The Internet has become an integral part of every computer, and browsers are the main tool for interacting with the World Wide Web. Every active Internet user has his favorite sites, which he visits several times a day. Registering a website address several times every day is a procedure that takes a couple of seconds, but is very annoying. You can add a page of interest to your bookmarks, but there it risks getting lost among dozens of similar sites. There is a much simpler and more convenient way - to place a site shortcut on your desktop, and we will tell you how to do this.
Create a website shortcut on your desktop using a browser
Modern browsers have dozens of features that users are not even aware of. In the browser you can draw, type, play, read books and watch movies. Naturally, browser developers made sure that users could create a shortcut to their favorite site on their desktop, and do it as simply as possible.
Google Chrome
The most common browser is Google Chrome, which works great on computers of any power. Creating a website shortcut from Google Chrome is very simple:
Now, when you double-click on the created shortcut, a browser will open with home page as the selected site.
Opera and Mozilla Firefox
The process of creating a desktop shortcut in Opera browsers And Mozilla Firefox practically no different from how it is done in Google Chrome. The only difference is the designation of the symbol that you need to pull to transfer the shortcut to the desktop. If in the Google Chrome browser a potential shortcut is made in the form of a sheet of paper with a curved edge, then in Opera and Mozilla it resembles a planet.
Create a site shortcut to your desktop using standard Windows features
The Windows operating system provides the ability to create shortcuts on the desktop not only for accessing programs that are often used, but also for websites. The process of creating a website shortcut on your desktop is very simple:
It should be noted that the program in which the created shortcut will open will depend on which browser is assigned as “Default” on the computer. If you think that the site shortcut is opening in the wrong browser, you should change the “Default” web browser.
We remind you that the icon of the created shortcut can simply be changed. To do this, right-click on the shortcut and select “Properties”. In the menu that opens there will be an option to “Change icon”. All that remains is to choose the option you like from the shortcuts offered by the system or set your own. 
How to change the default browser in Windows 10
Change the default browser in the operating room Windows system 10 is quite simple if you know the settings to access. First of all, make sure that the browser that you want to install as the main one is on your computer. Next you need to do simple instructions To change the "Default" browser in Windows 10:
After this, the shortcut that was created above will begin to launch in the selected browser. In addition, all links in text documents and other programs will open in the default browser.
Google Chrome is a fast and free web browser. Before downloading it, make sure your device meets the required system requirements.
Windows instructions
- Download installation file.
- When prompted, click Execute or Save.
- To start it saved installation file , double click on it.
- Launch Chrome.
- Windows 7. When the installation is complete, Chrome window will open automatically.
- Windows 8 and 8.1. In the dialog box that opens, click Further to select your default browser.
- Windows 10 When the installation is complete, a Chrome window will open automatically. Optionally, make Chrome your default browser.
If you can't download Chrome in the usual way, use an alternative installation file:
- On a computer connected to the Internet, download alternative Chrome installation file.
- Transfer the file to the computer where you want to install Chrome.
- Open the file and follow the onscreen instructions.
Has the standard download page opened? Everything is fine - thanks to special tags, we know which file needs to be downloaded.
The downloaded file can be transferred to another computer.
Mac OS Instructions
Linux Instructions
The Chrome browser is installed in the same way as other programs. Make sure you have administrator rights and follow these steps:
- Download installation file.
- Select OK to open the package.
- Click the button Install package.
Chrome will automatically be added to Software Manager and updated as needed.
The advantages of the most popular browser, Google Chrome, are very familiar to those who use it - it is a fast and functional browser. Since switching to Google Chrome, many problems that plagued them when using other browsers have disappeared. In particular, we are talking about difficulties with playing multimedia due to problems with Adobe Flash Player. And the Google Chrome bookmarks and settings synchronization service will allow you to bring the browser into working condition in a matter of seconds when switching to another computer device or a reinstalled operating system. What can we say about the extension store for Google Chrome? There is no equal amount of content for any other browser.
