Metro Apps - Open from Desktop in Windows 8

How to Open Modern Apps from Desktop in Windows 8 and 8.1

information   Information
This tutorial will show you how to launch Metro apps from the desktop by creating a shortcut that can also be pinned to the taskbar.


EXAMPLE: Metro Apps

Metro Apps snip.JPG


To Create a "Metro Apps" Shortcut in Windows 8

1. Right click on Desktop, and click on New and Shortcut.

2. Copy and paste the location below, and press Enter.
%windir%\explorer.exe shell:::{4234d49b-0245-4df3-b780-3893943456e1}

3. Type in Metro Apps for a name, and press Enter.

To pin to taskbar just right-click > Pin to Taskbar or drag there.

Here is a custom icon for your new shortcut.

View attachment Metro apps.zip


 

Attachments

  • Apps.png
    Apps.png
    478 bytes · Views: 292
Last edited by a moderator:
Nice. Thanks ! :)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10.0.10122
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    My Build - Vorttex Ultimate
    CPU
    Core i7 @ 4500 MHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS Z87-Plus
    Memory
    32GB DDR3 @ 1822 MHz (OC)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Radeon R9 280X 3GB @ 1180 / 6800 MHz
    Sound Card
    7.1 HDA
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LCD LG 22" + CRT LG 17"
    Screen Resolution
    1760 x 1320 / 1280 x 960
    Hard Drives
    1 x 240 GB SSD (System)
    3 x 500 GB HDD (Data/Media)
    1 x 2000 GB e-HDD (Backup)
    PSU
    ThermalTake 1000W PSU
    Case
    Corsair Carbide R300
    Cooling
    Corsair H60 (Push-Pull)
    Keyboard
    Microsoft Wireless Keyboard
    Mouse
    Microsoft Wireless Mouse
    Internet Speed
    60 Mbps (Down) 5 Mbps (Up)
    Browser
    IE, FF, Chrome
    Antivirus
    AVG Internet Security 2015
    Other Info
    Some wired stuff
Do people actually use metro apps? Just asking.

If someone hasn't downloaded and played Tinker by now when using Windows 7 then it is available as Copper in WDP along with other games, also the Weather app may be useful to some people.
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro x 2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    My own abomination, I call it the Money Pit
    CPU
    Intel i7 2600K @ 3.40 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS Sabertooth P67
    Memory
    Corsair Vengeance 16GB DDR3 1600MHz CL8 Dual Channel Kit
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA GeForce RTX 3080 XC3 ULTRA GAMING 10GB GDDR6X
    Sound Card
    Onboard Realtek or Nvidia High Definition Audio (HDMI)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung JS7000 50" SUHD TV or Samsung 27" FHD 60Hz 8ms GTG VA LED Smart Monitor
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    1 x Samsung 870 EVO 250 GB SSD (Windows 10 Pro), 1 x Samsung 850 EVO 250 GB SSD (Windows 10 Pro)
    PSU
    Corsair AX860 - 860W Modular Power Supply
    Case
    Phanteks Enthoo Luxe Full Tower Case - Black
    Cooling
    CORSAIR Hydro Series H150i PRO RGB 360mm Liquid CPU Cooler
    Keyboard
    Logitech K830 Illuminated Living-Room Keyboard
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Anywhere 2S Wireless Mouse
    Internet Speed
    10/100/1000 Mbps capable
    Browser
    (Primary) Latest Firefox version & Microsoft Edge
    Antivirus
    ESET Internet Security
    Other Info
    LG Super Multi Blue Internal Blu-ray Disk Rewriter - BH10LS30
    6x2 HDMI Switcher (6 inputs, 2 outputs) so I can send the output of my Cable Box, Roku, or any my 4 computers to either my TV or Monitor separately or simultaneously.
Nice tut, thanks.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro x64/ Windows 7 Ult x64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    76~2.0
    CPU
    Intel Core i5-3570K 4.6GHz
    Motherboard
    GIGABYTE GA-Z77X UD3H f18
    Memory
    8GB (2X4GB) DDR3 1600 CORSAIR Vengeance CL8 1.5v
    Graphics Card(s)
    Sapphire HD 7770 Vapor-X 1GB DDR5
    Sound Card
    Onboard VIA VT2021
    Monitor(s) Displays
    22" LCD Dell SP2208WFP
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    Samaung 840Pro 128GB, Seagate 500GB SATA2 7200rpm 32mb, Seagate 1TB SATA2 7200rpm 32mb,
    PSU
    Corsair HX650W
    Case
    Cooler Master Storm Scout
    Cooling
    Corsair H80 w/Noctua NF P12 12cm fan, case fans 2X14cm
    Keyboard
    Logitech Wave
    Mouse
    CM Sentinel
    Internet Speed
    Abysmal
    Browser
    Opera Next
    Other Info
    Dell Venue 8Pro: Baytrail Z3740D, 2GB Ram, 64GB HDD, 8" IPS Display 1280 x 800, Active Stylus.
    Haswell laptop: HP Envy 17t-j, i7-4700MQ, GeForce 740M 2GB DDR3, 17.3" Full HD 1920x1080, 16GB RAM, Samsung 840 Pro 128GB, 1TB Hitachi 7200 HDD,
    Desktop: eSATA ports,
    External eSATA Seagate 500GB SATA2 7200rpm,
In addition, you could also create a Metro Apps shortcut in Windows 8 this way:


