you may click on the Browse button and browse to the folder where you may your personal stock of .ico files.

Select the icon you want and click on Apply. Your shortcut will get the cool icon, you wanted.

Incidentally, if you wish to, you can always cut-paste and move this shortcut and place it in any other folder of your choice.

If you do not like it, you can remove the Shortcut to text & the Shortcut Arrow using a registry tweak or our freeware Ultimate Windows Tweaker, which is available for Windows 10/8.1/8/7/Vista.

You can also use our freeware Handy Shortcuts to create many other shortcuts. Our Create-A-Shortcut Tool will let you create shortcuts anywhere on your computer easily. Do take a look at them.

How to Create a Desktop Shortcut on Windows

Set up easy access to programs and files you frequently use

When you create a shortcut on the Windows desktop, you get easy access to any file or program installed on your computer. There are two requirements for creating a shortcut. You must know the file or program path or be able to navigate to it. You must also have permission to access the file or program.

Instructions in this article apply to Windows 10, Windows 8, and Windows 7.

Create a Shortcut From the Desktop

On your desktop screen, right-click in any empty space.

A menu appears. Select New > Shortcut.

In the Create Shortcut wizard, select Browse to find the file or program you want to create a shortcut for.

If you already know the path to the file or program, type it and proceed to step 5.

Navigate to the file or program you want to create a shortcut for. Select OK.

Select Next.

Type the name you want to assign to the shortcut, then select Finish.

Your new shortcut appears on your desktop. You can use it as you would the other shortcuts.

Create a Desktop Shortcut Using File Explorer

You can also create a desktop shortcut from File Explorer.

From your taskbar, launch File Explorer.

Navigate to the file or program and select it.

Right-click the name of the file. From the menu that appears, select Send to > Desktop (create shortcut)

Your new shortcut appears on your desktop. You can use it as you would the other shortcuts.