Advanced Solutions for Desktop Shortcuts not Working

Solve the problem that desktop shortcuts cannot run

We usually create shortcuts for common applications on our desktop for easy use. However, you may find that some desktop icons do not work or click. This MiniTool article provides some practical ways to fix the problem that desktop shortcuts don't work.

Unresponsive shortcuts can prevent you from launching necessary applications, reducing productivity and impacting user experience. You may also encounter other error messages such as " Desktop shortcut is not responsive " or " Desktop icon does not work, cannot be opened, no response ". Many reasons can cause the desktop shortcuts to not work, and program location changes are the most common reasons.

Method 1: Verify the application path

If you cannot access the program through its desktop shortcuts, you can check if the destination location of the shortcut is different from the corresponding executable. The specific operations are as follows:

Step 1: Right-click the unresponsive shortcut and select Properties from the context menu.

Step 2: Switch to the Shortcuts tab and check the path in the target section.

Step 3: Verify that the path is where the executable file should be. If the path is incorrect, you can navigate to the location of the executable file and copy and paste the path into the Destination box.

Step 4: Click Apply and OK to save the changes.

You can see if the shortcut works properly. If it still doesn't work, try the next method.

Method 2: Recreate the shortcut

Another more straightforward way is to recreate new shortcuts to fix the problem that desktop icons don't work. You can delete the old shortcut and refer to the following steps to create a new shortcut.

Step 1: Press Win E to open File Explorer.

Step 2: Find the application with the invalid icon and right-click it.

Step 3: Select Create Shortcut from the context menu.

If you find an executable in a system folder such as Program Files or Program Files (x86) , the shortcut will be placed directly on your desktop.

Method 3: Check file associations

File associations can connect files to applications that can open the file. Typically, file associations associate files of a certain type with corresponding applications. For example, a file with the extension TXT will be opened using Notepad.

LNK files are called link files or desktop shortcuts. When you click on the LNK file, it starts the associated program. To fix the correct file association, you can reset the LNK file in Windows Registry Editor by referring to the following steps.

Step 1: Press Win I to open Windows settings.

Step 2: Type regedit in the text box and press Enter to open the Registry Editor.

Step 3: Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER > SOFTWARE > Microsoft > Windows > CurrentVersion > Explorer > FileExts > .lnk .

Step 4: Expand .lnk to delete the child named UserChoice .

Method 4: Perform system restoration

If you are lucky, you created a system restore point before this issue occurs and you can perform a system restore to skip this issue. System restore helps restore your computer to the state before the desktop shortcut was unresponsive. The specific operations are as follows:

Step 1: Type Control Panel in Windows Search and press Enter to open the window.

Step 2: Select Recover under the large icon of View Method .

Step 3: Select Open System Restore and click Next . You can find all the system restore points here and select a restore point that does not work without the desktop icon.

Step 4: Click Next .

Step 5: Confirm all the information in the following window and click Finish to start the system restore process.

Conclusion

Many people encounter problems with desktop shortcuts not working after a sudden or upgrade of their operating system. You don't need to worry, as there is a practical guide to help you solve this problem. Hopefully you can find a solution to the problem here.

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