How to restore a game shortcut on the Windows 10 desktop

If you like to play computer games, you will probably agree that the most convenient way to quickly launch is a link on your desktop. This is much more convenient than constantly searching for a toy in the list of all installed programs. By default, during installation, an icon is automatically created on the start screen, and if the game has several launch options or a loader for 32-bit and 64-bit systems, then there may be several icons.

Since, due to the high cost of some new products, many gamers prefer to use pirated repacks, some low-quality builds may not create icons on the start screen. Has it ever happened to you that after installing a program you simply don’t know how to launch it? Agree, almost everyone has encountered such a situation at least once in their life. Or the created icon was accidentally deleted while cleaning the system.

How to restore a shortcut? How to launch the game if the launch icon is not on the desktop? We will find out the answers to these questions in today's material. Let's consider two ways.

Launching a game without a shortcut in Windows

How to restore a shortcut? How to launch the game if the launch icon is not on the desktop? We will find out the answers to these questions in today's material. Let's consider two ways.

How to remove shortcuts from the desktop

You can also easily remove icons for sites you no longer visit. To do this, right-click on the shortcut, then select Delete

. Don't worry, deleting a shortcut does not remove access to the site, which will always remain accessible in the classic way from your browser. The same principle applies here as for software shortcuts: when you delete a shortcut, you delete the path to the program, not the software itself.

If you sometimes have problems updating your PC and deleted shortcuts reappear on your desktop, simply right-click on the icon and then select Update

to completely remove it from the screen.

Method 1. Through the Start menu

The easiest way is to find the product in the list of installed programs through the Start menu. To do this, you need to press the key with windows on your keyboard or move the mouse cursor to the lower left edge of the screen and press the same button.

The most frequently launched applications are displayed here, as well as program icons for quick access to them. You need to click on the All Apps button. A list of all the software on your computer, both built-in that comes with the operating system, and what you installed additionally, will be displayed in alphabetical order.

Find your software in this list, click on the name, and it will launch immediately. In the future, so as not to constantly look for it here, move the game shortcut to your desktop. How you can do this will vary slightly depending on the version of the operating system you are using.

Create a shortcut using the command line

These days, in order to create shortcuts in Ubuntu, you need to install additional packages and then run a special command. In order for them to start downloading, you will need to simultaneously press Ctrl + Alt + T to open a terminal window. Once it displays, type the following at the command prompt, then press ENTER:

sudo apt-get install –no-install-recommends gnome-panel

Type the following at the command prompt, then press ENTER:

gnome-desktop-item-edit –create-new ~/Desktop

A settings window will appear where you must fill in the required parameters. In the top drop-down list, select the “Application” option, and then write the name of the shortcut in the “Name” field. Enter the command with the full path to run the program in the command editing window. You can also use the Browse button to select a command. Most programs running on your computer are located in the /usr/bin directory.

If desired, you can enter a description for the shortcut in the comment edit window. Click OK to create the shortcut in Ubuntu. Since the dialog box was opened from the Command Prompt, you will return to it after you close it. To close the terminal window, type "exit" (without quotes) at the command line and press ENTER. The shortcut will appear on the desktop, and you only need to double-click on it to open the program.

Method 2. Through Explorer

The method is more complicated, since you need to know the exact folder where you installed the software, as well as the executable files to run it. Usually the software is installed in the folder C:\Program Files, C:\Games or D:\Games, and the name often matches the name of the product. Double-click on the file to run it.

In the future, in order not to make a bunch of unnecessary movements, create a link on the start screen. To do this, you need to right-click on the file with the exe extension that is responsible for launching, select “Create shortcut”, and after the transfer request, click “Yes”. Or you can immediately click Send - Desktop (create a shortcut).

How to make a shortcut

Creating a shortcut to an object on a computer, it could be: a program, a browser, a photo - in general, everything that you have on your computer is done in the same way!

Open the folder where our object is located - for example, this photo, hover the mouse over it, 1. 1. Right-click

1. 2. In the window that pops up, look for send.

1. 3. Select a desktop.

