The presence of shortcuts on the desktop will save you a lot of time when navigating the maze, which is the hard drive of your computer. There are several fairly simple methods thanks to which you can create them for almost any file or folder on your computer. How to create a shortcut on the desktop?
For these purposes, Windows provides two possible methods to choose from.
Method number 1:
- Right-click once on a free area of the desktop, then select "Create" and then click "Create Shortcut".
- In the new window, click "Browse."
- Now select the file or program for which you want to create a shortcut, select it / it, click "Open", and then click the "Next" button.
- Then enter a name for the shortcut. If the Close button appears in the dialog box , click on it. If not, click Next, select the icon you want to use for quick access, and then click the Finish button.
Method number 2:
- Click "Start", click "Programs", then right-click on the program for which you want to create a shortcut.
- Click the "Create Shortcut" button.
- It is now located at the very end of the list of programs. For example, if you created a shortcut for Microsoft Word, to find it, click "Start", select "Programs." You will find the "Microsoft Word (2)" shortcut (without quotes, of course) at the very bottom of the list.
- Drag it to free space on your desktop.
How to create a shortcut for a printer or internet connection?
To do this, do the following:
- Click "Start", then select "Control Panel" - "Printers". For an Internet connection, you need to perform almost identical actions: also click "Start", select "Control Panel", and only then - "Network and Internet".
- Right-click on the printer or the connection icon, drag it into the open space of the desktop, the shortcut will appear automatically.
How to create a shortcut for other objects?
For other objects (for example, folders, documents, computer or recycle bins), it is created almost as well:
- Use "My Computer" to find the object for which you want to create a shortcut.
- Right-click on this object, and then select "Create Shortcut".
- Transfer the finished shortcut to the open space of the desktop.
Useful Tips
To change the quick access settings, right-click on the shortcut, and then click the "Properties" button. Thus, in the tab that opens, you can modify the key combination that is used to launch the shortcut, as well as minimize-maximize the icon itself.
To remove a shortcut, right-click on it, and then click "Delete." Or you can just drag it to the trash. When it is deleted, the original object will not be destroyed and will not change (if this is not the only shortcut to the file or program).
Sometimes you want to use other icons for shortcuts or files. There are many alternatives that can be used on Windows, but it can be difficult to find them if the desired file is not already in use.
The icons are located in a file called SHELL32.dll, which is located in the special System32 folder in the Windows folder. Right-click on the icon you want to change and click on "Properties". Select "Edit." Click on the "Browse" button, and then on the "My Computer" button on the left. After that, double-click on the local drive (C :), WINDOWS, system32, and then shell32.dll. By default in Windows, the icons will appear in the change window. Select any icon and click on the "OK" button. Be extremely careful! Files in System32 are very important, so be careful not to try to access the icons differently.
Before creating a shortcut, think about whether you are going to move the folder or source file, because after that it will not work.