Desktop Icons and Shortcuts in Windows 10

Files and folders are represented on your desktop as icons. You can create a shortcut to quickly access a file, folder, or app from your desktop.

Create a Shortcut

Follow these steps to add a shortcut to your desktop.

1. Right-click a file, folder, or app, and then choose Send to.
2. Choose Desktop (create shortcut).
   

A shortcut to the item appears on your desktop.

Note: If you move the original folder, a new shortcut will need to be created.

Sort Your Desktop

If your desktop has a lot of icons and gets too cluttered, you can sort it to help with organization. You can change the size of icons, icon arrangement, and whether icons even appear. In addition, you can sort icons by name, size, item type, or date modified.

1. Right-click an empty spot of your desktop.
   
2. Choose View, and then select an option to change how icons appear on your desktop.
3. Choose Sort by, and then select an option to change how icons are sorted on your desktop.
   

Your desktop icons are automatically sorted according to your specifications.