If you need to create a shortcut in the same folder, then further down we see

1. 4. Create a shortcut. You can always move this shortcut to any place you need.

Reasons for missing labels

Built-in virtualization and persistent memory services are responsible for displaying application shortcuts (icons) on the desktop. If at least one of these components fails, problems appear with displaying the contents of the workspace.

Reasons for missing label:

The program was deleted - the most common but common reason. If several people use one computer at once, misunderstandings may arise with the removal of programs. You could also accidentally delete the application's root folder on your hard drive or uninstall the software and forget about it;

A one-time crash in Windows Explorer;

The program has been uninstalled

Click on the system search field and enter “Installation and removal”;

Open the found window. In earlier versions of Windows, you need to open the Control Panel using the Start menu and find the desired field in the window;

In the window that opens, check the list of applications and find if the required software is not in the list, it has been removed from the system. Re-installation is required, after which the shortcut will appear on the desktop again.

Method 2 – Setting the display mode of desktop elements

A user of any version of Windows OS can customize the desktop: select the size of icons, define grid parameters, hide shortcuts and folders. You may have accidentally deactivated the shortcut display feature, causing them to disappear from the system.

Follow the instructions to learn how to restore Windows desktop shortcuts using the Settings panel:

Right-click on an empty area of the desktop;

In the context menu that appears, select “View”;

Then check the box next to “Display desktop icons.”

Method 3 – Registry Editor

An effective way to restore a deleted shortcut is to manually edit the necessary registry entries.

Follow the instructions:

Open the Run window by pressing the Win + R key combination;

If all else fails and there are still no icons

The keyboard has disappeared on Android - what to do, how to restore it

If you cannot find the missing badge, you can take more drastic measures. The easiest way is to reboot the device.

Note! Sometimes a crash occurs when the cache is full.

Rebooting the smartphone

Rebooting your smartphone often helps restore the usual order on your desktop. This way you can prevent the operating system from crashing. To do this, select the “Reboot” tab in the menu. If, upon completion of the operation, the lost icon has not returned, you will have to look for another path.

Clearing cache

Android comes with a feature to erase unused files. He copes with his task quite successfully. Interfering with the process is counterproductive, since cache files facilitate quick access to used programs and applications. But sometimes there is a need to delete some information (especially messages and correspondence) regardless of its use. This work is done manually.

Clearing cache

Most often this need arises when:

incorrect operation of an application due to application corruption;
desire to hide information (that is, maintain confidentiality);
lack of memory in the device.

Removing unnecessary information occurs in different ways, it all depends on the version of the device. For example, the latest devices require clearing the cache and deleting files separately for all applications.

Note! There is no need to delete the entire cache. Removing damaged files will restore the smartphone to its original level.

Step-by-step process for clearing cache:

Enter "Settings".
Select "Applications and notifications".
Tap on the “Applications” item.
From the list that appears, select the application you are interested in.
From the list of application options, select “Memory”.
Click on “Clear cache”.

Important! By clicking on the menu and highlighting “Sort by size,” you can see which files are taking up a lot of space in your phone’s memory. Image galleries especially take up a lot of space, but they are usually not deleted.

Older generation smartphones are not designed to delete cache files individually. Everything is much simpler here, that is, you need:

Select the “Settings” tab.
Click on “Storage”.
Select "Cache Data" and click "OK".

This deletes all information from cached files.

Factory reset or flashing

Sometimes you need to sell or give the device to another family member, then there is a need to reflash the device. The process is otherwise called a factory reset. The procedure is standard for all androids. Everything happens in the “Settings” section. In the smartphone menu it is indicated by a gear icon.

Factory reset will erase all important information from your phone

Following a clear algorithm, you should:

Click on the gear.
Select the “Restore and reset” stage.
Select "Reset phone settings".
Click on “Erase everything”.

Note! Depending on the manufacturer, the names of the items may be slightly different, but the meaning remains the same. For example, Samsung has replaced the word “Recovery” with “Backup”, “Reset phone settings” is designated as “Reset data”.

