Do you do a lot of searching in Windows Explorer? You can make it quicker and easier for yourself with a custom shortcut on your Desktop. We’ll show you how to create a shortcut that opens Windows Explorer ready for you to begin a search.

Right-click in any empty space on the Desktop and select New | Shortcut from the popup menu.

01_clicking_new_shortcut

On the Create Shortcut dialog box, enter the following in the Type the location of the item edit box.

%windir%\explorer.exe search-ms:

Click Next.

02_entering_shortcut

Enter a name for the shortcut, such as Search, in the Type a name for this shortcut edit box. Click Finish.

03_entering_name_for_shortcut

The shortcut is created where you originally selected New | Shortcut. You can move it to where you want it on the Desktop.

04_search_shortcut_on_desktop

Simply double-click the shortcut to open a Windows Explorer window ready for your search term, as shown at the beginning of this article. You can also right-click on the shortcut and pin it to the Taskbar or pin it to the Start screen.