Most common locations for shortcuts on Windows (Start Menu, Desktop, Quick Launch...)

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I'm searching for the most common locations for a user's shortcuts, that are quickly accessible, like the Desktop, Start Menu and Quick Launch. This should work from XP on through to 8.1.

I'm currently looking through the following directories and their subdirectories (if existing):

Desktop:

  • %USERPROFILE%\Desktop
  • %ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Desktop
  • %PUBLIC%\Desktop

Start Menu:

  • %USERPROFILE%\Start Menu
  • %ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Start Menu
  • %APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu
  • %ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu

Quick Launch:

  • %APPDATA%\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch

Did I miss a location? Or do you think that one of these could be broken in an environment where these directories do not point to the default locations, e.g. with roaming profiles?

Hurzelchen

Posted 11 years ago

Reputation: 216

What problem are you trying to solve? – Ramhound – 11 years ago

1Also, the Start menu options you have given are for individual users... not "all users". All users as of Vista is C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu – Kinnectus – 11 years ago

@Ramhound: I'm working with an application in a multi-computer setup which is only installed once on a server. All clients clients have shortcuts to the application directory on the server with the data directory as the working directory. So I'm looking through all shortcuts searching for the executable and reading the working directory. – Hurzelchen – 11 years ago

@BigChris: shouldn't this be equivalent to %ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu? Or is this different on Vista? – Hurzelchen – 11 years ago

But a shortcut can be placed in any location the user wants though. – Ramhound – 11 years ago

My bad. Yes, it is. Ignore my last comment! I assumed it would try to go to "Public"... – Kinnectus – 11 years ago

@Ramhound: That's what I meant by "quickly accessible", would you place the shortcut to an application you use on a daily basis somewhere else than in the start menu or on the desktop? – Hurzelchen – 11 years ago

As I just stumbled on Quick Lauch, im rephrasing the question a bit. – Hurzelchen – 11 years ago

No answers

Asked: 11 years ago

Viewed: 470 times

Active: 11 years ago