How to remove a shortcut from the desktop on different operating systems?

Shortcuts are special icons that facilitate the quick launch of applications, files, folders, etc. An icon is just a pointer to a real object, which is located in another folder on your hard drive. Shortcuts allow you to quickly launch games, software and explorer from the desktop. This applies not only to the stationary Windows operating systems, but also to mobile OS. Next, we will look at how to remove a shortcut from the desktop in different ways, and also see what actions you can return to. Let's start with Windows operating systems.

Removing shortcuts on Microsoft OS

Consider the basic methods for removing shortcuts that are relevant for Windows. Immediately it is worth saying that the presented methods are suitable not only for the "tens", but also for most versions, starting with XP.

So, you can remove a shortcut from the desktop on a computer or laptop running Windows in the following ways:

1. The first is to delete using the Delete key. You need to select a shortcut with the mouse by clicking LMB once. After that, click Delete to display a warning window. Choose OK. The selected shortcut will now be in the Trash.
2. The second option is to use the context menu. To do this, click on the icon again, but this time RMB. An additional menu will appear on the screen, in which you need to select the "Delete" item. Then the same window will appear with the confirmation of the procedure. We agree to the removal. The label will end up in the Trash with the rest of the garbage in the same way.
3. The third option is to simply drag and drop to the Trash. Hold LMB on the icon and, without releasing, drag it to the Trash. After that release LMB - the file will be placed in the folder with deleted data.

Using these methods, you can remove shortcuts from the desktop and then place them in the trash.

How to remove icons from the basket?

To do this, follow the standard cleaning procedure. Open the folder with deleted files by double-clicking LMB. After that, in the free space, click RMB and select "Empty Trash" from the menu.

You can also perform this procedure without opening a folder. To do this, you need to click RMB on the icon and select the same item from the menu. Now consider some of the nuances and problems often encountered by users.

How to remove a shortcut from the desktop that is not deleted?

Sometimes the user may encounter a problem in which the icons from the desktop refuse to be erased. Often this problem occurs when, when trying to delete, the user does not see the treasured button in the menu or when dragging the icon to the Trash, nothing changes.

If you don’t want to understand the causes of the error, then just use one of the tips:

1. To remove a shortcut from the desktop, open the registry editor. To do this, write regedit in the search bar and run the utility. After that, go to the path HKEY_ LOCAL_ MACHINE → SOFTWARE → Microsoft → Windows → CurrentVersion → Explorer → Desktop and find the nameSpace branch. It must be removed, and then restart the computer.
2. If you do not want to manually make changes to the registry, then try turning on the computer in safe mode. To do this, when loading the OS, select the appropriate option. As a rule, safe mode allows you to erase undeletable files from your computer.

All of the above actions are relevant not only for this PC, which you use directly, but also for the remote desktop shortcuts on Windows 10.

Icon recovery

What if you need to return labels deleted by mistake? In this case, the following instruction comes in handy.

Firstly, if you removed the shortcut from the desktop, but have not yet emptied the Recycle Bin, then restoring the file is quite easy. To do this, open the Trash folder and find the file there. Click on it with RMB and select "Restore" in the context menu. After that, the icon will again return to its original place.

If you cleared the folder earlier, then you can restore the deleted shortcut on the desktop as follows:

1. Open the directory in which the desired program or game is installed / the file is located, etc.
2. Find this file. If it comes to running the program, then you need an executive file with the extension exe.
3. Click on it with RMB and select "Create Shortcut" in the menu.
4. In the window that opens, you must specify the path to the place where this shortcut will be saved. To select a folder, click on "Browse".
5. In the directory, select the item "Desktop" and click on OK.
6. In the previous window, the "Next" button will become active - click it.
7. The next step is to change the name of the shortcut. Enter a name and click "Finish."

In this way, you can create not only a shortcut to the program / game, but also make a link to the folder. After that, you won’t have to look for it in directories on your hard drive.

How to remove a shortcut from the desktop on android?

The removal procedure is very similar to the one that stationary Windows offers. Only shortcuts are located on the Android desktop, and the programs themselves can be deleted through the menu or device settings. Therefore, with the icons on the desktop, you can do anything.

Depending on the shell and version of the operating system, one of the following methods may be available to you:

1. With a long press on the icon, drag it to the top panel with the "Delete" button.
2. Hold the finger on the shortcut and select the delete item in the menu that opens.

Now you know how to remove a shortcut from the desktop on Windows or Android. As you can see, this procedure is very simple and quick!