This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
Organizing Shortcut Icons
Windows lets you display a variety of shortcut icons—those little pictures on your desktop that function as shortcuts for starting applications and opening documents. Placing a shortcut on your desktop is an alternative to launching items from the Start menu.
Creating New Shortcuts on the Desktop
To put a new shortcut on your desktop, follow these steps:
- Use Windows Explorer to navigate to the application or document for which you want to create a shortcut.
- Right-click the file icon and then select Send To, Desktop (Create Shortcut).
To remove a shortcut icon from the desktop, just drag it into the Recycle Bin.
Changing the Name of a Shortcut
When you create a new shortcut icon, the word “Shortcut” is automatically added to the icon’s name. You can get rid of this if you want.
To change the name of a shortcut, follow these steps:
- Right-click the shortcut on your desktop.
- When the pop-up menu appears, select Rename.
- The shortcut’s name is now highlighted on your desktop. Use the Delete or Backspace keys to erase parts of the existing name and then type a new name. Press Enter when you’ve finished entering the new name.
Arranging Icons on the Desktop
All those desktop icons let you quickly open your most-used programs, but they can really clutter up the look of your Windows desktop. To better arrange your icons, right-click a blank area of the desktop, select Sort By, and choose from one of the following options:
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Name— Sorts items alphabetically by filename
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Size— Sorts items by file size, from smallest to largest
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Item Type— Sorts items by file type so that files with the same extension are grouped together
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Date Modified— Sorts items by date, from oldest to most recent
In addition, you can force all the icons on your desktop to snap to an invisible grid. Just right-click the desktop, click View, and then select Auto Arrange Icons.