Every time we install a new application in Windows, the process may involve the integration of a shortcut, which is generally placed on the desktop of this operating system. Now if these shortcuts are created automatically How can we know where the tool itself is located?
Surely you have noticed the presence of these shortcuts on the desktop of the operating system, the same as "mechanically" we get to execute them by double clicking to the one we need to work with. In today's article we will try to analyze the place where the applications that are called by these shortcuts are located, both for those we see on the desktop and for modern Windows 8.1 applications.
The shortcuts displayed on the Windows desktop
Most Windows-based operating systems have a shortcut on the desktop, just like double-clicking it will immediately execute the application with which it is linked. In versions of XP and other earlier versions, it is possible to discover the place where the tool belonging to these shortcuts is housed using the following procedure:
- We are looking for a shortcut on the Windows desktop.
- We click with the right mouse button and choose Properties.
- A small window will appear.
- From it we must select the tab that says «Direct access«.
Once we are in this tab we will be able to admire at the bottom there is an option that says «Dfate»(Target in English versions of Windows). This address will direct us to the place where the application that is linked to this icon that we find on the Windows desktop is located.
In versions of Windows 7 and onwards, the procedure is much easier to perform, since we only need to do the following:
- We are located on the Windows desktop (especially if we have Windows 8.1).
- We select the shortcut icon with the right button of our mouse.
- The context menu will appear.
- We choose the option that says «open file location«.
With these steps instead we have achieved open the place where the application is located which links to the selected shortcut. The latter that we do can be very useful when we want to uninstall some type of application, because generally there is always another icon that will allow us to carry out this task.
Where are the modern app shortcuts in Windows 8.1?
What we suggest before is one of the easiest processes to carry out, due to the fact that the different versions of Windows contain these shortcuts, which we have handled in various ways and forms. But What about modern Windows 8.1 application shortcuts? Someone would have imagined that these modern applications (those found on the Home Screen) do not consist of these small elements, an erroneous thought since every application (traditional or modern) needs an icon to make its call. The place where these shortcuts are found is as follows:
- We head to the Windows 8.1 desktop.
- We open the file explorer.
- We display the options of the tool ribbon by means of the inverted arrow.
- We go to the "view" tab.
- We activate the box that says «hidden items«.
- Now we head towards the next location.
C: Users your account name AppDataLocalMicrosoftWindowsApplication Shortcuts
We have suggested each of the steps because the folder and directory where the shortcuts are located Modern Applications are considered as system files and therefore, they remain invisible. Having reached this place you will find a few more directories, which have a name accompanied by a specific code.
If we go to any of these directories, we will find the direct access to this modern application, which we should not delete since its presence is required for each of them to be executed in the Windows 8.1 Start Screen.