Member Avatar for cozzy

Hi

A year ago i tried to figure out how to do the 'simple' task of popping a shortcut to any website or web page onto the desktop and still haven't found the solution! In IE it's easy, right click and choose send shortcut to desktop, there, you're done, and there's the web link sitting on your desktop for later and easy use. I'm on windows vista home premium, and the latest firefox browser which has just come out (feb 2010).

I have found a way to do it, but it's daft because i've got to firstly save the website or page into 'bookmarks', then copy the url from the bookmarks folder, then open a word doc and then paste the url into it alongside the other ones i've done. I could cope with this if each 'save' didn't bring with it other icons and files along with each web link i'd saved. It's just all cluttered up and if i delete any of the extra clutter then the link(s) won't work anymore!

If i'm on a webpage and i choose 'send link', then it opens my email and thinks i want to send it to someone by email. If i choose 'save page as', then i've got to paste the link (along with the baggage that comes with it, into a document). These are the only other 2 options available.

With IE, 2 clicks and you're done! I find it a handy thing to do, especially when doing research and haven't got time to look through properly and like to quickly drop a link to that site onto the desktop and bang em right in the middle of the screen to remind me to revisit the site(s) when i have more time. If i bang em straight into 'bookmarks' and leave it at that, that's silly, because that becomes cluttered with info and sites that should not even be there! and have to then write them down on a pad of paper so i can find them again via bookmarks.. Plus, if it was a site that i'd intended to read through properly later, then it would probably be forgotten about if i relied JUST on the puter. Yes i could just bring up IE browser if i wanted to do a shortcut to desktop each time, but thats silly too, coz i use firefox for many different reasons. It must be easy? Does anyone out there know the answer? I feel so stupid

Edited by cozzy because: n/a
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Good catch by — the small page/fav icon is the quick way to make a lightweight Windows Internet Shortcut (.url). A couple of clarifying points and alternatives not covered in the thread:

Dragging vs saving: “Save page as…” writes an HTML file plus a companion folder of images/scripts (that’s the clutter described). The desktop shortcut created from the address‑bar icon is just a pointer to the URL and won’t produce extra files. Those .url shortcuts open in the system default browser.

Why the bookmarks drag sometimes fails: the Bookmarks Toolbar must be visible and the drop target must be the toolbar itself (not a dropdown list). In older Firefox: View → Toolbars → Bookmarks Toolbar to show it. Drag the small icon (the favicon) at the left of the address bar — not the URL text — and drop onto the toolbar. The “no entry” cursor usually means the toolbar wasn’t shown or the drop area was the wrong element.

Other reliable methods:

  • Right‑click the desktop → New → Shortcut and paste the page address; this creates a simple web shortcut.
  • To force a page to always open in Firefox even if that browser is not the system default, make a shortcut that calls Firefox with the URL as an argument. Example target (adjust path for 64‑bit installs):
"C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe" "http://example.com"

Quick organisation tips: keep a single “ToRead” folder on the desktop for temporary shortcuts, or use the Bookmarks Toolbar for short‑term items (as suggested). Deleting a saved page’s companion folder will break that saved page; deleting a .url shortcut is safe. ’s link points to a Vista tutorial that covers these UI steps in more detail.

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Member Avatar for Bob_180_Bob

Hi,
Have a look here:-

commented: Quick solution to my embarrasing problem +6
Member Avatar for cozzy

Thanks, lol

It's that easy! Just simply click and drag that little icon thingy (at start of the web address) onto the desktop, (the one i've never even noticed existed until just now)! How could anyone ever imagine to just happen to know that?

There really ought to be a 'send to' option in the 'file menu' with vista, or at least via a right click. That is very handy now that i know how it's done, coz i like to use that a lot (before book marking them or sending em to recycle bin)

Thanks again

Member Avatar for caperjack

why put it on the desktop. in Firefox .right click on the very top,make sure bookmark toolbar is check off ,now drag that address bar icon to the bookmark toolbar ,use it from there until you no longer need it ,to delete it just right click on it in the bookmark tool bar and click on delete

Member Avatar for cozzy

The bookmark toolbar doesn't seem to have a check box, when i go to it there's just a dropdown box (latest news. getting started, most visited). I've dragged the address to the bookmarks and just gives a no entry sign and won't allow it, so i'm obviously doing something wrong.

But it's fine now i know how to simply drag them onto desktop TY, and thats ideal, just the job, coz theyre in my face the next day to check out. Some end up in recycle bin afterwards, and some then go in the appropriate bookmarks folder. Must admit i woul'd never have figured it out though! I asked a few whiz kids that visit here and they didn't know either. Goodness knows why there's no right-click (send to) option? But TY

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