Windows 7 - Internet Website Shortcut - Create

**Brink**

How to Create a Internet Website Shortcut in Windows 7

Information

This will show you how to create a Internet Website Shortcut to any website that you like.

You can also Pin to Taskbar or Pin to Start Menu this shortcut, or move where you like for easy use.

OPTION ONE

To Drag and Drop to Create a Internet Website Shortcut in IE9

NOTE: You will only be able to Pin to Taskbar or Pin to Start Menu this shortcut by doing this in Internet Explorer 9 (IE9).

1. Open Internet Explorer 9 (IE9), and go to the website that you want to create a shortcut of, then do either step 2 or 3 below for how you would like to create the shortcut.

2. To be able to Pin the Internet Shortcut
A) Drag the favicon in the left side of the address bar in IE9 to your desktop and release to have a shortcut to the website. (see screenshot below)

Note

When you create a shortcut using this option, the shortcut behaves like when you pin a site from IE9, and opens in a new IE9 window. The shortcut's/pinned site is at the center of the experience, not the browser. When a shortcut's/pinned site is launched from the taskbar, the browser frame and navigational controls integrate the site's icon and primary color, providing an experience that's tailored to the site you're viewing.

You can also add additional home page tabs for each site you pin or create a shortcut of like this. That way when you open a site that's pinned you can open several webpages or websites all at once.

B) You can now move the shortcut to where you like for easy use, drag and drop it to the taskbar or Start Menu button, or Pin to Taskbar or Pin to Start Menu this shortcut.

OR

3. To Drag and Drop without a Separate IE9 Window Opening
A) Press and hold shift + left click, drag the favicon in the left side of the address bar in IE9 to your desktop and release to have a shortcut to the website. (see screenshot below)

B) You can now move the shortcut to where you like for easy use. If you drag the shortcut to the taskbar, it will pin it in the Internet Explorer taskbar icon's jumplist.

OPTION TWO

To Right Click on Website to Create a Internet Website Shortcut in IE9

NOTE: This option will allow you to create a website shortcut quickly to your desktop that you will be able to move where you like, but this shortcut will not have the option to Pin to Taskbar or Pin to Start Menu in it's context menu.

1. Open Internet Explorer 9 (IE9), and go to the website that you want to create a shortcut of.

2. Right click on a non clickable area of the webpage, and click on Create shortcut. (see screenshot below)

3. Click on Yes to have the shortcut created on your desktop. (see screenshot below)

4. You can now move the website shortcut to where you like.

OPTION THREE

To Manually Create a Internet Website Shortcut to Open in Any Web Browser

NOTE: This option will allow you to be able to Pin to Taskbar or Pin to Start Menu this shortcut with any browser by just substituting the full path to the browser's EXE file in the shortcut. You can use the Internet Explorer and Firefox examples below for how. You will also be able to change the icon of this shortcut as well.

1. Right click on a empty area on desktop, and click on New and Shortcut. (see screenshot below)

2. Type the location from either step 3A or 3B OR step 4A or 4B below into the location area, and click on the Next button. (see screenshot below)
NOTE: Check to see if you have a 32-bit or 64-bit Windows 7 installed first. You would substitute website address below with the website URL adress that you want instead.

3. To Create a Internet Shortcut to Open in Internet Explorer Inprivate Browsing
NOTE: InPrivate Browsing enables you to surf the web without leaving a trail in Internet Explorer. This helps prevent anyone else who might be using your computer from seeing where you visited and what you looked at on the web.
A) If you have 32-bit Windows 7

Code:

"%ProgramFiles%\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe" -private website address

FOR EXAMPLE:
I would type this below for our website http://www.sevenforums.com/.

Code:

"%ProgramFiles%\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe" -private http://www.sevenforums.com/

B) If you have 64-bit Windows 7
To Have Website Shortcut Open in Default 32-bit Internet Explorer

Code:

"%ProgramFiles(x86)%\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe" -private website address

FOR EXAMPLE:
I would type this below for our website http://www.sevenforums.com/

Code:

"%ProgramFiles(x86)%\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe" -private http://www.sevenforums.com/

To Have Website Shortcut Open in 64-bit Internet Explorer

Code:

"%ProgramFiles%\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe" -private website address

FOR EXAMPLE:
I would type this below for our website http://www.sevenforums.com/

Code:

"%ProgramFiles%\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe" -private http://www.sevenforums.com/

4. To Create a Internet Shortcut to Open in Internet Explorer or FireFox
A) If you have 32-bit Windows 7
"%ProgramFiles%\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe" website address

FOR EXAMPLE:
I would type this below for our website http://www.sevenforums.com/.

