Putting a Google icon on your Windows 11 desktop is surprisingly straightforward, but not always as smooth as it sounds. If you’ve tried just dragging the website or fiddled with shortcuts before, you might know it’s not always reliable. Here’s a pretty solid method that actually works for most setups, especially if you want that nice, tidy icon right where you need it, no fuss.
How to Put Google Icon on Desktop in Windows 11
Basically, you’re gonna create a shortcut from the browser, but it’s a bit more than just dragging the icon from the URL bar. Why? Well, because Windows and browser updates sometimes mess with the simple drag-and-drop method, and you end up with a broken shortcut or a URL with no icon. This way, you end up with a proper, themed icon that actually opens Google like a native app.
Method 1: Using “Create Shortcut” in Chrome/Edge/Firefox
Good browsers have a built-in way to create desktop shortcuts, but it’s tucked away in the menu. For Chrome or Edge, for example, do this:
- Open your browser and navigate to
www.google.com. - Click on the three-dot menu (or hamburger menu) in the top right corner.
- Hover over More Tools and then hit Create Shortcut. If you don’t see that, keep reading for an alternative.
- In the dialog box, give it a simple name like Google then check the box “Open as window” if you want it to look less like a browser tab and more like an app. That’s helpful if you want a clean, icon-based access instead of a browser window with tabs.
- Click Create. Bam, a shortcut will appear on your desktop.
Once you’ve got that, you can drag the new icon wherever you want or right-click it and choose Pin to taskbar for quick access. Some browsers might label the menu differently, but the idea is pretty much the same. On some setups, creating the shortcut initially fails or the icon looks weird, but rebooting or recreating usually fixes it. Windows does weird stuff with icons sometimes.
Method 2: Manually creating a shortcut and customizing it
This one’s a bit more involved but works universally:
- Right-click an empty space on the desktop, pick New > Shortcut.
- For the location, paste this command:
explorer.exe "https://www.google.com". Click Next. - Name it “Google” or whatever you prefer, then hit Finish.
- Now, right-click the new shortcut and go to Properties.
- Click the Web Document tab and then click Change Icon.
- From there, you can browse to a custom icon if you like, or pick from the default ones. Google’s icons are basically default, but you can find some PNGs or ICOs online if you want a more polished look.
- Hit OK to save. You’ve now got a proper desktop icon linked directly to Google, and it will open in your default browser.
Because of course, Windows has to make it harder than necessary with icons, but this also makes it reliably customizable. Expect the shortcut to act like a real app icon — double-click, and Google opens instantly.
Tips for Putting Google Icon on Desktop in Windows 11
- Double-check your default browser; this impacts how the shortcut opens if you used the manual method.
- If icons look weird or blank, try right-clicking > Refresh or re-change the icon.
- On some machines, creating shortcuts like this might need a reboot, so don’t be surprised if it doesn’t show right away.
- For a polished look, right-click > Properties > Change Icon and pick something sleek.
- And yeah, pinning to taskbar is usually faster once you’ve got the desktop shortcut set up and working well.
FAQ
Can I create a shortcut for other websites the same way?
Absolutely, just replace the URL with whatever site you like — YouTube, Twitter, whatever. Same process.
Do I have to use Chrome or Edge? Can I do this in Firefox?
Yes, though Firefox’s method is a bit different. Firefox has an option called “Create Shortcut” in the page options, but often it’s simpler to just manually create a shortcut with the explorer.exe method or drag the URL from the address bar into a script. Mostly, the manual method works everywhere.
What if my shortcut opens in a new tab instead of a window?
Check the box “Open as window” during the shortcut creation (if available); otherwise, you can tweak the shortcut’s properties to launch in a standalone window, but that’s a bit messier. When in doubt, the manual shortcut with the URL wrapped in explorer.exe keeps it simple and predictable.
Can I delete the shortcut anytime?
Yeah, right-click and hit Delete. Easy.
What about creating shortcuts for Google services — Gmail, Drive, etc.?
Same process, just change the URL to the different Google service’s URL. It’s kinda handy.
Summary
- Open your browser and go to Google.
- Use the menu to create a shortcut or manually drag a URL in a new shortcut.
- Name and organize your icons to keep things tidy.
- Consider pinning to taskbar if you’re lazy like that.
Hopefully this shaves off a few hours for someone. Setting up a proper shortcut like this beats the usual mess of pinned tabs or bookmarks that can get lost. Just a little tweak that makes life easier — at least until Windows update breaks something again. Good luck trying it out!