1. Right click on Desktop, and click on New and Shortcut.

2. Copy and paste the location below, and press Enter.

%windir%\explorer.exe shell:::{4234d49b-0245-4df3-b780-3893943456e1}

3. Type in Metro Apps for a name, and press Enter.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
And to add I put the Metro Apps folder into my Toolbar folder or make a new toolbar. That way it is always accessable.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Vista and Win7
    System Manufacturer/Model
    2xHP, 2xGateway, 1xDell, 1xSony
    Hard Drives
    5 SSDs and 12 HDs
In addition, you could also create a Metro Apps shortcut in Windows 8 this way:


1. Right click on Desktop, and click on New and Shortcut.

2. Copy and paste the location below, and press Enter.

%windir%\explorer.exe shell:::{4234d49b-0245-4df3-b780-3893943456e1}

3. Type in Metro Apps for a name, and press Enter.

Brink that is the simplest way yet, If you could please update the main tut adding your simplified method including the line "Added by Brink", it will provide those reading an valuable additional option.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro x 2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    My own abomination, I call it the Money Pit
    CPU
    Intel i7 2600K @ 3.40 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS Sabertooth P67
    Memory
    Corsair Vengeance 16GB DDR3 1600MHz CL8 Dual Channel Kit
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA GeForce RTX 3080 XC3 ULTRA GAMING 10GB GDDR6X
    Sound Card
    Onboard Realtek or Nvidia High Definition Audio (HDMI)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung JS7000 50" SUHD TV or Samsung 27" FHD 60Hz 8ms GTG VA LED Smart Monitor
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    1 x Samsung 870 EVO 250 GB SSD (Windows 10 Pro), 1 x Samsung 850 EVO 250 GB SSD (Windows 10 Pro)
    PSU
    Corsair AX860 - 860W Modular Power Supply
    Case
    Phanteks Enthoo Luxe Full Tower Case - Black
    Cooling
    CORSAIR Hydro Series H150i PRO RGB 360mm Liquid CPU Cooler
    Keyboard
    Logitech K830 Illuminated Living-Room Keyboard
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Anywhere 2S Wireless Mouse
    Internet Speed
    10/100/1000 Mbps capable
    Browser
    (Primary) Latest Firefox version & Microsoft Edge
    Antivirus
    ESET Internet Security
    Other Info
    LG Super Multi Blue Internal Blu-ray Disk Rewriter - BH10LS30
    6x2 HDMI Switcher (6 inputs, 2 outputs) so I can send the output of my Cable Box, Roku, or any my 4 computers to either my TV or Monitor separately or simultaneously.
Wow, this is very handy (especially when Metro is disabled)... Although to me it feels like another one of those red pill solutions, so I won't use it all that much.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Dev Preview x64
    CPU
    i7 950 3.06GHz
    Motherboard
    Asus Rampage III
    Memory
    G Skill 4GB DDR3 2000MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Nvidia GTX570 1.25GB DDR5
    PSU
    Antec ATX TruePower 750W
    Case
    Antec Lanboy Air Red
I need the tutorial, how to get rid of metro aps. How do you disable it?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 developer preview
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP M1050Y
    CPU
    Intel Pentium 4 CPU 2.80GHz
    Motherboard
    Asus PTGD 1-LA
    Memory
    1GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    DDR ATI Radeon X300SE
    Sound Card
    Creative Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung LCD
    Hard Drives
    C & D 800 GB
    N 200 GB
    Case
    HP
    Keyboard
    HP
    Mouse
    HP wireless
    Internet Speed
    Cable
    Other Info
    6 or 7 year old PC with many upgrades. I also have a homebuilt PC running Linux AMD Athlon II 64, Jetway MB LinuxMint 9 (isadora) GNOME Built with a new case and motherboard, Recycled hard and optical drives for under $300. With Wine I can run just about anything on it, but will always need Windows for iTunes and especially work.
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
I have utmost respect for users who come up with these "tweaks". I am a curious user myself.But what, honestly, is the benefit of this.? To access I must click the folder and then click the desired function. Without this tweak, I click start and click the desired function??