But below we will not talk about well-known ones, but, on the contrary, about one of its functions, which is rarely used by users. trivial reason– it’s pretty well hidden in the browser settings. Based on the Google Chrome interface, any site - information platforms, web services, video hosting, social networks, any other type of Internet resource - can be organized into a separate minimalistic web application, which will be launched using a shortcut on the desktop, in the taskbar, or on the Windows 8/8.1 start screen.
To make a site a separate web application, you must, while on it, call up the Google Chrome menu, select “Additional tools", and then - “Create application shortcuts”; in newer versions of the browser, “Add a site to the desktop” and check the box “ Open in a separate window."
After this, the site will open in a separate web application. The site will have exactly the same interface as in the browser window. The only thing missing will be the usual menus and toolbars. Along with the toolbar, the “Back” and “Forward” buttons will disappear, but they will appear in the context menu (click right button mouse) web applications along with other commands present in Google Chrome.
Windows 8/8.1 users can place a shortcut to the created web application on the system start screen. To do this, you need to use the standard procedure for adding shortcuts to desktop programs. Calling context menu on the desired shortcut and select the pin command on the start screen.
The launch tile of the created web application will be placed on the start Windows screen 8/8.1.
The standalone web application format is a convenient thing for those sites that practically do not require browser tools. Separate web applications can be placed on the desktop media portals, map services, sites focused on photo content, social networks, and some of their games or applications.
How to restore the shortcut to launch Google Chrome on the desktop?
I accidentally deleted the Google Chrome launcher shortcut from my desktop. I can’t launch it without a shortcut due to the absence of a file with the EXE extension in the browser folder. How can I restore this shortcut? The cart has been emptied - this label is not there. Tell.
Elena | 17 August 2016, 13:55
and just take it out of the basket? haven't tried7
Jacob | 7 July 2015, 15:28
There is no icon on the Google Chrome screen connecting the computer to ChromCast on the TV. How to restore it?
Oleg | 15 May 2015, 19:05
Liliya Viktorovna, read what is written here on this page. It won't be more accessible. Everything is written simply and clearly. Unfortunately, if what is written is not clear to you, then the only way out is to invite a specialist or knowledgeable person. Let him read here.
Liliya Viktorovna | 14 May 2015, 17:47
How to restore the Google icon on your desktop that disappeared after working on your grandson’s computer. Answer in an accessible language, since I am not very good at computers yet.
Albert Oslikov | 12 May 2015, 20:35
Everything is done very simply. Open the folder with the browser, select executable file, from the context menu select Copy. Next, right-click on the desktop and select Insert Shortcut from the menu that appears. There are many similar simple ways to restore desktop shortcuts. There should be a file with the extension .exe somewhere.
Nick | 12 May 2015, 14:14
You need to find the Google Chrome executable file through Windows Search. File with EXE extension. And then make a shortcut from it to the Desktop. If the file you are looking for is missing, then you need to repeat the installation of the program again.
What will you learn to do after watching this video?
In this video review you will learn how to create site shortcuts, save pages and bookmarks; learn about the extension for convenient viewing and searching of NetMarks bookmarks.
Video description:
From the previous lesson you already know, This lesson will focus on shortcuts and bookmarks.
While on a website, you can always place a shortcut to it on your desktop. To do this, in the address bar to the left of the site address there is a Site Information icon. Grab this icon with your mouse and drag it to your desktop or any place convenient for you. By launching this shortcut, you can always quickly access your favorite site.
You can also save from the Internet interesting article in order to have access to it even when there is no network connection. So, to save the desired article, click on the Settings icon and click Save Page As. You can use the key combination Ctrl+S. A pop-up window will pop up where you need to specify the path to save the page. Now you can read this article even if you don't have access to the Internet.
