Do we have files and apps that we want to always have available? Let’s see how to add them to the desktop and Windows Start menu
Windows 11 has introduced so many new features over time that many novice users may encounter difficulties even with seemingly simple operations how to create shortcuts for your favorite files and applications.
Windows 11 remains an easy-to-use system but, for those who are used to previous versions of Windows or are coming from a Mac, it can be very useful to read the following guide, where we will show you in detail How to create app and file shortcuts on the desktop, taskbar, and Start menuso you always have everything just a click away without having to open the search menu every time or scroll through the All apps list in the Start menu.
READ ALSO -> How to customize the look and theme of Windows 11
1) Create desktop shortcuts
To create app shortcuts on the desktop, all we have to do is open the Start menu, identify the app to add and drag it to the desktop; on Windows 11 we first press on All apps (in the Start menu) and proceed with dragging the app to add.
Alternatively we can add new links to files, folders and apps by opening File Explorer (from the bottom bar or from the Start menu), right-clicking on the item you want to add to the desktop and finally pressing on Send to -> Desktop (create shortcut); on Windows 11 you need to press on first Show more options after pressing the right button on the element: only in this way will we be able to access the menu Send to described earlier.
Links to the apps can also be viewed in the following path Explorer:
C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs
In this folder we advise you not to drag the icons to the desktop, otherwise we will remove them from the Start menu (unless we really want this); for these links it is worth creating a “link within a link” by right-clicking on the app you want to add and using the function Send to -> Desktop (create shortcut).
2) Create links on the bottom bar
Adding shortcuts to the Windows taskbar is really very simple and accessible to everyone. In fact, we can act immediately after opening the favorite app, by right-clicking on the app icon at the bottom and selecting Pin to taskbar.
Another quick way to add apps to the bottom bar is to first open the Start menu, identify the app you want to add, right-click on it and then press Pin to taskbar.
If the favorite app is present as a desktop shortcut we can also simply drag it down, positioning it where we deem appropriate; Unfortunately These methods cannot be used to add files and folders to the bottom bar.
3) Create shortcuts on the Start menu
Apps are automatically added to the Start menu during installation; Usually the “Pin to Start Menu” item is always active in installation windows, automatically creating a shortcut for any installed app.
If for some reason the desired app is not present in the Start menu we can add it by bringing (from the app File Explorer) in the path of the installed applications, i.e.:
C:\Program Files
For 32-bit programs the path is different:
C:\Program Files (x86)
After finding the application folder to add to the Start menu, open it, identify the program executable (with extension .exe), let’s right click on it and use the function Send to -> Desktop (create shortcut) (on Windows 11 the function is Show more options -> Send to -> Desktop (create shortcut).
After creating the executable shortcut on the desktop, rename it (if necessary) by right-clicking and clicking Renaming (on Windows 11 the icon is present Renaming up); Now that the shortcut is ready, just move it to the Start menu folder already seen previously:
C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs
With the link inserted in the Start menu, log out of the user or restart the PC for the changes to take effect.
Menu rapido Start su Windows 11
On Windows 11 we can add quick shortcuts to the most used apps directly in the Start menu: they will be visible at the top, immediately ready for use (particularly if we often use programs with an enlarged window that covers the desktop).
To add shortcuts to the quick menu, open the Start menu and press on All appsright-click on the program to add and finally press on Add to Startin order to add a shortcut that is immediately visible as soon as we open the Start menu.
4) Quick links to user folders
As seen in previous chapters, shortcuts for folders and files can only be created on the desktop: we cannot add them to the taskbar or Start menu, unless we customize Windows with a new Dock bar o one new Start menu.
The only change we can make to quickly access the most used user folders is to add a shortcut key in the Start menu. To proceed, press WIN+I on the keyboard, take us to the path Personalization -> Startwe open the menu Folders and activate the switch on the user folders we want to be shown (for example Documents, Download, Musica, Video e Images).
By now opening the Start menu we will see, next to the shutdown button, the new links for the user’s personal folders, so that we can quickly open any app or whatever we are doing on the PC.
In addition to the user folders we can add the shortcut for Settingsthe shortcut for File Explorerthe network folder and the personal user folder.
5) How to quickly search files, folders and apps
All the methods described should make it easy to find any file, folder or program you use on a daily basis; if we have difficulty searching for files we can use the Windows search system (improved a lot in the latest versions) or alternatively rely on a universal search engine such as Everythingavailable free for Windows.
By installing this program we can start a search for files in any Windows folder, even the most hidden ones; in addition to files and folders, it also allows you to search for the executables of installed applications, providing a simplified right-click menu within the app, so you can use the function Send to -> Desktop (create shortcut) at any time.
For further information we can read our guide to programs to quickly search for files on your Windows PC.
Conclusions
Creating shortcuts on Windows is a simple task but which many novice users do not know how to do, carefully avoiding adding favorite programs to the taskbar or customizing the Start menu according to their needs, cramming all the files, folders and apps on the desktop.
To give order to the messiest desktop we can read our guides on how to organize your desktop with important icons and folders come on how to organize windows on the windows desktop.