Deleted the shortcut or forgot to create one while installing a game? Here’s how you can manually create a desktop shortcut for steam games.
When it comes to PC gaming, Steam is one of the most popular and beloved game distribution platforms. In Steam, you can find almost any PC game, download it in blazing fast speeds and start playing. One of the best things about Steam is that it takes care of everything. You don’t have to micro-manage each and every game. In addition to that, thanks to its huge community, it is pretty easy to connect with friends to share things and play games. Not to mention, the never-ending special offers and occasional Steam sales lets you buy your favorite game at awesome discounts.
When you download and install a game, Steam gives you the option to automatically create desktop and start menu shortcuts. If you don’t select the option, it will not create the shortcut. For example, recently, I wanted to play the Witcher 3 Wild Hunt game. So, I downloaded it via Steam but forgot to check the desktop shortcut option. Due to that Steam did not create the desktop shortcut. With no shortcut, I’m forced to open the Steam application to launch the game. Though not a big deal, for the most part, it’s just a couple more extra unnecessary clicks.
The good thing is, if you forgot to create the shortcut or just deleted it accidentally, you can manually create a desktop shortcut for any Steam game. Let me show you how.
Steps to Create Steam Games Desktop Shortcut
Unlike the normal shortcuts, you need to use the Steam URI with a specific game ID while creating the Steam game desktop shortcut. In case you don’t know, Steam automatically gives a unique ID for each and every game that is installed via Steam. Creating the desktop shortcut with Steam URI makes it sure that the game launches via Steam and not directly. Though sounds complicated, it is pretty easy to do. Just follow the steps as is and you will be done in no time.
1. First, if it is not already opened, open Steam by searching for it in the start menu. After opening it, go to the “Library → Home” option.
2. On the left panel, you will see all your games. Right-click on the game of your choice and select the “Manage → Add desktop shortcut” option.
As soon as you do that, the desktop shortcut will be added to the start menu.
(Optional) Add shortcut to start menu
If you want to, you can add the same shortcut to the start menu too. All you have to do is copy it to the Steam folder in the start menu. Just follow the steps below.
1. Open the Run dialog box by pressing Win + R. In the blank field, type the following path and press Enter.
%appdata%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Steam
2. Now, copy the shortcut you just created and paste it in the directory. If you want to, you can also drag and drop.
Once the shortcut has been added to the Start menu folder, you can search for it in the start menu. Just give it a couple of minutes so that Windows can index the newly added shortcut. If needed, you can enable enhanced search so that search feature can index your full hard drive.
That is it. If you like this article, do check out how to limit steam download speed. If you are stuck or need some help, comment below and I will try to help as much as possible.