You can save interesting pages to bookmarks. On the right side of the address bar there is an asterisk Create a bookmark. First, click the star, and then click the Finish button in the pop-up window. The same procedure can be done using the hot combination Ctrl+D. Bookmarks appear at the top of the window below the address bar. In order to remove a bookmark from the panel, you need to right-click on it and select Delete. You can place bookmarks in folders. To create a folder, right-click on an empty space in the bookmarks bar and select Add Folder. In the window that opens, enter the name of the folder. Now, when saving bookmarks, you can specify a folder to place the bookmark. To move a bookmark from a folder, you need to grab the link with your mouse and drag it to an empty space in the bookmarks bar. You can create a folder in a folder. To do this, open an existing folder, right-click on any link and select the Add folder menu item. Enter a name in the box and click the Save button. To “remove” this folder, simply drag it to the bookmarks bar.
If you have a lot of bookmarks, it will be convenient to use the NetMarks extension. To install it, type “NetMarks google chrome” into the search bar and go to the Chrome online store. On the right top corner Click Install and then Add. After installation, an icon for this extension will appear at the top right. Clicking on the icon opens a convenient interface for searching for the desired bookmarks among many others. In the bookmark search window there is a line where you can enter the name of the bookmark to quickly search for it.
also uses quick bookmarks that appear as thumbnail images of the site page. It also supports another type of bookmarks, namely shortcuts to web applications, which are also displayed on the start page.
Some of these shortcuts, such as or Google Search, are regular bookmarks on web resources, others, such as Gmail Offline or Pocket Website, lead to a special web application page. Unlike quick bookmarks, which use a thumbnail of the site page, each web application shortcut uses a unique logo created by the extension developers.
You've probably already begun to wonder what all this conversation is about and what we actually want to say. Okay, let's face it. Did you know that you can create such shortcuts yourself and use them as bookmarks to your favorite sites? In fact, creating a bookmark shortcut to any site in the web application panel is not difficult; you just need to grab an element with a link with your mouse and drag it to free place web application panel, but hardly anyone will be pleased with the appearance of such a shortcut. For example, this is what the shortcuts to Wikipedia will look like. Not much fun, right?
There is another method in Chrome for creating shortcuts to web applications, and it is not particularly convenient. In this case, the user can choose to create a shortcut with a URL on the Desktop, Start menu, or Taskbar.
We will look at a more interesting way to create shortcuts, especially since this is done very simply. So let's get started. To implement our plan, we will need the site address and an icon in PNG format (with transparency support) measuring 128*128 pixels. You can find a picture on the vast expanses of the Internet or, if you have the appropriate skills, create it yourself.
As an example, we will use a comic image of a skull; of course, it has nothing to do with our site, but now it is not important. Create a folder in any place convenient for you (for example, in the download) with an arbitrary name, and best of all, so that there is no confusion, with the name of the site. Create a text file in this folder manifest.json, then open it in any text editor (it’s best to use Notepad++ for these purposes) and copy this code there:
{
"manifest_version": 2,
"name": "site",
"description": " Short description",
"version": "1.0",
"icons": (
"128": "128.png"
},
"app": (
"urls": [
"http://www.site/"
],
"launch": (
"web_url": "http://www.site/"
}
},
"permissions": [
"unlimitedStorage",
"notifications"
]
}
For those who don't know, json format is a file javascript objects and contains the executable script code. Insert your own title (name) and description (Brief description of the site), the same goes for the URL. We have highlighted the editable code elements in red. You don't need to touch anything else. Copy the prepared image to the folder with the script file. The features of preparing the picture will be discussed below.
Now let's go to the management section (Tools -> Extensions). At the top of the working window, check the “Developer mode” checkbox and click the “Load unpacked extension” button.
If everything is done without errors, another one will appear in the extensions panel, with the specified name, description and icon (the logo should be displayed in the permissions window), otherwise you will receive an error message with a brief description of the reason. A shortcut with a name should also appear in the web application panel.
Helpful Notes
If you looked at the code carefully, you probably noticed that the number 128 is used as the name of the image. This is done purely for convenience - the name matches the resolution of the icon. In principle you can use any name, but then you will have to specify it in the code. Also note that the code uses straight quotes rather than slash quotes. This is important, otherwise you will get a syntax error. And also, before inserting the code, be sure to resave the file in UTF-8 encoding.