Other brands such as Xiaomi, Meizu and Huawei have changed the names of the buttons. Sequence of actions: “Settings” - “Advanced” - “Reset settings”.

Gadget repair technicians often use another data reset option. It is also accessible and understandable for any user and is successfully used. The process takes place using secret codes.

To reset data you need:

Using the call button, go to the grid of numbers (as when dialing a telephone number).
Enter code *2767*3855#.

Important! In this case, it is rarely possible to turn on the phone, about 1-2% of such operations. This will not happen if you use the code *#*#7780#*#*. All applications will be deleted, but other information, such as contacts, will remain.

For advanced users, Hard Reset (hard reset of Android settings) is more interesting, since returning icons to the desktop of an Android device using other methods seems time-consuming to them. The reset is performed by simultaneously pressing a certain combination of buttons through Recovery. Most often these are the volume down and on/off buttons. You should press until recovery appears. The operation is performed with the device turned off and charging more than 80%.

If the smartphone has a “Home” button, for example, on Samsung, then to activate the recovery, use a combination of the volume up (+), “Home” and “On/Off” buttons. Sometimes you need to press buttons again. For example, on several LG models. In this case, after the Recovery logo appears, the power button must be released and pressed again. On some SONY smartphones you need to use the volume and power buttons at the same time.

Note! The recovery menu is controlled by the sound buttons.

Algorithm of actions:

Go through the path “Wipe Data/Factory Reset” - “Clear eMMC” - “Clear Flash”. Select the desired one using the on/off button.
Tap “Yes” or “Yes - Delete All User Data”.
Select "Reboot System Now".

This completes the process.

You can also clean your smartphone with a jing adapter or through the Android Debug Bridge (ADB) program on your PC.

Possible reasons

By analyzing reviews from Tens users, we came to three main reasons for this problem. Shortcuts disappear if:

Let's start from the end - with hidden files and folders. Some users place shortcuts to the content they need on their desktop. Folders or files may have been made hidden, but the hidden content settings have not changed.

Open Explorer and go to the “View” tab. Set the marker opposite “Hidden elements”. Check to see if the folders and files appear on your desktop again.

How to make a shortcut to my computer - when there is no create shortcut button

Both the coin and our question have two sides - if the first option is not feasible, for example, in the case when there is no line to send to the desktop, or to create a shortcut - what to do!?

And then we can make two options again.

2. 1. For example, a physical object that cannot be moved is my computer, why cannot it be moved - because the system will not allow you to do it. If we are talking about a shortcut to my computer, then we do it very simply - we press my computer and drag it to the desktop.

As for other objects, you need to be careful with them, because it happens that instead of creating a shortcut, the object itself is moved to the desktop.

2. 2. Click on the desktop, or right-click in the folder - create - shortcut - review - select an object for the shortcut - select a name for the shortcut - done.

System shortcuts are not displayed

Perhaps there are no other shortcuts on your desktop other than system shortcuts. But sometimes they disappear. For example, the “Trash” or the “My Computer” icon.

Right-click on an empty area of the desktop and select “Personalization”.

Select the “Themes” tab, scroll down and click on the active link “Desktop Icon Settings”.

There are 5 system shortcuts available for display: “My Computer”, “Trash”, “User Files”, “Network” and “Control Panel”. Set the display markers opposite the ones you need for your work.

Overall, that's it. One of the above methods should definitely help. In most cases, the problem is that shortcuts are accidentally disabled. Also often the problem is the changed display resolution.

