You need to learn how to create shortcuts in Windows 10. Without them, you’ll waste time searching for your favorite apps, programs, games and settings in your computer’s menus.
Creating shortcuts in Windows 10 makes your laptop, desktop or tablet more useful. First, it saves you from wasting time searching for things you use on a daily basis. If you don’t like the Settings app but want to quickly change a setting, you can pin it to your Start Menu. If you don’t like the Start Menu at all, you can create shortcuts in Windows 10 that take you right from the Taskbar to your favorite programs. Live Tiles, shortcuts you pin to the Start Menu, allow you to skip opening an app and go straight to your digital scrapbook, music album, or video game.
Here’s how to create shortcuts in Windows 10.
How to Create Desktop Shortcuts in Windows 10
The easiest place to create desktop shortcuts in Windows 10 is directly on the Desktop itself. Minimize or close all your apps and games so all you see is your computer background. You can minimize apps and programs by clicking the hyphen in their corner.
It’s now on your desktop, but only where there isn’t an icon already there. If your PC has a touchscreen, place your finger anywhere that isn’t an icon and hold it there until a square appears below it.
Hover your mouse cursor over it in the drop-down menu. If you’re using touch, tap on New.
Tap or click now
This tool allows you to create desktop shortcuts for files, folders and programs in Windows 10. To create a shortcut, you need to find what you’re trying to connect to by clicking the button.
Once you find what you are looking for, click on it.
Type a name for the new shortcut and click it.
How to Create Taskbar Shortcuts in Windows 10
Many Windows 10 users avoid the Start Menu by pinning their favorite apps and programs directly to the Taskbar. The taskbar is the strip of icons and buttons that runs along the bottom edge of your screen if you haven’t moved it elsewhere.
Hungry . If the app or program you want to open from the Taskbar is pinned to the Start Menu.
Hover your mouse pointer over Select
If the app is not pinned to your Start Menu, open it from the Start Menu or the list of apps to the left of the Start Menu. When it opens, select and on its icon in the Taskbar.
This application or program will always have a shortcut at the bottom of your screen for easy access on desktop and laptop computers. Windows 2-in-1, like the Surface Pro, will hide shortcuts in Tablet Mode.
How to Create Start Menu Shortcuts in Windows 10
You can add desktop programs and apps you download from the Windows Store directly to the Start Menu. Just over their names in the list of each application you have installed and select it.
If you’re using touch, put your finger on the app you want to pin and wait for the popup menu to appear. Then select .
How to Fix Live Tiles in Windows 10
Live Tiles are great Windows 10 shortcuts. These squares and rectangles allow you to quickly open an application, program or file, just like regular shortcuts. They also act as windows to what’s going on in your favorite apps.
To pin a Live Tile, find the app in your list of installed apps in the Start Menu. Click on it and select the app’s icon from the list or drag it to the right side of your Start Menu.
After pinning the app, right-click on the Live Tile to change its size and shape.
Apps with Live Tiles are updated with new information on their own. For example, Mail, Facebook, and Twitter show you who your new messages are from. Newsflow and other reading apps show you important headlines. Some apps, such as OneNote, Groove Music, and CBS All Access, allow you to pin notebooks, music, and shows directly to the Start Menu, so you can access your files without visiting their homepage first.
Not all apps you download from the Microsoft Store have Live Tiles, but all apps worth buying from the store do. Look for Live Tile support in the description of any app you purchased from the Microsoft Store.
How to Fix Settings in Windows 10
With shortcuts in Windows 10, you can avoid diving into the Settings app when you need to make a quick change to the way your computer works. This is great for users who change a setting frequently.
To fix the settings in Windows 10, open from the Start Menu. It’s the gear in the lower left corner of the Start Menu.
Inside the Settings app, select in any setting you want to access easily.
Click or tap on it.
And now you can go directly to that setting area from the Start Menu.