Code:

"%ProgramFiles%\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe" http://www.sevenforums.com/

Note
If you wanted to have the website shortcut open in another browser, say Firefox instead as an example, you would use this below instead. You would just subsititute the first part in quotes for the full path of the browser's exe file that you wanted to use instead.
Code:
"%ProgramFiles(x86)%\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe" http://www.sevenforums.com/
B) If you have 64-bit Windows 7
To Have Website Shortcut Open in Default 32-bit Internet Explorer

"%ProgramFiles(x86)%\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe" website address

FOR EXAMPLE:
I would type this below for our website http://www.sevenforums.com/

Code:

"%ProgramFiles(x86)%\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe" http://www.sevenforums.com/

To Have Website Shortcut Open in 64-bit Internet Explorer

"%ProgramFiles%\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe" website address

FOR EXAMPLE:
I would type this below for our website http://www.sevenforums.com/

Code:

"%ProgramFiles%\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe" http://www.sevenforums.com/

Note
If you wanted to have the website shortcut open in Firefox 4.0.1 instead as an example, you would use this below instead. You would just subsititute the first part in quotes for the full path of the browser's exe file that you wanted to use instead.
Code:
"%ProgramFiles(x86)%\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe" http://www.sevenforums.com/
4. Type in the website name (ex: SevenForums), and click on the Finish button. (See screenshot below)
NOTE: You can name this anything you would like.

5. To Change the Icon of the Internet Shortcut
NOTE: This is if you do not want to have the default Internet Explorer icon use for your shortcut. If that icon is ok with you, then you are done and can go to step 5 instead. If you wanted to use the default favicon .ico file used by the website, then these are stored in the hidden C:\Users\User-Name\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet Files protected operating system folder. It is recommended to move and select to use the favicon to a different location to avoid accidentally deleting the favicon when clearing the browser history.
A) Right click on the new internet shortcut on the Desktop and click on Properties.

B) Click on the Shortcut tab, then click on the Change Icon button. (see screenshot below)

C) Click on the Browse button, then navigate to and select the 256x256 pixel ICO file that you want to use as the icon for your internet shortcut and click on Open. (see screenshots below)

D) Click on OK. (see screenshot below)

6. You can now move the shortcut to where you like for easy use, drag and drop it to the taskbar or Start Menu button, or Pin to Taskbar or Pin to Start Menu this shortcut.
NOTE: Just a reminder that if you move or delete the shortcut (target), then the pinned one from this shortcut on the taskbar and/or Start Menu will no longer work since the target has been moved or deleted.

That's it,
Shawn

Related Tutorials

**Brink** · 03-08-2011

Updated to include creating a internet shortcut that will open in Internet Explorer Inprivate Browsing by default.

**mickey megabyte** · 03-08-2011

another (possibly simpler) method is to drag the icon from the navigation bar to your desktop.

Internet Website Shortcut - Create-dragndrop.png

works in ie8, chrome, firefox and probably other browsers too!

*edit* aha - seems like this tip has now been included in main tutorial

**Brink** · 03-08-2011

Hello Mickey,

That would work just as well, but you would not be able to right click on that shortcut to Pin to Taskbar or Pin to Start Menu it like the one in the tutorial. It just depends on your needs though.

UPDATE: You can now Pin with Drag and Drop in IE9 now, but not in IE8 and earlier.

**mickey megabyte** · 03-08-2011

ah - good point shawn - i didn't think of that

**Brink** · 03-08-2011

No problem. If you just wanted one on your desktop, that would be a easy way to do it.

**NoN** · 04-06-2011

Quote: Originally Posted by Brink

Hello Mickey,

That would work just as well, but you would not be able to right click on that shortcut to Pin to Taskbar or Pin to Start Menu it like the one in the tutorial. It just depends on your needs though.

Hi Shawn,

First thanks for this work of yours.

Strange, i followed "mickey megabyte" drag and drop to desktop, to create the shorcut...and i was able to pin either to the taskbar or to the start menu!

Could it be the RTM version of IE9 that does give this ability now?

Well anyway it seems working now.

**whs** · 04-06-2011

I always do it the Mikey way and then I drag the shortcut into my Websites folder of my toolbar. I find that to be the easiest way and I do not have to worry about real estate on the taskbar.

**Brink** · 04-06-2011

@Non:
That's great news. It appears that Microsoft has now made it possible to be able to Pin to Taskbar or Pin to Start Menu a internet shortcut in IE9 with drag and drop. I have updated the tutorial to include this option as well.

In IE8 and earlier, you could drag and drop to the desktop to create a internet shortcut, but you were not able to pin it as is.

@Wolfgang:
I do like your method of putting them in a pinned folder on the taskbar. That's a lot less space being taking up by them when you have more than just a few.

**whs** · 04-06-2011

Yes, I really like the toolbars. With one main folder and a lot of subfolders you can stash away a lot of shortcuts - and they are really very easily accessible and organized by subject. And if one chooses a short name like mine (All), it takes very little real estate - for more than 50 shortcuts in my case.

I tried to popularize the toolbars with a tutorial, but I did not get a lot of takers, which is a bit ashame in view of the clear benefits. On the other hand, people stand on their head to get the Quick Launch back which is really a lot less practical (e.g. no subfolders).

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