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If an installed Windows app is not visible where you expect it in Start, open the built-in AppsFolder and create the shortcut from there. Press Windows+R, enter shell:AppsFolder, press Enter, select the app, open its context menu with Shift+F10, choose Create shortcut, and confirm Yes when Windows offers to place it on the desktop.
This creates a shortcut for an app that is already installed; it does not reinstall, repair, or download anything. The same method works when Start’s pinned or visible layout does not help you locate the program.
Use AppsFolder when the app is installed but hard to find
Windows maintains a folder-like view of installed applications called AppsFolder. It is separate from the arrangement of pinned items and visible entries in Start, so it is the most direct built-in route when an application is missing from the Start view you normally use. Microsoft documents this process in its Start-navigation and screen-reader instructions.
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Exact steps
- Press Windows+R to open the Run dialog.
- Type
shell:AppsFolderexactly, including the colon, then press Enter. - Wait for the Apps folder to open. It lists installed apps that Windows exposes in this view.
- Locate the app. You can click it, move through entries with the arrow keys, or use first-letter navigation to jump to an entry beginning with a particular letter.
- With the app selected, open its context menu. The keyboard command is Shift+F10; a right-click performs the same function with a mouse.
- Select the menu item labeled Create shortcut, then press Enter.
- Windows displays a confirmation asking whether to place the shortcut on the desktop. Select Yes.
A new shortcut should appear on the desktop. You can select it and press Enter to launch the app, or double-click it with a mouse. The original application remains installed in its existing location.
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Keyboard-only navigation
The AppsFolder route does not require a mouse. Windows+R opens Run, the arrow keys move through the app list, and first-letter navigation can reduce the amount of scrolling. Once the correct entry is selected, Shift+F10 opens its context menu. Choose Create shortcut and confirm Yes with Enter. These labels and keystrokes are the interface wording documented by Microsoft.
What this method can and cannot do
- It creates a desktop shortcut for an installed app that appears in AppsFolder.
- It does not install an app that is absent from the computer.
- It does not repair an app that fails to launch.
- It does not change the app’s pinned status or position in Start.
Pick the route that matches what you can locate
Windows provides several shortcut methods. Use the one that corresponds to the type of item and the place where you can find it.
| Route | Best fit | What you do | Important qualification |
|---|---|---|---|
| AppsFolder | An installed desktop or packaged app that is difficult to find in Start | Run shell:AppsFolder, open the app’s context menu, select Create shortcut, and confirm desktop placement |
The app must be present in AppsFolder |
| Start > All | An app that is visible in the full Start app list | Open Start, select All, then drag the app onto the desktop | Dragging is practical only when the entry is visible in the list |
| New > Shortcut | A file, folder, web page, or other target whose location you know | Right-click an empty desktop area, choose New > Shortcut, and follow the wizard | You must know or be able to browse to the target location |
| Send to > Desktop (create shortcut) | A file or folder already visible in File Explorer | Open the item’s context menu and choose Send to > Desktop (create shortcut) | Some Windows 11 menus put Send to under Show more options |
Microsoft Edge edge://apps |
A website installed as an app through Microsoft Edge | Open edge://apps, select Details on the app card, then choose Create Desktop shortcut |
This applies to Edge-installed web apps, not every website |
The general desktop procedures in Microsoft’s Customize the Desktop Icons in Windows guidance cover the Start drag-and-drop, New > Shortcut, and Send to alternatives. Microsoft’s instructions for Edge-installed applications are in Install, manage, or uninstall apps in Microsoft Edge.
Alternative: drag an app from Start’s complete list
If the app is not pinned but is present in Start’s full list, this can be quicker than opening AppsFolder.
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- Open Start.
- Select All to show the complete application list.
- Locate the app entry.
- Drag the entry from the list onto an empty area of the desktop.
This route depends on the app being visible in the full Start list and on being able to drag it. If Start does not show the program there, return to AppsFolder rather than trying to drag a missing entry.
