How to Add Useful Shortcuts, Files and Folders in My Computer Window Using Hidden Network Shortcuts Trick
In almost all Windows versions, “My Computer” window usually shows hard disk drives, optical drives and sometimes a few default shortcuts like Network Connections, Control Panel, etc.
We have posted a detailed tutorial in past which allows you to add your desired shortcuts in My Computer window:
How to Add Recycle Bin, Run, Search and Many Other Useful Shortcuts in My Computer?
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The above mentioned tutorial involves registry editing.
Today we are going to share a very small and easy trick which can be used to add any desired shortcut, file or folder in My Computer window.
Following is a preview of the output which you’ll get after following this tutorial:
As you can see in above screenshot, there are lots of new shortcuts showing in My Computer window.
So without wasting time, lets start the tutorial:
1. Type following string in RUN or start menu search box and press Enter:
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%AppData%\Microsoft\Windows\Network Shortcuts
It’ll open “Network Shortcuts” folder.
You can also directly open the same folder by typing Network Shortcuts in Explorer addressbar and press Enter. Thanks to our reader “Joshua Smith” for this alternative method.
2. Now what you have to do is simply create shortcut to the desired folder and paste it in this “Network Shortcuts” folder.
You can also paste file shortcuts or simply move the original file in this folder.
If you want, you can create Control Panel items shortcuts and move them from Desktop to this folder.
3. That’s it. As soon as you copy a shortcut to “Network Shortcuts” folder, it’ll start showing in My Computer window.
Simple trick. Isn’t it?
You can also right-click and select New > Shortcut and enter the location mentioned in the article!..:)
how to Add Network Shortcuts in windows XP ??
If you use symbolic links, they are also shown in the left pane under “Computer”.
It is also possible to specify UNC-Paths in the destination of the symbolic link.
Use mklink.
Example:
create a new folder e.g. d:\Test Folder
open command prompt
c:
cd\”%AppData%\Microsoft\Windows\Network Shortcuts”
mklink /d “Symbolic Test Link” “D:\Test Folder”
or
mklink /d “Network Folder” “\\Server\Share\Folder”
For people who can’t get this to work in XP (like me), here is a different way of getting folders into the “My Computer” window. It assumes you have already used the Network Setup wizard, in which you named your computer “FRED” (for example) and chose the default workgroup name MSHOME.
In Explorer:
1) Right click on the name of the target folder in Explorer and select “Properties” then “Sharing”
2) Click the “Share this folder” radio button. Ignore the “Name” and “Comment” boxes: just click OK.
In “My Network Places” (if you don’t have the icon just type My Network Places in the Explorer address bar):
– Click “Add Network Place” and a wizard comes up. Click “Next”.
– Select “Choose another network location” (probably the only choice). Click “Next” then select “Browse”
– In the window that pops up, drill down through Entire Network -> Microsoft Windows Network -> MSHOME -> FRED (or whatever you named your workgroup and computer)
– You will now see the folder you shared. Select it and click OK
– Click “Next”, “Next”, then “Finish” (keep ignoring the name boxes). The wizard goes away.
Back in the “My Network Places” window:
1) Drill down as before: Entire Network -> Microsoft Windows Network -> MSHOME -> FRED (or whatever)
2) Right click on the folder you shared and choose “Map Network Drive…”
3) Choose a drive letter from the drop down box and click finish
Back in Explorer
Open “My Computer” and you will now see the folder as a network drive. Rename it to whatever you want.
The total disk capacity is shown rather than the space used by the folder but there’s nothing you can do about that (nor do you really want to).
Just a correction of the above. I’ve actually done more steps than were needed. You can skip the “Add Network Place” wizard and go straight to the “Back in the “My Network Places” window” step. 🙂
Hi there,
I have made a shortcut to my FTP server in WIndows 8 like this. I now want to access that location in Winamp, adding the music folders to the Winamp library. When i go to select the location in Winamp, it lets me browse using the smaller “tree view” browsing window, but under Computer the network shortcuts aren’t displayed.
Is there a way to make the network shortcuts display in the smaller tree style browsing window?
Winamp will play files from the network location, i just can’t select the location for Winamp’s media library.
^^ Sorry no idea about Winamp. You can also try following method:
https://www.askvg.com/how-to-add-recycle-bin-run-search-and-many-other-useful-shortcuts-in-my-computer/
@ Manfred
Thanks for the trick with symlinks! Works like a charm!