But, with sincerity, congrats on tracking this down. It has led me into trying to get this to work if you have disabled metro. So far I get " not registered" but still trying!!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Other Info
    Use several different computers during a day, so specs are irrelevant.
Hello David,

They are just another option for the user to have to help them customize their Windows with. :)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
Last edited by a moderator:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 developer preview
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP M1050Y
    CPU
    Intel Pentium 4 CPU 2.80GHz
    Motherboard
    Asus PTGD 1-LA
    Memory
    1GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    DDR ATI Radeon X300SE
    Sound Card
    Creative Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung LCD
    Hard Drives
    C & D 800 GB
    N 200 GB
    Case
    HP
    Keyboard
    HP
    Mouse
    HP wireless
    Internet Speed
    Cable
    Other Info
    6 or 7 year old PC with many upgrades. I also have a homebuilt PC running Linux AMD Athlon II 64, Jetway MB LinuxMint 9 (isadora) GNOME Built with a new case and motherboard, Recycled hard and optical drives for under $300. With Wine I can run just about anything on it, but will always need Windows for iTunes and especially work.
Unfortunately, this tweak has all of what I call APP CRAP in the folder. App Crap comes from installing a program, err app, and having all the crap like uninstall, register, information, help, etc that is left in the Metro page. I went in and blitzed the Metro page of this junk but the shortcut still has all of it around. Not even remotely usable in this form. Sorry.

2012-04-19 App Crap.jpg
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro 64 bit GA
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    i7-4770K Haswell
    Motherboard
    ASUS Z87-PRO
    Memory
    16 GB of Corsair 1866
    Graphics Card(s)
    GTX 780
    Sound Card
    Cooler Master Storm Headphones
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell 27 inch U2711 IPS
    Screen Resolution
    2560 by 1440
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 840 Pro 250GB SSD plus 2 3 TB drives
    PSU
    Corsair-750
    Case
    Corsair White Graphite Series 600T
    Cooling
    Corsair H00i Water
    Keyboard
    Corsair K90
    Mouse
    Logitech G9 Laser
    Internet Speed
    6.3 MBps
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    MS
Is there a way to create a shortcut to just one Metro App, that I can pin to the task bar? That would be cool!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Pro
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Built it myself
    CPU
    i7 2600K
    Motherboard
    Asrock Z77 Extreme4
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    XFX nVidia GT 420
    Hard Drives
    Crucial SSD
    3TB HDD
    2TB HDD
    PSU
    Seasonic 750W
Hello Cly,

Currently not that I know of. The "Metro" UI and desktop UI are separate and do not mix.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
Yes, there is a way but it only works for apps that were installed along with Windows 8:
Here's an example for Calendar app:

  1. From Start Screen, type default programs and run it -> associate a file type or protocol with a program.Scroll down until you see "WLCALENDAR", In the Description, you'll see URL:wlcalendar so wlcalendar is the name of the calendar app.
  2. Create a shortcut on the desktop and enter:
    C:\Windows\System32\cmd.exe /c start "" "wlcalendar:" && exit
  3. Click next and name the shortcut as Calendar

That's it.

Do the same for Sports, Weather, News etc....... and of course, you can go to property and change the Icon to make it looks nice, pin to the taskbar if you like.
 

Attachments

  • 12-24-2012 9-59-10 PM.jpg
    12-24-2012 9-59-10 PM.jpg
    81.6 KB · Views: 239
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    8.1x64PWMC Ubuntu14.04x64 MintMate17x64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home Brewed
    CPU
    I7 4970K OC'ed @4.7 GHz
    Motherboard
    MSI-Z97
    Memory
    16 GB G-Skill Trident X @2400MHZ
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450
    Sound Card
    X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Professional Series
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dual HP-W2408
    Screen Resolution
    1920X1200
    Hard Drives
    256 GB M2 sm951, (2) 500GB 850EVO, 5TB, 2 TB Seagate
    PSU
    Antec 850W
    Case
    Antec 1200
    Cooling
    Danger Den H20
    Keyboard
    Logitech
    Mouse
    Logitech Performance Mouse MX
    Internet Speed
    35/12mbps
    Browser
    Firefox
Back
Top