Create a Shortcut on your Desktop

Sometimes it is beneficial to create a shortcut on your desktop so that you can easily access certain files or folders or programs. 

This is very useful in a situation where you have access to a folder that is beneath other folders to which you don't have access.  You can't browse through to get to your desired location but you can create a shortcut that will take you directly there.  An example of when you might need to do this is if you have access to a certain contracts folders in Finance but you don't have access to any of the folders above it.

Here's how to create a desktop shortcut:

Access your desktop by pressing the windows key and the letter D.

Right click on an empty space on the desktop, hover over "New" and then click on the option for "Shortcut"

Enter the path to the place/thing you'd like to easily access. and then click "Next".

Note:  If you're creating this shortcut to your own things, you can also browse to find the path.  But if you're in the situation mentioned above when we talked about the contracts folder example, you'll need to type (or copy/paste) the path directly into the field.

Type a name for the shortcut that makes sense to you and then click "Finish"

That's it.  Now, the shortcut should appear on your desktop and be available to you anytime you are logged into a computer.