Some more interesting texts:

Source

Recovery options

Option 1: Restoring icons after deletion

First, let's consider this option, since it quite often happens that the user himself or someone who has access to the computer besides him deletes these icons from the desktop. Icons may be removed intentionally or accidentally. However, regardless of the motives, you can restore them using the following instructions:

Right-click on an empty space on the desktop and select “New” from the context menu. Next, another submenu will be displayed where you will need to select the “Shortcut” option.
The shortcut creation shell will open. Here you need to use the “Browse” button.
The system tool for browsing files and folders located on the computer will be launched. You need to select any object there, no matter what. After that, click on the “Ok” button.
In the next window, click on “Next”.
Then on "Done".
If the desktop shortcut is successfully displayed, this means that the icons were deleted by the program or the user. If the shortcut does not appear, it means that the problem lies elsewhere and this option for restoring icons will not suit you.
If it turns out that the shortcuts have been deleted, is it possible to restore them? Yes, there is, but no one can guarantee you 100% results. The fact is that the icons most likely went to the Trash. From there you can restore them without any problems, however, if the Recycle Bin has been emptied, this will not be possible, but it’s worth a try:
Since there is no “Trash” icon on the desktop either, you will have to open it using a special line – “Run”. It is called using the Win+R key combination. There you need to enter the command: shell:RecycleBinFolder and click on the “Ok” or Enter button to apply.
The Trash window will open, where you can interact with all the items that were recently deleted. If there are any elements here other than icons that you want to restore, then select only the icons to restore. To do this, hold down the Ctrl key and click on the icons that you want to restore. Provided that the “Trash” contains only items that can be restored, select them all using the Ctrl+A key combination. Next, click on one of the highlighted ones with the right mouse button. In the context menu, select "Restore".
Check your desktop. The icons should appear on it again. The only thing is that they may not be exactly in the same places they were before removal.

If it suddenly turned out that the “Trash” was empty or did not contain the elements necessary for restoration, then this means that they were deleted. Theoretically, they can be restored using special programs. However, to do this you will have to do a lot of unnecessary steps - download the desired program, understand its operation, find the necessary shortcuts from the list of previously deleted files, start their recovery and wait for it to finish. In this case, it will be much easier to create them again.

Option 2: Enable icon display

There are situations when icons on the desktop were not deleted, but their display was simply disabled in the desktop settings. Again, this could be done by you or another user either by mistake or intentionally. Fortunately, you can fix this situation very quickly:

Right-click anywhere on your desktop. From the context menu, select the View option. In the list of options, find the option “Display desktop icons.” Pay attention to whether there is a tick there. If it is not there, it means that due to its absence, the icons were hidden from the desktop.
In this case, just click on this item. A check mark should appear opposite it again, and desktop elements that were previously hidden will again appear on it. Typically, you don't need to restart your computer for changes to take effect—changes are displayed in real time.

Option 3: Process explorer.exe

This problem is also very common, but its symptoms are slightly different. The fact is that the explorer.exe process is generally responsible for displaying all elements on the desktop - including icons, the control panel, and in some versions of Windows, wallpaper. That is, if you are faced with the fact that only wallpaper is present on the screen, or generally only a black screen and a mouse cursor, then this means that the problem is in the explorer.exe process.

This process is unlikely to be accidentally disabled by the user. Most likely, there was a software glitch, a conflict with third-party software, or a virus infiltrating the computer. Explorer.exe usually runs along with the operating system when it starts. In this instruction, we will try to restart this process manually:

Since it is not possible to interact normally with the operating system interface, you will have to use keyboard shortcuts to access certain components. First, you need to open the Task Manager. Use the key combination Ctrl+Shift+Esc. Here, pay attention to the “Processes” tab. Next, click on the “Image name” field to more conveniently build a list of running processes. If you do not find the explorer.exe process in the list, you will need to start it. If it is on the list, it means that it may have been launched incorrectly. In this case, a restart is necessary.
Select the explorer.exe process and click on the “End Process” button located at the bottom right side of the screen.
A window will open asking you to confirm the completion of the process. Click on the appropriate button.
Now the corresponding process will disappear from the Task Manager, and you will need to restart it. If it is not initially in the list of processes, then skip the steps associated with its deactivation. Proceed directly to enable.
To start any process in the “Task Manager” you need to click on the “File” button, which is located at the top of the screen. From the context menu, select the “New task” option.
The task creation tool shell will open. In the only field you need to enter the value: explorer. To apply it, click on the “Ok” or Enter button.
The explorer.exe process should appear again in the Task Manager. Check your desktop for icons. Most likely, the graphical interface of the operating system will appear again along with all the icons.

