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Find the desktop icon and double-click it to open the item it links to. On Windows, it is called a shortcut; on a Mac, the comparable link is an alias. If you meant a keyboard shortcut instead, use the platform-specific options below—those do not generally open an arbitrary desktop icon.
What a desktop shortcut does
A shortcut or alias is a link to another item, such as an app, file, folder, or web page. Opening the icon opens its target; the icon is not the original item itself. Microsoft documents Windows desktop shortcuts, while Apple uses the term alias on Mac.
Open a desktop shortcut in Windows
- If the desktop is hidden, press Windows key + D to display it. Pressing the same combination hides it again.
- Find the shortcut icon. Double-click it to open its target. If your Windows settings are configured for single-click opening, click once instead.
- If there is no icon, Windows supports creating a shortcut from the desktop context menu, an app list, or a file or folder via Send to > Desktop (create shortcut). See Microsoft’s instructions for customizing desktop icons.
Open an alias on a Mac
- Find the alias on the desktop or in Finder.
- Double-click it to open the item it represents.
- To locate an item without browsing the desktop, press Command-Space to open Spotlight, enter its name, select the correct result, and press Return.
- In Finder, select an item and press Command-O to open it. With an alias selected, Command-R reveals the original item; it does not open the alias.
Apple explains Mac terminology in What’s it called on my Mac? and documents Mac keyboard shortcuts and Spotlight keyboard shortcuts.
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Keyboard alternatives are different from opening a desktop icon
- Windows: Press Windows key + a number to launch or switch to the app pinned in that numbered taskbar position. It applies to taskbar-pinned apps, not any shortcut on the desktop. Windows key + D only shows or hides the desktop. Microsoft lists these combinations for Windows 10 and Windows 11.
- Mac: Spotlight’s Command-Space search and Finder’s Command-O open a selected result or item, respectively; they are not commands for opening any desktop icon by itself.
If the shortcut does not open the expected item
- A click only selects the icon: Try a double-click. Some desktop setups use single-click opening, so the gesture depends on the computer’s setting.
- The wrong item opens: Check the icon name and confirm which target it represents. A shortcut or alias points to another item rather than containing it.
- The target is missing or has moved: Find the original item and create a fresh shortcut or alias. The steps above cover creating a Windows shortcut; Mac terminology and navigation are covered in Apple’s linked Mac help pages.
- You cannot find the icon: On Windows, press Windows key + D to show the desktop or look in File Explorer’s Desktop location. On Mac, search with Spotlight or look in Finder.
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