Windows 10: - Unable to create shortcut - Explorer Windows 10 Shortcut to the internet

Hello.Summary: Creating shortcut to the internet in a folder fails intermittently. Context: I've been in the habit of creating shortcuts to the internet in a folder for ... over 20 years ?, I guess. Recently, I'm having problems to do so. My computer is a new HP laptop. Windows 10 Pro 21H2- OS build 19044.1826 up to date. Procedure followed: To create a shortcut to the internet in a folder I proceed as follows: Alt+Home->W New->Shortcut Then opens a window called "Create shortcut", and I enter the location of the item, then I enter a name for this shortcut, and finally I valida

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Unable To Create Shortcut (internet link) in Explorer

I've been having issues creating internet URL shortcuts in folders in Windows Explorer lately. This is in an office domain environment, and the folders are stored on a Windows Server 2012 R2 box. My workstation is Win10 1909 Build 18363.592.

I routinely create links in ShareFile that point to project folders there, and store that link as a Shortcut in the corresponding project file on our server. I do this by creating the SF link, copying to clipboard, then right-click in Windows Explorer > New > Shortcut > paste URL and give it a name. Then it pops up with this message:





I hit OK then I see this message, along with the shortcut file with a different icon. I have no idea why it thinks it already exists.





When I right-click and go to Properties of the resulting file, it says it's a "New Internet Shortcut" .url file, but there is no target listed, and double-clicking the file results in a message about "The target "" of this internet shortcut is not valid".

If I delete the shortcut, and go through the same process again, usually it will create the proper shortcut (with a Firefox-style icon) the second time, with the proper URL target. Although sometimes it takes 2 or 3 attempts to get it to "take". And once it does, double-clicking the shortcut opens Firefox (my default browser) and goes straight to the URL link. What's going on here?





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Well I have no idea why this was put in Networking and Sharing. I'm trying to create a shortcut in Windows Explorer. I don't see how this relates to Networking. It must be some Windows issue and I'm trying to understand why or what is causing it.

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So it doesn't matter what URL the shortcut points to. The first time I try to create the shortcut in any given folder, it fails as shown above in the screen shots. Then after deleting, I create it again and it will work the 2nd time around, although sometimes it takes 3 tries to make it work.

 

Windows 10 commands/shortcuts/env. var.

Keyboard shortcuts to open programs:

Create a shortcut on the desktop to whatever program you want. Right click -> Properties and fill in the field there. Sadly the shortcut needs to remain on the desktop, but you can hide it.

Fun fact: If you had keyboard shortcuts for programs pinned to your Windows 7 start menu, those shortcuts still work when you update to Windows 10.

 

Windows Shortcut Arrow Editor

And here's how to Remove "Shortcut" Text From New Shortcuts

Open up regedit, and then browse down to the following registry key:


HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer

On the right-hand side you’ll find a key that is just called “link”, with a default value of 1e 00 00 00. Open this key up and change the 1e to 00 instead, leaving you with 00 00 00 00.

You’ll have to log off and then back on to make this change take effect. Please note that this won’t affect existing shortcuts, only shortcuts that you create from now on.