Solved How do I locate program icon that is not on desktop?

persius

Member
Messages
61
Hello
I would like to begin by apologizing if my question has been posted in the wrong thread.

Today I installed a video editing program but the launch icon failed to appear on the desktop. The only way I can launch the program is by going to "search" and typing in the name. This is rather inconvenient so I would like to know how to correct this issue in Win 8.1 and place it onto the desktop?

Thank you.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    8.0
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP
In File Explorer, click on your C Drive and then on Program Files or Program Files (X86). Find your Program listed there and click on it. There will be one file in the ensuing list that ends in .exe. Right click on that file and select "Create Shortcut". It should be created on the Desktop or ask if you want it on the Desktop. And in most cases, there will be a unique Icon shown with the shortcut on the Desktop.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 8.1
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Toshiba Satellite C75D-B7260
Instead of right-click and create shortcut which will create a shortcut within the same folder and then need to be moved to the Desktop, try right-click, then Send to->Desktop. Just a slightly more direct way to accomplish the same thing.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    W10 Pro (desktop), W10 (laptop), W10 Pro (tablet)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home built i7-8700K, Hp Envy x360 EVO Laptop, MS Surface Pro 7
    CPU
    3.7Ghz Core i7-8700K, 11th Gen Core i7-1165G7 4.7Ghz, 10th Gen Core™ i5-1035G4 1.1Ghz
    Motherboard
    ASUS TUF Z370-Pro Gaming, HP, MS
    Memory
    16G, 8G, 8G
    Graphics Card(s)
    AMD Radeon RX580, Intel Iris X Graphics, Intel Iris Plus Graphics G4
    Sound Card
    ATI High Definition Audio (Built-in to mobo)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dual Samsung U32J59 32 inch monitors, 13.3" display, 12.3" display
    Screen Resolution
    3840x2160 (Desktop), 1920x1080 (laptop), 2736x1824 Pro 7
    Hard Drives
    500GB ssd boot drive with 2 & 10TB Data (Desktop), 512GB ssd (laptop), 128GB SSD (tablet)
    PSU
    Corsair CX 750M
    Case
    Antec 100
    Cooling
    Coolermaster CM 212+
    Keyboard
    IBM Model M - used continuously since 1986
    Mouse
    Microsoft IntelliMouse
    Internet Speed
    665Mbps/15Mbps down/up
    Browser
    FireFox, MS Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender on all
    Other Info
    Retired in 2015 after working in the tech industry for 41 years. First 10 years as a Technician, the rest as a programmer/software engineer. After 1 year of retirement, I was bored so went back to work as a Robotic Process Automation Consultant. Retired for 3rd (and final) time in 2019.
strollin, your way is the way I used to do it also. But on my 8.1 laptop, right click produces a message "You can't create a shortcut here. Would you like to have it on the desktop instead?". Then you answer yes and it appears on your desktop.

EDIT: And I just checked my laptop with Win 10 OEM and another with Win 10 Insider Preview and they both are the same as the 8.1 machine.
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 8.1
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Toshiba Satellite C75D-B7260
Doesn't work that way on any of my Win 8.1 or Win 10 machines. Since you say it used to work my way for you, my guess is that you probably installed some 3rd party software that makes things work differently.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    W10 Pro (desktop), W10 (laptop), W10 Pro (tablet)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home built i7-8700K, Hp Envy x360 EVO Laptop, MS Surface Pro 7
    CPU
    3.7Ghz Core i7-8700K, 11th Gen Core i7-1165G7 4.7Ghz, 10th Gen Core™ i5-1035G4 1.1Ghz
    Motherboard
    ASUS TUF Z370-Pro Gaming, HP, MS
    Memory
    16G, 8G, 8G
    Graphics Card(s)
    AMD Radeon RX580, Intel Iris X Graphics, Intel Iris Plus Graphics G4
    Sound Card
    ATI High Definition Audio (Built-in to mobo)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dual Samsung U32J59 32 inch monitors, 13.3" display, 12.3" display
    Screen Resolution
    3840x2160 (Desktop), 1920x1080 (laptop), 2736x1824 Pro 7
    Hard Drives
    500GB ssd boot drive with 2 & 10TB Data (Desktop), 512GB ssd (laptop), 128GB SSD (tablet)
    PSU
    Corsair CX 750M
    Case
    Antec 100
    Cooling
    Coolermaster CM 212+
    Keyboard
    IBM Model M - used continuously since 1986
    Mouse
    Microsoft IntelliMouse
    Internet Speed
    665Mbps/15Mbps down/up
    Browser
    FireFox, MS Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender on all
    Other Info
    Retired in 2015 after working in the tech industry for 41 years. First 10 years as a Technician, the rest as a programmer/software engineer. After 1 year of retirement, I was bored so went back to work as a Robotic Process Automation Consultant. Retired for 3rd (and final) time in 2019.
"my guess is that you probably installed some 3rd party software that makes things work differently."

Nope!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 8.1
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Toshiba Satellite C75D-B7260
Hi guys.

To begin, cbwilsha, I followed your suggestion but on my PC (no fault of your own) the files I should have located were not there! Oh what a surprise. I actually did do that before posting my question but because I couldn't find it, I thought it was due to some new feature in Win8.

I finally got it to work when I sent to "search". I typed in the name of the program and selected and when the options listed, I selected "open file location" and just went there to create a shortcut.


Thanks to both of you for replying. Learning all the time.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    8.0
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP
Back
Top