Create a shortcut with New > Shortcut
Use the desktop shortcut wizard when you know the target’s path or address. It is a general-purpose option for a file, folder, or web page, not only an installed application.
- Right-click an empty area of the desktop.
- Choose New > Shortcut.
- Follow the prompts to point the shortcut to the desired file, folder, or web page.
- Finish the wizard. Windows places the resulting shortcut on the desktop.
This method is useful when an item is not represented as an app in AppsFolder but you can identify its location. For an installed program, AppsFolder is usually simpler because it supplies the application entry without requiring you to find a file path manually.
Send a file or folder to the desktop
When the target is already visible in File Explorer, the context-menu command can create a shortcut without opening the wizard.
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- In File Explorer, select the file or folder.
- Open its context menu with a right-click.
- Choose Send to > Desktop (create shortcut).
On some Windows 11 installations, the compact context menu does not show Send to immediately. Select Show more options first, then choose Send to > Desktop (create shortcut). Other installations display Send to directly. This command creates a link to the selected file or folder; it does not copy the original item to the desktop.
Create a desktop shortcut for an Edge-installed web app
A site installed through Microsoft Edge is handled through Edge’s app-management page rather than the ordinary Windows app list.
- Open Microsoft Edge.
- Enter
edge://appsin the address bar and press Enter. - Find the installed web app’s card.
- Select Details on that card.
- Choose Create Desktop shortcut.
Microsoft describes this option in its Edge app-management support article. The command is available for web apps that were installed through Edge; an ordinary bookmark or a site merely opened in a tab is not the same thing.
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The AppsFolder window is empty or the app is not listed
The documented AppsFolder procedure works for an installed app that appears in that folder. If the desired entry is absent, do not expect the shortcut command to install it. Check whether the application is actually installed, and use New > Shortcut only when you know the target file, folder, or web address. If the item is an Edge-installed web app, use edge://apps instead.
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You opened the wrong context menu
Select the app itself before opening the menu. In AppsFolder, the relevant command is the item labeled Create shortcut. On the desktop or in File Explorer, the available commands are different: the desktop uses New > Shortcut, while a file or folder uses Send to > Desktop (create shortcut).
The shortcut is not on the desktop
For AppsFolder, Windows asks for confirmation after you choose Create shortcut. Select Yes; choosing another response cancels desktop placement. For the Start drag-and-drop method, release the pointer over the desktop rather than over another folder or window.
You cannot use a mouse
Use the keyboard sequence documented for AppsFolder: Windows+R, shell:AppsFolder, Enter, arrow-key or first-letter navigation, Shift+F10, Create shortcut, and Enter. Confirm the desktop prompt with Yes. This avoids relying on drag-and-drop.
The app shortcut exists but launching it fails
Shortcut creation only places a link to an existing installation. Because it does not repair or reinstall the app, a launch failure is a separate application problem; creating another shortcut will not change the installation itself.
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Keep the Windows version context in mind
Microsoft’s desktop-customization guidance applies to Windows 10 and Windows 11, and the AppsFolder instructions do not specify a particular build number. Menu appearance can therefore vary between installations, especially in Windows 11 where Show more options may be needed to reveal legacy context-menu commands.
Windows 10 support ended on October 14, 2025, according to Microsoft’s desktop guidance. The shortcut procedures are built-in Windows features, but the end-of-support date matters when deciding whether a Windows 10 computer should remain in service or be moved to a supported version.
A practical decision sequence
- Installed app, missing from the Start view: open AppsFolder with
shell:AppsFolderand create the shortcut there. - App visible under Start > All: drag it directly to the desktop.
- File or folder in File Explorer: use Send to > Desktop (create shortcut), checking Show more options if necessary.
- Known file, folder, or web address: use the desktop’s New > Shortcut wizard.
- Web app installed through Edge: open
edge://apps, choose Details, and select Create Desktop shortcut.
For the specific problem of an installed Windows app that cannot be found in Start, the AppsFolder procedure is the most targeted answer because it searches the installed-app view and provides the documented Create shortcut command in one place.
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