Option 4: Problems in the system registry

During the previous option, some users are unable to start the explorer.exe process. There are also situations when the process started normally, but after restarting the operating system it disappeared. In this case, it is recommended to pay attention to the registry, as there may be problems in it.

How to restore icons on the Android desktop

Putting the icons back on the “Desktop”

You can correct the situation in several ways: by eliminating the cause itself using the “Task Manager” and “Registry Editor” or by returning the necessary icons manually.

Using context menu options

Utility icons can be removed from the Desktop on their own if their display is disabled. To turn the feature back on, do the following:

If this method does not help, create the program icons again manually using another context menu option:

Restore default icons in Settings

If you have lost classic Windows icons on your home screen, such as “Trash” or “My Computer,” you can quickly restore them. Just use the following instructions:

Video: how to replace standard Windows shortcuts

Fixing the registry to restore the “Desktop”

The sudden disappearance of icons from the “Desktop” can be caused by errors in the registry - the operating system database, which the latter constantly accesses during operation. It stores all system settings, utilities, connected equipment (printers, headphones, etc.), so it is very important that the registry works correctly. What to do if the reason is an error in the registry?

Restoring icons through Task Manager

The service process explorer.exe or “Explorer” is responsible for the graphical design of Windows. Icons may suddenly disappear from the “Desktop” due to the fact that it is not working correctly or is not running at all. In the first case, it must be restarted. How to do this?

Turning off tablet mode

Icons do not appear on the “Desktop” if you have “Tablet Mode” activated. How can I turn it off and prevent the system from turning it on on its own?

Turning off the PC using the button on the laptop

A non-standard way to get the icons back is to turn off the device using the power button, rather than through the system Start menu. To do this, you need to close all utility windows and hold down the button. After turning on the computer, the shortcuts should appear on the “Desktop” again.

Scan explorer.exe file

Icons can be removed from the “Desktop” on their own if the explorer.exe file, which is responsible for the windowed interface of Windows 10, is damaged. What can be done in this case? You need to scan the file using special commands:

Video: several methods for restoring desktop icons

System rollback

One of the most effective ways to return icons is to restore the system to its previous state, when all the necessary icons were still on the “Desktop”. This method will help you if all the others fail and you don't want to return them manually. Use the following instructions:

Video: how to roll back the system using a restore point

Why do application, camera, call and other icons disappear on Android?

Determining the reason for the disappearance of icons is not easy. There is a certain inconvenience, especially if a frequently used icon has disappeared. For example, the Yandex icon disappeared. Browser" on Android or the handset has disappeared on the screen of the Android device.

If icons disappear on the phone, not every user knows what to do

Depending on the previous circumstances, there are several reasons for icons disappearing from the desktop:

the operating system crashed;
the deletion occurred accidentally;
the application has moved to another storage location (to a memory card, to a folder, to another desktop).

For your information! Most often, shortcuts to self-downloaded applications disappear. Standard ones are not resistant to long pressing or placing one icon on top of another. In this case, they together form a new folder.

How to return an application to the home screen from the library?

To bring a hidden app back to the Home screen, swipe left on the screen until you reach the App Library at the end of the Home screen pages. You can now drag an app directly from one of your App Library folders onto your Home screen.

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Reason #2: the game was deleted

The second reason for the lack of a shortcut is the deletion of the game. It could have been done by mistake by the user himself. Valorant is also uninstalled by some antiviruses. They are annoyed by Vanguard, Riot Games' signature anti-cheat. Along with it, the files of the game itself are often “distributed”.

In this case:

temporarily disable the antivirus;
go to playvalorant.com ;
if necessary, log in;
Click “ Play ” or “ Play for free ” (there is no difference).

After this, the game files will begin downloading. And upon completion - installation. All this time, the antivirus must be disabled.

By the way, Windows Defender never swears at Valorant. So you can use it. If we talk about Windows 10, its defender is in no way inferior to other antivirus programs, so you shouldn’t be afraid for the condition of your computer.