How to Put Apps on the Home Screen in Windows 11

In Windows 11, the “home screen” is really your desktop, and putting an app there usually means creating a shortcut icon you can double-click to open it. You can generally do this from the Start menu, from File Explorer, or by creating a shortcut directly on the desktop. The exact wording of menus can shift slightly between Windows 11 versions and updates, but the overall process stays similar. Here’s how to approach each option.

Quick steps

1. Open the Start menu and find the app you want.
2. Right-click the app and look for an option to open its file location.
3. In the folder that opens, right-click the app’s shortcut file.
4. Look for a Send to option and choose the one that creates a desktop shortcut.

Before you start

A few quick things to check before you dive in:

• You typically don’t need administrator rights to add a shortcut to your own desktop.
• Some apps, especially ones installed from the Microsoft Store, behave differently when it comes to finding a file you can send to the desktop.
• If your desktop icons aren’t showing at all, that’s usually a separate display setting rather than anything to do with creating a shortcut.
• Putting an app on the desktop doesn’t move or copy the actual program. It creates a shortcut link, so removing the icon later won’t uninstall the app.
• Menu labels and the number of clicks involved can vary a little depending on your Windows 11 version, so treat the steps below as a general guide rather than an exact script.

Method 1: Add an app to the desktop from the Start menu

This is generally the most straightforward way to put icons on your desktop in Windows 11.

1. Click the Start button on the taskbar, or press the Windows key.
2. Find the app you want. You can scroll the pinned apps and all apps lists, or type the app name into the search box.
3. Right-click the app’s name or tile.
4. Look for an option along the lines of Open file location. Selecting it should open a File Explorer window pointing to the shortcut Windows uses for that app.
5. In that folder, right-click the shortcut file.
6. If you only see a short menu, there may be a way to expand it for more options.
7. Look for Send to, then choose the option that creates a shortcut on your desktop.

You should then see a new icon on your desktop. If the Start menu doesn’t offer a way to open the file location for a particular app, it’s often a Microsoft Store app, and you’ll want to try the approach described later in this guide for Store apps instead.

Method 2: Create a shortcut from File Explorer

If you already know roughly where an app’s program file lives, this route can be quicker.

1. Open File Explorer from the taskbar.
2. Navigate to the folder where the app is installed. Desktop programs are commonly stored somewhere under your main drive’s program folders, though the exact location varies by app.
3. Find the app’s program file.
4. Right-click the file, then look for a Send to option that lets you create a desktop shortcut.

This creates a shortcut icon on your desktop without touching the original program files, so it’s a low-risk option as long as you’re only copying a shortcut and not moving or deleting the original file.

Method 3: Create a shortcut manually

This method is useful when a file location option isn’t available from the Start menu, or when you just want a quicker path.

1. Right-click an empty area of your desktop.
2. Look for a New option, then a Shortcut option within it.
3. Enter or browse to the app’s file path, then continue to the next step.
4. Give the shortcut a name, then finish creating it.

This builds a brand-new shortcut rather than copying an existing one, which is handy if you want an icon that points to a specific file, folder, or program you use often.

Adding Microsoft Store apps to the desktop

Apps installed through the Microsoft Store don’t always have an easy-to-find program file the way traditional desktop programs do. For these apps, your best options are usually:

1. Open the Start menu and find the app in your apps list.
2. Right-click the app and check whether an option to open its file location appears. If it does, try the steps in Method 1 above.
3. If that option isn’t available, consider pinning the app to Start or to the taskbar instead, since Store apps don’t always support a direct desktop shortcut the same way classic programs do.

To pin an app, right-click it from the Start menu and look for options to pin it to the taskbar or to Start. This isn’t the same as a desktop icon, but it gives you quick one-click access, which is often what people are really after when they talk about putting an app on their “home screen.”

If it doesn’t work

There’s no option to open the file location

This usually means the app is a Microsoft Store app or a system app without a traditional shortcut file. Try pinning it to Start or the taskbar instead, or check whether the app has its own built-in option to create a desktop shortcut from within its own settings.

The shortcut appears but doesn’t open the app

The shortcut may be pointing to a file that was moved or deleted, often because the app was updated or reinstalled. Delete the broken shortcut and create a new one using Method 1 or Method 2 above.

You can’t see any icons on your desktop

Right-click an empty part of the desktop and look in the View options for a setting related to showing desktop icons. If it’s already enabled and icons still don’t appear, try right-clicking the desktop and refreshing it.

You added a shortcut but it looks like a generic blank icon

This can happen when Windows hasn’t loaded the correct icon image yet. Signing out and back in, or restarting, often resolves the icon display.

Frequently asked questions

What’s the difference between pinning an app and putting it on the desktop?

Pinning adds the app to your Start menu or taskbar for quick access, while putting it on the desktop creates a separate shortcut icon on your desktop background. You can do both at the same time if you want more than one way to launch the same app.

Does deleting a desktop shortcut uninstall the app?

No. A shortcut is just a link to the program, not the program itself. Deleting it from your desktop only removes that icon, and the app stays installed and usable from the Start menu.

Can I add a website or file to my desktop the same way?

Yes. You can generally create a shortcut to a website, document, or folder using the same manual shortcut option on the desktop, pointing it to the web address or file path instead of an app’s program file.

Why doesn’t every app let me create a shortcut this way?

Some Microsoft Store apps are packaged differently from traditional desktop programs and don’t always expose a file location you can send to the desktop. For these, pinning to Start or the taskbar is usually the more reliable option.

Will adding more desktop icons slow down my PC?

Not noticeably. Desktop shortcuts are small files, and having several of them on your desktop won’t have a meaningful impact on performance.

Related guides

• How To Stop Teams Loading Up After Logging In
• How to Disable OneDrive on Windows 10 and 11
• How to Remove OneDrive from Your PC

Sources

• Windows client documentation, Microsoft Learn