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Introduction
This article will review several different ways to create shortcuts on a Windows 11 computer. Overall, the method you choose is a matter of preference, but some may work better than others depending on where you are creating a shortcut from and what type of item it is (network folder, website URL, program, document, etc.). After successfully following the steps using a method in this article, a shortcut icon will be created that can be conveniently accessed from the desktop.
Compared to previous Windows operating systems the steps are largely the same, but with some minor differences for Windows 11. The images in this document were captured from a Windows 11 desktop computer.
To create a shortcut from the Helpful Info folder, you may visit the Creating Shortcuts from the Helpful Info Folder article for details. Further information about Windows 11 can found in the Introduction to Windows 11 Features article.
Table of Contents
Listed below are the different methods available, focusing on a specific type of item in each section. As a reminder, there are generally more than one option to create a shortcut and you may find your preferred method after reviewing each of the methods. Notes have been included on some steps to provide various helpful tips and key aspects to keep in mind, such as the one below.
Note: When creating shortcuts to network folders, you must have permissions to that network folder before you can access it (IT request with supervisor approval required).
Network Folders
Drag and Drop a Network Folder to the Desktop
Right Click a Network Folder to Create Shortcut
Create Shortcut to a Network or Local Folder from the Desktop
Website URLs
Create Shortcut to a Website URL from the Desktop
Files and Programs
Drag and Drop an Item from a Network Folder to the Desktop
Right Click an Item in a Folder to Create Shortcut
In this section, we will review how to navigate to the main share folder you have access to and then drag and drop the specific network folder to the desktop.
Note: When creating a shortcut to a local folder saved on your computer, it is recommended to follow the steps in the section: Create Shortcut to a Network or Local Folder from the Desktop.
1. Navigate to the main network share folder that contains the folder you want to create a shortcut to. To reach the main folder, locate the Search box found near the bottom center of the screen and type in the path to the main network share folder. For example, you will type \\sharename, where "sharename" is the name of the main folder you have permissions to access.
Note: When accessing share folders, you will start by typing in two backslashes as \\. The backslash can generally be found above the Enter key on the keyboard.
2. The search result will appear near the top left of the new panel above the Search box. After confirming this is the correct path, either click on the result directly (Run command), or press Enter on the keyboard. This should open the main network share folder.
3. Locate the network folder (do not open) you want to create a shortcut to within the main network share folder. You will likely see many more folders and items than seen in the example image below, so you may need to scroll until you find it (this will normally be in alphabetical order).
4. Then, left click (hold) and drag that item from that folder to an empty space on your desktop. Once you find a spot to place the shortcut on the desktop, release the left click and the shortcut will be created. In the image below, we are copying a network folder from the File Explorer window to the Desktop using this action.
Notes:
- You may need to adjust the window you are creating a shortcut from so you can see both that and the desktop (not maximized).
- Before releasing the left click, near the item's icon you will see where it says either "Create link in Desktop" or "Copy to Desktop". Dragging the item from the network folder should not move it (ex. cut and paste) out of that folder. You should still see the item in both the folder and the desktop.
- As a reminder, if you try to follow these steps from a folder saved locally on your computer, it will usually say "Move to Desktop". In these cases, it is best to follow the steps in the section: Create Shortcut to a Network or Local Folder from the Desktop.
5. You will now have a desktop shortcut that will open directly to the network folder. Double clicking the icon will open it.
This section reviews how to navigate to the main network share, then how to use the right click options to create a desktop shortcut for a specific network folder.
Note: When creating a shortcut to a local folder saved on your computer, it is recommended to follow the steps in the section: Create Shortcut to a Network or Local Folder from the Desktop.
1. Navigate to the main network share folder that contains the folder you want to create a shortcut to. To reach the main folder, locate the Search box found near the bottom center of the screen and type in the path to the main network share folder. For example, you will type \\sharename, where "sharename" is the name of the main folder you have permissions to access.
Note: When accessing share folders, you will start by typing in two backslashes as \\. The backslash can generally be found above the Enter key on the keyboard.
2. The search result will appear near the top left of the new panel above the Search box. After confirming this is the correct path, either click on the result directly (Run command), or press Enter on the keyboard. This should open the main network share folder.
