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Make a quick shortcut to your favorite websites with this simple guide
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Looking for a faster way to open your favorite websites? Saving a webpage link to your Windows PC or Mac's desktop makes it possible to open websites without typing long URLs or wading through bookmarks. We'll show you the quickest and easiest way to add a website shortcut icon to your desktop.
Quick Steps
- Open Chrome, Firefox, or Edge on your PC or Mac.
- Navigate to the website you want to make a shortcut for.
- Click the icon just to the left of the URL in the address bar.
- Drag the icon to your desktop.
Steps
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Open your web browser. You can use this same method for either Microsoft Edge , Chrome, or Firefox.
- Depending on which browser you used to create the shortcut, the shortcut may open either in your default browser or the in one you used to create it.
- This method will work in Windows or macOS.
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Visit the website you want to create a shortcut to. Open the exact site you want to make a shortcut for. You can make a shortcut for any website, but you may still be prompted to log in if the site normally requires it.Advertisement
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Make sure the browser isn't full screen . You'll need to be able to see your desktop in order for this to work easily.
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Click and drag the site's icon in the address bar. You'll see an outline of the object appear as you drag.
- Depending on your browser and the site you’re visiting, you may see various icons to the left of the URL in the address bar, such as a padlock or a pair of toggle switches. Even if you don’t see the website’s favicon, just click and drag the symbol closest to the URL.
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Release the icon on your desktop. A shortcut to the website will appear with the website's title as the name. The shortcut may use the website's icon if it has one.
- On macOS, the shortcut will look like a page with a dogeared corner and a large “@” symbol above the letters “HTTP.”
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Double-click the shortcut . The website may open either in your default browser or in the browser you used to make the shortcut.
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Open the website in Chrome. If you use the Chrome browser , you can create a shortcut to the website on your desktop that uses the website's custom icon (favicon). [1] X Research source These shortcuts are also called “Chrome apps,” although they are not that different from any other desktop website shortcut. [2] X Research source
- This method works in both Windows and macOS.
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Click the Chrome Menu button (⋮). You'll find this in the upper-right corner of the Chrome browser window.
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Click Save and Share . A sub-menu will pop out.
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Click Create Shortcut . A new window will appear with the text “Create Shortcut?” at the top.
- If you don't see this option, you may not be running the latest version of Chrome. Select Help → About Google Chrome from the Chrome menu and then install any available updates. If you don’t see any available, you’re already up to date.
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Enter a name for the shortcut. By default, the shortcut will have the same name as the site's title. You can change it to whatever you'd like.
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Select whether to open in a window or not. If you check the "Open as window" box, the shortcut will always open in its own window, making it act more like an application. This can be very useful for services like WhatsApp messenger or Gmail.
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Click "Create" to add it to your desktop. You'll see a new icon on your desktop, which will be the same icon that the website uses.
- If you’re on a Mac, the shortcut may save to your Chrome Apps folder by default. A Finder window will open as soon as you click Create showing the current location of the shortcut. Click and drag it to your desktop.
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Double-click the shortcut to open it. If you didn't select "Open as window," the shortcut will open in a regular Chrome browser window. If you selected "Open as window," the site will load in its own dedicated window without any of the regular Chrome interface.
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Open Safari on your Mac. If you’re using a Mac that has macOS Sonoma or later and Safari 17, you can create a shortcut to a website in your Dock. This replaces a feature in much older versions of macOS where you could put a website widget in the Dashboard, which is now discontinued.
- Safari 17 comes with macOS Sonoma.
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Navigate to the website you want to add to your Dock. Use Safari’s address bar to go to the website you want to turn into a shortcut.
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Click File and select Add to Dock . Click the File menu at the top right side of your screen. Then, click Add to Dock . A new window will pop up.
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Enter a name for your shortcut if you like. You’ll see a text field where you can edit the name of the shortcut. By default, this field will already display the name of the webpage.
- You can also edit the URL that you want to create a shortcut for in this window.
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Click Add . A shortcut will appear in both your Dock and your Launchpad with the favicon for the website. Click on it to open a window displaying the website.
- These shortcuts are similar to Chrome web apps—they will open in their own window rather than one of your browsers. If you want to view the site in your default browser, click File > Open in [your default browser] .
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Expert Q&A
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QuestionHow do you create a shortcut to a program or file?Yaffet Meshesha is a Computer Specialist and the Founder of Techy, a full-service computer pickup, repair, and delivery service. With over eight years of experience, Yaffet specializes in computer repairs and technical support. Techy has been featured on TechCrunch and Time.To create a shortcut to any program or file simply left-click on the item for which you wish to create a shortcut, then right-click on that item and click “Create shortcut”. A shortcut of that file or program will be made in that same file path that can then be moved anywhere on your computer to access that same file or program.
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QuestionI want website and all its links to work from my desktop when internet offline. What can I do?Community AnswerYou can save individual pages to your computer, but not such that all links would function were you offline.
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QuestionHow to send this shortcut file to others?Community AnswerThere is a slanting V-shaped icon that looks like this: < , located next to the link (or any file or folder for that matter). That's the share button. When you select the share button and choose how to you want to share the item, like via WhatsApp, email, Outlook, Gmail, Bluetooth, etc. you can share it with anyone.
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- You can also set a shortcut in Microsoft Edge using the same techniques.
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