Possibly stored on a USB drive or network location that isn’t available at startup. Move the original app to your local drive.
To add a new app icon to your desktop, the process varies slightly depending on your operating system. For modern Windows and macOS systems, dragging and dropping from the app list is the fastest method Windows 11 & 10
Type shell:AppsFolder and press . A special folder containing all your installed apps will open. Locate your Microsoft Store app. Right-click the app and choose Create shortcut . how to put app icon on desktop new
Use the shell:AppsFolder method (Method 4) or the “Pin to Start” workaround (Method 3).
| Issue | Probable Cause | Fix | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Dragging an app from Start does nothing | Windows Store app or UWP limitation | Hold Alt while dragging, or use shell:AppsFolder method | | Shortcut has an arrow overlay (Windows) | Normal shortcut indicator—not a problem | No fix needed; arrow cannot be removed without third-party tools | | Shortcut opens the wrong program | Target path is incorrect or has been changed | Delete the shortcut and recreate it | | Chromebook says “Cannot place icon on desktop” | ChromeOS does not support desktop icons | Pin the app to the Shelf instead | | Desktop icons keep rearranging | Desktop auto-arrange is enabled | Right-click desktop → View → Uncheck “Auto arrange icons” (Windows) | | Alias on Mac doesn’t work | Original app may have been moved or deleted | Recreate the alias from the Applications folder | Possibly stored on a USB drive or network
Click on the "All apps" button in the top right of the menu.
Right-click an empty space on your desktop, hover over View , and ensure Show desktop icons is checked. For modern Windows and macOS systems, dragging and
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