How to Show Desktop Shortcuts

Level of difficulty: Easy

A number of people cannot stand having too many icons on their desktop while others need these icons in order to easily locate the applications they need. The icons displayed on a computer desktop are the shortcuts to a variety of system and software applications. Computers that employ the Windows Operating System have several of these shortcuts present on the computer’s desktop. These shortcuts could be shifted around or lined up in many ways and they could also be grouped together. Desktop icons are a great way for accessing frequently used applications, Web addresses, folders, or network locations. Although it is a simple process and the generation of such icons takes only a short amount of time, users should take care not to overload their desktop with too many icons.

Materials Needed:
- Computer
- mouse
Step 1
When creating desktop shortcuts for applications, begin by downloading the application. During the installation, majority of applications ask users if they want to create icons on the desktop. Users have the option of whether or not they could have one or not by checking or unchecking this option.
Step 2
The next step includes going to the 'Start' menu and selecting the program and right clicking on it. Click the option 'Send to desktop' in order to create a desktop icon. Users could choose to make modifications on the icons of particular applications. This is accomplished by right clicking on the targeted desktop icon and then selecting properties. The icon is modified by checking on the option in the pop-up box that says 'Change icon'.
Step 3
Creating icons for the desktop with applications such as Microsoft Word or Microsoft Paint is quite simple. Icons can improve the way the user’s desktop looks like because they are very distinctive. There are a number of sites that provide users with free icons which could be downloaded.
Step 4
There are a number of ways to create desktop shortcuts. Users may select a blank area in the computer’s desktop and then right click on it. The dropdown menu appears by moving the mouse pointer to the option 'New'. A submenu then appears. From the options list in the submenu, select 'Shortcut'.
Step 5
The subsequent step involves entering the data about the application that the user wishes to create a shortcut of. A form containing a blinking cursor in a box that has the label 'Type the location of the item' then appears. This includes the browse button beside the text box. Either enter in the item’s location or choose the browse button in order to look for the item.
Step 6
In order for the 'Next' button to appear, type the text in the text box. Choose the name for the shortcut and then click on 'Finish' after making sure that the new shortcut’s name is correct or as the user wants it.