To do this, in the extension management section, click the “Package extensions” button, specify the path to the directory with the image and script, add a key file if necessary, which is optional, and package your extension into a single installation file.
The module will be saved in a directory one level higher than the one in which the image and script are located.
Unfortunately, created CRX extensions cannot always be installed in the standard way; Chrome may display an error “swearing” about an incorrect package. In this case, you can use manual installation in developer mode.
How to restore the shortcut to launch Google Chrome on the desktop?
I accidentally deleted the Google Chrome launcher shortcut from my desktop. I can’t launch it without a shortcut due to the absence of a file with the EXE extension in the browser folder. How can I restore this shortcut? The cart has been emptied - this label is not there. Tell.
Elena | 17 August 2016, 13:55
and just take it out of the basket? haven't tried7
Jacob | 7 July 2015, 15:28
On Google screen Chrome there is no icon connecting the computer to ChromCast on the TV How to restore it?
Oleg | 15 May 2015, 19:05
Liliya Viktorovna, read what is written here on this page. It won't be more accessible. Everything is written simply and clearly. Unfortunately, if what is written is not clear to you, then the only way out is to invite a specialist or knowledgeable person. Let him read here.
Liliya Viktorovna| 14 May 2015, 17:47
How to restore the Google icon on your desktop that disappeared after working on your grandson’s computer. Answer in an accessible language, since I am not very good at computers yet.
Albert Oslikov | 12 May 2015, 20:35
Everything is done very simply. Open the folder with the browser, select the executable file, and select Copy from the context menu. Next, right-click on the desktop and select Insert Shortcut from the menu that appears. Similar simple ways Recovering desktop shortcuts is a lot. There should be a file with the extension .exe somewhere.
Nick | 12 May 2015, 14:14
Need to find through Windows Search performing Google file Chrome. File with EXE extension. And then make a shortcut from it to the Desktop. If the file you are looking for is missing, then you need to repeat the installation of the program again.
With the benefits of the most popular Google browser Chrome is very familiar to those who use it - it is a fast and functional browser. Since switching to Google Chrome, many problems that plagued them when using other browsers have disappeared. In particular, we are talking about difficulties with playing multimedia due to problems with Adobe Flash Player. And the bookmark synchronization service and Google settings Chrome will allow you to bring the browser into working condition in a matter of seconds when moving to another computer device or reinstalled operating system. What can we say about the extension store for Google Chrome? There is no equal amount of content for any other browser.
But below we will not talk about well-known ones, but, on the contrary, about one of its functions, which is rarely used by users for a banal reason - it is quite well hidden in the browser settings. Based on the Google Chrome interface, any website - information platforms, web services, video hosting, social media, any other type of Internet resources - can be organized into a separate minimalistic web application, which will be launched using a shortcut on the desktop, in the taskbar or on the Windows 8/8.1 start screen.
To make a site a separate web application, you must, while on it, call up the Google Chrome menu, select “Additional tools”, and then “Create application shortcuts”; in newer versions of the browser, “Add a site to the desktop” and check the “ Open in a separate window."
After this, the site will open in a separate web application. The site will have exactly the same interface as in the browser window. The only thing missing will be the usual menus and toolbars. Along with the toolbar, the Back and Forward buttons will also disappear, but they will appear in the context menu (right-click) of the web application along with other commands present in Google Chrome.
Windows 8/8.1 users can place a shortcut to the created web application on the system start screen. To do this, you need to use the standard procedure for adding shortcuts to desktop programs. Call the context menu on the desired shortcut and select the pin command on the start screen.
The launch tile of the created web application will be placed on the Windows 8/8.1 start screen.
The standalone web application format is a convenient thing for those sites that practically do not require browser tools. Separate web applications can bring media portals, map services, sites focused on photo content, social networks, and some of their games or applications onto the desktop.