Adding Apps to Your Desktop in Windows 11
Alright, so if you’re tired of hunting through menus for those apps you use all the time, making some shortcuts on the desktop can be a real game changer. Kinda weird that it’s not super obvious how to do this, but once it’s set up, launching your favorite programs is as easy as double-clicking an icon. It saves a whole lot of time. Here’s how it goes down:
Launch the Start Menu
First off, hit that Windows icon at the bottom-left of the screen. This opens up the Start menu, which is basically the command center for all your apps. You can also just smack the Windows key on your keyboard if you prefer. Who doesn’t like to feel fancy with keyboard shortcuts?
Find Your App
Next, go through that lengthy list of installed programs or use the search bar at the top. If you’ve installed a ton of stuff, that search bar is gonna be your best friend. Seriously, scrolling forever is nobody’s idea of a good time.
Get to the Context Menu
Okay, so you see the app you want? Right-click on it. This opens up a whole menu of options. But, if you’re only seeing a few choices, hang tight! You want to click on Show more options to dig deeper. This is where all the cool actions are hiding.
Full Context Menu Access
Feeling extra? Use Shift + F10 after right-clicking to jump straight to the full menu without the extra click. This saves some time because, of course, Windows loves a good extra step.
Create Your Shortcut
Now, look for the Send to submenu and pick Desktop (create shortcut). Boom! You’ve got your app shortcut on the desktop. This little icon is your speedy route to getting stuff done. Just double-click, and there you go — no more navigating around the Start menu like it’s a maze.
Sometimes, with apps from the Microsoft Store, it can be a bit tricky. You might have to dig into File Explorer to find the app’s executable manually like:
C:\Program Files\YourAppFolder\YourApp.exeRight-click on that file and select Create shortcut. Yeah, it’s an extra step, but at least now you know!
After you’re done, check out your desktop for the shiny new shortcut. Need to tidy things up? Right-click, then hit Rename to make it look how you like. Keeping things organized makes the whole computing experience a lot smoother, believe it or not!
Sometimes, it might take a reboot for everything to refresh if shortcuts don’t show up right away. Just something to keep in mind.