3. Locate the network folder (do not open) you want to create a shortcut to within the main network share folder. You will likely see many more folders and items than seen in the example image below, so you may need to scroll until you find it (this will normally be in alphabetical order).
4. Next, right click the the folder to open a dropdown. Click on Show more options found at the bottom of this first dropdown.
Note: The options seen in the dropdown may not be the same in the image below, but the last option should be Show more options.
5. Then, click Create shortcut in the next dropdown that opens.
Note: The options seen in the dropdown may not be the same in the image below, but Create shortcut is generally near the bottom of the list.
6. You may receive a prompt asking if you would like to create a shortcut on the desktop. The prompt will say "Windows can't create a shortcut here. Do you want the shortcut to be placed on the desktop instead?". If you do receive this prompt, click Yes.
Note: Following step 5 you might find that a shortcut will be placed within the same folder, generally at the bottom of the list. This can happen if you are trying to create a shortcut from a local folder, or a network folder that you have edit permissions for. When this happens, you can simply left click (hold) and drag that shortcut from this location to the desktop. This will be similar to the action performed in step 4 of the Drag and Drop a Network Folder to the Desktop section.
7. You will now have a desktop shortcut that will open directly to the network folder. Double clicking the icon will open it.
In this section, we will review how to create a shortcut to a folder from the desktop. Following these steps will create a desktop icon that you will be able to name as part of the process. This can work for network folders, or local folders (using Browse option in step 2).
1. To begin creating a shortcut, right click on an empty area of the Desktop, click New in the dropdown, then select Shortcut in the next dropdown that opens.
2. A new Create Shortcut window will appear that allows you to enter in the location of the shortcut in the Type the location of the item field. Here are the two methods to use for either Network Folders or Local Folders.
- Network Folders: In this field, type in the full path to the network folder you would like to create a shortcut to. For example, this will be in the format: \\sharename\networkfolder. You may see the folder populate below the field to select as you're typing.
Notes: When typing in the path to share folders, you will start by typing in two backslashes as \\. The backslash can generally be found above the Enter key on the keyboard.
- Local Folders: You can also use the Browse... button to the right of this field to search the computer via the Browse for Files or Folders window. Locate the specific folder saved on your computer by expanding the list (arrows on left), click on the folder you would like to a create shortcut to, then finally click OK to confirm the selection.
After confirming this is the correct path, click Next to proceed.
3. To finish this setup, type in the name of the shortcut. This can be anything you'd like that makes it easy to identify on the desktop, as this will display as the name for the shortcut icon (this can always be changed later). After typing in a name, click Finish to complete the setup.
4. You will now have a desktop shortcut that will open directly to the network folder. Double clicking the icon will open it.
Although there is a method of creating shortcuts from within a web browser's settings, the few short steps below will reliably work from your desktop. This will create a desktop icon to a website URL that you choose.
1. To begin creating a shortcut, right click on an empty area of the Desktop, click New in the dropdown, then select Shortcut in the next dropdown that opens.
2. A new Create Shortcut window will appear that allows you to enter in the location of the shortcut in the Type the location of the item field. In this field, enter the website URL you are looking to create a shortcut to. In the image below, we will create a shortcut to the EFSC Home Page. After entering in the full URL address (ex. https://www.easternflorida.edu/), click Next.
Note: If you want to ensure you have an accurate address, first visit the page in a web browser (ex. Chrome, Firefox, Edge), copy the URL from the top address bar, then paste the address into the field.
3. When creating a web shortcut, you will be prompted to enter in a name for the shortcut. Type in a name for the shortcut into the field (ex. EFSC Home Page). This can be anything you'd like that makes it easy to identify on the desktop, as this will display as the name for the shortcut icon (this can always be changed later). After typing in the shortcut name, click Finish.
4. You will now have a desktop shortcut to the web page that will open in your default web browser (ex. Chrome). Double clicking the icon will open it.
This section can be followed step by step if you are dragging and dropping an item to the desktop from within a network folder.
