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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchIf an installed Windows app is not visible in the Start menu, open the built-in AppsFolder instead: press Windows+R, enter shell:AppsFolder, press Enter, then use the app’s context menu to choose Create shortcut. Confirm Yes when Windows offers to place the shortcut on your desktop.
Use AppsFolder when Start does not show the app
AppsFolder is Windows’ list of installed applications. It is separate from the layout of pinned items and the visible portion of Start, so it is the most direct built-in route when you know the app is installed but cannot locate it in Start. Microsoft documents this workflow for creating an app shortcut on the desktop.
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The procedure works with the keyboard or mouse. The context-menu command is labeled Create shortcut.
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- Open Run. Press Windows+R.
- Open the installed-app list. Type
shell:AppsFolder, then press Enter. An Apps folder window opens. - Locate the app. Scroll through the list, use the arrow keys, or press the first letter of the app’s name to move through matching entries.
- Open the context menu. Select the app and press Shift+F10. You can also right-click the app with a mouse.
- Create the shortcut. Choose Create shortcut and press Enter.
- Confirm the desktop location. When Windows asks whether to place the shortcut on the desktop, choose Yes.
The new icon is a shortcut to the existing installation. This process does not reinstall the application, repair it, or move its files. It only adds a desktop entry for an app that appears in AppsFolder. Microsoft’s keyboard and screen-reader instructions are available in its Start-menu accessibility guide.
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What to check before creating the shortcut
- The app must already be installed. AppsFolder is intended for installed applications; it is not an installer.
- The app must appear in AppsFolder. If it is not listed there, this particular shortcut command cannot select it.
- You need access to the desktop. Windows places the new shortcut on the current desktop after you confirm the prompt.
- The shortcut is separate from Start. Changing the desktop icon does not change Start’s pinned or visible layout.
If you know the location of a file, folder, or web page but are not dealing with an app listed in AppsFolder, use the general New > Shortcut method instead.
Which built-in method fits your situation?
| Method | Use it when | What you do | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| AppsFolder | An installed app is difficult to find in Start | Open shell:AppsFolder, select the app, choose Create shortcut, and confirm |
Windows places an app shortcut on the desktop |
| Start’s full app list | The app is visible in the complete Start list | Select All in Start and drag the app to the desktop | A desktop shortcut for that app |
| New > Shortcut | You know a target file, folder, or web page | Right-click the desktop, choose New > Shortcut, and follow the prompts | A shortcut to the target you specify |
| Send to > Desktop | You are viewing a file or folder in File Explorer | Open its context menu and choose Send to > Desktop (create shortcut) | A desktop shortcut to that file or folder |
| Edge installed web app | The application was installed as a web app through Microsoft Edge | Open edge://apps, select Details, then Create Desktop shortcut |
A desktop shortcut for the Edge app |
Microsoft describes the desktop and Start alternatives in Customize the Desktop Icons in Windows. The Edge-specific workflow is documented in Install, manage, or uninstall apps in Microsoft Edge.
Alternative: drag the app from Start’s full list
This option is quickest when the app is present in Start’s complete list even though it is not pinned or visible in the initial layout.
- Open Start.
- Select All to display the full list of applications.
- Find the app.
- Drag the app entry onto an empty area of the desktop.
Dragging from the full list creates the desktop entry directly. If the app is absent from that list, close Start and use AppsFolder rather than repeatedly searching the pinned layout.
Alternative: create a shortcut by specifying a target
The desktop’s New Shortcut wizard is not limited to Start-listed applications. It is useful when you know what should open and where that target is located. Microsoft lists files, folders, and web pages as supported target types.
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- Right-click an empty area of the desktop.
- Select New > Shortcut.
- Follow the prompts to point the shortcut to the desired file, folder, or web page.
- Finish the wizard to place the shortcut on the desktop.
This route requires you to identify the target yourself. It does not search the installed-app catalog for you, so AppsFolder is generally simpler when the missing item is a conventional installed Windows app.
Alternative: send a file or folder to the desktop
When the item you want is a file or folder rather than an app entry, use its context menu in File Explorer.
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- Open File Explorer and locate the file or folder.
- Open its context menu by right-clicking it.
- Choose Send to > Desktop (create shortcut).
Some Windows 11 context menus show Send to immediately. On other installations, select Show more options first, then choose Send to > Desktop (create shortcut). The original file or folder remains in its existing location; the desktop receives a shortcut.
Create a desktop shortcut for an Edge-installed web app
A site installed as an app through Microsoft Edge follows a different path from a traditional Windows application. Edge maintains these installations on its apps page.
- Open Microsoft Edge.
- Enter
edge://appsin the address bar and press Enter. - Find the web app’s card.
- Select Details.
- Choose Create Desktop shortcut.
This option applies to web apps installed through Edge. If the site has not been installed as an Edge app, it will not appear on the edge://apps page; use the general New Shortcut wizard for a web-page shortcut instead.
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Keyboard-only steps for AppsFolder
You can complete the installed-app method without a mouse:
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- Press Windows+R.
- Type
shell:AppsFolderand press Enter. - Use the arrow keys to move through the application list. Pressing a letter can jump to entries beginning with that letter.
- With the desired app selected, press Shift+F10 to open its context menu.
- Move to Create shortcut and press Enter.
- When the confirmation prompt appears, choose Yes.
This sequence is useful if right-clicking is inconvenient or if you rely on a keyboard or screen reader. The wording of the command remains Create shortcut.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.If the app still cannot be found
The app is not in Start but appears in AppsFolder
Use the AppsFolder steps. Start’s visible and pinned layout is not required for the shortcut command; the app only needs to be listed in AppsFolder.
The app is not in AppsFolder either
The documented AppsFolder procedure cannot create a shortcut for an item that is not listed there. If you know the application’s target location, the desktop’s New > Shortcut wizard can point to a file, folder, or web page. Otherwise, the shortcut methods described here do not replace installing an application.
You are working with a file or folder
Use Send to > Desktop (create shortcut) from the item’s context menu, or use New > Shortcut when you need to enter the target manually.
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You are working with an Edge web app
Open edge://apps and use the app card’s Details > Create Desktop shortcut command. A normal installed Windows app will not use this Edge-only page.
Windows 10 and Windows 11 considerations
Microsoft’s desktop-customization guidance covers Windows 10 and Windows 11. Microsoft states that support for Windows 10 ended on October 14, 2025. The AppsFolder instructions do not specify a particular Windows build number, so the steps above should be understood as the documented Windows workflow rather than a promise tied to one exact build.
On Windows 11, context menus can differ slightly: Send to may be behind Show more options. That menu difference affects the file-and-folder shortcut route, not the AppsFolder command itself.
Choosing the shortest route
- Choose AppsFolder for an installed app missing from Start’s visible layout.
- Choose Start > All and drag when the app is visible in the full Start list.
- Choose New > Shortcut when you know the target is a file, folder, or web page.
- Choose Send to > Desktop (create shortcut) for a file or folder already open in File Explorer.
- Choose edge://apps > Details > Create Desktop shortcut for a web app installed through Edge.
For the specific problem of an installed application that seems to be missing from Start, AppsFolder is the purpose-built solution: it exposes the installed-app list and adds the desktop shortcut after one confirmation.
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