Can't Drag Icons to Dekstop (win10)?

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  1. Posts : 3
    Windows 10
       #1

    Can't Drag Icons to Dekstop (win10)?


    I've just got a new laptop with Windows 10. I've managed to add some icons to the desktop (during installation), but I want to add more for quick use. I'm trying to add Windows Media Player (example). I open start, find WMP, click and hold, and drag onto desktop. However, there's an error sign and it will not transfer the icon to the desktop.
    Can't Drag Icons to Dekstop (win10)?-wmm.jpg
    Image shows what I'm talking about. There's an error symbol and I cannot add WMP to my desktop at all. I had the same issue with my Gimp icon, but that added itself to my desktop when I downloaded a newer version. It also will not let me add MS Word to my desktop either, by dragging from the start menu. There's also no right-click option to "create desktop shortcut" like there was in previous Windows versions either. I've even tried pinning WMP to the start menu (in old versions this added it to a list near the top but pinning it doesn't seam to put it anywhere on the start bar at all?)

    Can someone please tell me how to do it? It's really frustrating not being able to do simple things like this. All guides I've read say to click and drag and it doesn't work for me. Any solutions?
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 3
    Windows 10
    Thread Starter
       #2

    caperjack said:
    hello and welcome to tenfourms ... quick fix that I think will work for all apps..

    go to start ,all apps ,right click on Internet explores icon and choose more then go to file location , you can then drag and drop it to the desktop from there,, this will not work for all apps ,it will work for media player and IE ,

    Hi. I'm in All Apps section and there is no IE icon. It goes right from G to M on the alphabetised list of all my apps. WMP is also not listed on there either. (Also, why would WMP be in IE folder? I'm not trying to find Internet Explorer. I'm trying to find Media Player and add a desktop icon for it).
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 5,702
    insider build 10586.3 win10 pro 64
       #3

    sorry I will reread you post a little closer
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  4. Posts : 3
    Windows 10
    Thread Starter
       #4

    UPDATE: WMP is located in "Windows Accessories" folder of All Apps section. You can click and drag that one to the desktop to make a shortcut icon.

    Apparently (from what I can tell), you can ONLY pin and drag apps / programs from their actual folders in Start. You can't use the search option to find them and drag them.

    Eg; I searched WMM because I couldn't find the location. Search brought it up, and can open it, but you can't drag it from the results to Desktop. There's also no option to view file location and pin to start doesn't work from it being a search result either. Which is absolutely ridiculous since previous versions of windows could do this fine. No idea why this is an issue (or feature has been removed) making it harder to find things and customise where they are.

    TL;DR - you have to manually search through folders in start to find the thing you want to add to desktop - you can't use the search function (for some reason) :/
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  5. Posts : 27,162
    Win11 Pro, Win10 Pro N, Win10 Home, Windows 8.1 Pro, Ubuntu
       #5

    Go to C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs (copy paste address in file explorer) find the shortcut for WMP, right click it, go to send to, send to desktop(creates another shortcut there)
    Can't Drag Icons to Dekstop (win10)?-image-001.png
      My Computers


  6. Posts : 5,702
    insider build 10586.3 win10 pro 64
       #6

    this will also work for a lot of apps ,and other people are posting now you will likely get even better solutions
      My Computer


  7. Posts : 5,452
    windows 10 Pro ver 21H2 build 19044.1348
       #7

    Zethian,
    I know you have marked this thread Solved.
    However, I don't think you really got it all right.

    You do not "drag/drop" item from Start Menu to desktop.
    If you want a shortcut at your desktop, please use this method:
    Let's use WMP as example.
    Go to All apps > locate WMP > right click at it > click More > click Open File location > right click at Windows Media Player > click Send To > click Desktop (create shortcut).
    That applies to almost all the apps listed under All apps.
      My Computer


  8. Posts : 5,702
    insider build 10586.3 win10 pro 64
       #8

    and just a side note , win now has no dvd media player ,I use VLC player for that .

    also you might want to try Microsoft new media player app called Groove Music ,I use it on my laptop, its ok
      My Computer


  9. Posts : 5,452
    windows 10 Pro ver 21H2 build 19044.1348
       #9

    caperjack said:
    my windows media player icon in start is under the W section, but it should have been

    edit :I must have moved it out of windows accessories ,
    Mine is also under W, not under Windows Accessories.
    No, I did not move it out of Accessories.
      My Computer


  10. Posts : 134,237
    Windows 11 Pro (x64) 23H2 Build 22631.3296
       #10

    davidhk said:
    Mine is also under W, not under Windows Accessories.
    No, I did not move it out of Accessories.
    Strange as mine IS in Windows Accessories, and I have not touched it since Clean Install.....also I don't even use it hardly at all :)
      My Computers


 

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