Note: If you try to follow these steps from a folder saved locally on your computer, it will remove the item from that folder and move it to the desktop. If you are trying to make a shortcut to a local folder, it is best to follow the steps in the section: Create Shortcut to a Network or Local Folder from the Desktop.
1. Navigate to the network folder that contains the item you want to create a shortcut to. If you have the network folder shortcut on your desktop already, double click it to open. If you do not have a shortcut set up yet, it is recommended to visit the Create Shortcut to a Network or Local Folder from the Desktop section of this article to setup a shortcut before proceeding.
2. Locate the item you want to create a shortcut to within the folder. In this example, we'll be copying a shortcut to the Word application. This will also work with files and other programs located in a network folder.
3. Then, left click (hold) and drag that item from that folder to an empty space on your desktop. Once you find a spot to place the shortcut on the desktop, release the left click and the shortcut will be created.
Notes:
- You may need to adjust the window you are creating a shortcut from so you can see both that and the desktop (not maximized).
- Before releasing the left click, near the item's icon you will see where it says "Copy to Desktop". Dragging the item from the network folder should not move it (ex. cut and paste) out of that folder. You should still see the item in both the folder and the desktop.
- As a reminder, if you try to follow these steps from a folder saved locally on your computer, it will usually say "Move to Desktop". In these cases, it is best to review the section Right Click an Item in a Folder to Create Shortcut below.
4. You will now have a desktop shortcut that will open the item you moved from the network folder to the desktop. Double clicking the icon will open it.
In this final section of the article, we will navigate to a folder then right click an item to create a shortcut. This is will work well with network folders and is the recommended option for local folders as well.
1. Navigate to the folder that contains the item you want to create a shortcut to. If you have the network folder shortcut on your desktop already, double click it to open. If you do not have a shortcut set up yet, it is recommended to visit the Create Shortcut to a Network or Folder from the Desktop section of this article to setup a shortcut before proceeding.
However, in this example, we will first open the File Explorer, commonly found in the Taskbar at the bottom of the screen. Then, we will locate the local folder that contains the item we would like to create a shortcut to. Double click the folder to open it.
2. Locate the item you want to create a shortcut to within the folder. In this example, we will be creating a shortcut to a Word file, but this can be other Microsoft 365 items, folders, and programs.
3. Next, right click the item and then click Show more options in the dropdown that appears.
Note: The options seen in the dropdown may not be the same in the image below, but the last option should be Show more options.
4. Then, click Create shortcut in the next dropdown that opens.
Note: The options seen in the dropdown may not be the same in the image below, but Create shortcut is generally near the bottom of the list.
5. You will now see a shortcut created within the folder, essentially a duplicate of the item you selected. Next, left click (hold) and drag that item from that folder to an empty space on your desktop. Once you find a spot to place the shortcut on the desktop, release the left click and the shortcut will be created.
Notes:
- You will notice that the shortcut you are placing on the desktop will say "Move to Desktop" before you release the left click. This is different than the other sections of the article where you will normally see "Copy to Desktop" instead. The difference is that Move will remove the item from the folder when placing it on the desktop, whereas Copy will keep the item in the folder while creating a shortcut on the desktop. "Move to Desktop" will generally happen when creating shortcuts from local folders saved on your computer.
- If you perform this action in a network folder, you may receive a different prompt asking if you would like to create a desktop shortcut. There should be an option to click Yes. For further information, review step 6 in the section: Right Click a Network Folder to Create Shortcut.
6. You will now have a desktop shortcut that will open the item. Double clicking the icon will open it.
Note: If you would like to rename this shortcut, right click on the item, click Show more options in the first dropdown, then click Rename in the next dropdown.
IT Support
If you are experiencing any technical issues with creating shortcuts, please contact EFSC Information Technology. For assistance, questions or concerns, please either create a ticket or call the IT Support Desk at 321-433-7600, open 7am to midnight, 7 days a week. As a reminder, you can locate this contact information by logging into myEFSC and scrolling to the IT Support section.
When creating a ticket, select the Desktop, Laptop & Printer Support category, followed by the Desktop Support service to submit a ticket. Include details, error messages, and provide screenshots if possible of the steps you have taken so we may further assist you.
