Stop windows adding 'Shortcut to' to shortcuts

Helpline Q&A Directory

I don't like the way the names of new shortcuts always begin with 'Shortcut to'. How can I stop Windows adding these two extra words to every new shortcut I create?

If you have installed Tweak UI (formerly part of Microsoft's unsupported Power Toys), there's an easy way to do this. Select Start, Settings, Control Panel. Double-click Tweak UI, then click the Explorer tab. In Settings, uncheck 'Prefix 'Shortcut to' on new shortcuts'.

If you don't have Tweak UI, there's a method that sounds like it shouldn't work but does. Open two folders side-by-side on your desktop: one full of files, the other empty. Right-drag a file to the new folder. At the pop-up menu, select 'Create Shortcut(s) Here'. Now select the new shortcut and press F2. Then delete the words 'Shortcut to' and press Enter.

Repeat the process, dragging another file to the once-empty folder to create the shortcut, then manually removing the unwanted words. Eventually (usually by the eighth repetition), Windows will create the shortcut without adding the extra verbiage. This is the only instance we know of where Windows actually seems to learn from experience.

NB: don't use the right-click menu's 'Copy here' command to do this. 'Create shortcut here' creates a small file containing a pointer to the original file, while 'Copy here' creates an actual copy of it.

Reproducing an application wastes disk space and the program may not work properly when run from somewhere other than its proper location. It also causes confusion when you attempt to edit the various copies at different times. Create a copy if you really need a duplicate - for example, as a backup. If you just want quick access to the file from another location, such as your desktop, create a shortcut.