When you download an app on Android or Windows, you get an option, or it automatically creates a shortcut on the home screen or the desktop. On Mac too creating a folder or app shortcut is extremely easy. It hardly requires four clicks. We first make an alias and then move it to the desired location.
You can add shortcuts for folders and apps to the desktop or Dock of your Mac. The first method below is the one I prefer. The second method is also quick, but it at times copies the folder instead of making the shortcut. Anyways, here are two easy ways to create desktop shortcuts on Mac running macOS Big Sur or Catalina.
Bringing Facebook® to your desktop, one notification at a time.
Add To Facebook plugin adds a footer link to add the current post or page to a Facebook Mini-Feed. While the plugin is activated a link will appear after the content of the post with the text. Add a Facebook shortcut by right-clicking the desktop, selecting 'New' and then choosing 'Shortcut.' Typing 'Facebook' in the field provided pulls up the full Facebook URL as a drop-down suggestion. One way to do this is as follows. First, browse to the Facebook page you want to create a shortcut to. Highlight the entire entry in your browsers address bar, then right click and select Copy. Go to your Desktop, right click an empty area, move the cusor over 'New' and then select 'Shortcut'. Desktop and laptops users can access their Facebook messages without the rest of Facebook at Messenger.com, and Mac users can opt for a standalone app. Matt Elliott April 9, 2015 2:54 p.m.
How to Create Desktop Shortcuts on Mac
Step #1. Decide which folder's or app's desktop shortcut you want to create. Find where the folder is located. If you cannot find it, see the end for instructions.
Step #2.Right-click on the folder or app name and click on Make Alias.
Step #3. You will see that a shortcut is immediately created for that folder or app. Press enter key. It has the word alias at the end of the name.
Step #4. Drag this shortcut to your desktop or Dock. You may also copy the shortcut and paste it on the desktop.
This is it!
You have successfully created the desktop shortcut for a folder or app. Now you may quickly use this to open that folder, or launch the app. You may repeat this with as many folders and apps you like.
If you wish, you may select the shortcut, press the enter key, and rename it to remove the word ‘alias.'
Finally, if you wish to see the original folder, right-click on the shortcut icon and click on Show Original.
Note 1: Even if you move the original folder to some other location, the shortcut you created still works. Beautiful! Isn't it.
Note 2: You may use this method to create shortcuts even for files like image, document, zip, music, movie, etc.
Not able to Find the Folder Location?
Finding applications is clear. You click on Finder → Applications, and there you have all your applications. Knowing the location of the Folders you create is also straightforward.
But for some folders, especially system folders like Downloads, Documents, etc. it may be a bit tough to know the path. Here are some ways to know it.
#1. From Sidebar: Launch Finder, place your pointer on the folder name in left Sidebar, and then right-click. Finally, click Show in Enclosing Folder. Now follow the above steps.
#2. Using Path Bar: Be inside Finder and click on View from the menu bar. Now click Show Path Bar. A tab will be added to the bottom of the Finder. It has the location/path for the folder you click or select.
#3. Use Spotlight Search: Launch Spotlight Search by clicking the search icon in menu bar or press Command (⌘) + Space Bar. Now type the folder name and then scroll to the bottom of the search result and click on Show all in Finder… Click on the folder and follow the above steps to make its shortcut.
#4. Use Siri: I do not like Siri on Mac, notably older Macs. Anyways, you may ask Siri on Mac to ‘Show Download Folder' (or any folder) and then go to the bottom of the result and click on Show all results in Finder… Now you may follow the above steps. Please note that this does not always work.
Create Desktop Shortcuts on Mac Using Drag and Drop
The above method is swift and simple. It is the one I prefer. However, there is an additional way to create folder and app shortcuts on Mac.
Step #1. Be at the location of the folder or app you want to create the shortcut of.
Install Facebook Icon On Laptop
Step #2. Press and hold Option (⌥) + Command (⌘) key together. Do not leave the hold. Now click on the folder or app and drag it to the desktop.
Note: When you use this method, there are chances that you may unwillingly and unknowingly copy or move the folder instead of making its shortcut. Don't worry. Press Command (⌘) + Z to undo and try again, or use the first method.
Add Folder Shortcuts to Dock on Mac
I recently wrote a post where I explained how to add website shortcuts to Dock on Mac. It is an interesting article. Similarly, you may add shortcuts to your Dock too.
Follow any of the above methods and make the shortcut of the folder or app (you may directly add an app to Dock, but anyway). Now drag that shortcut from Desktop to the rightmost part of Dock (Second left to the Trash icon).
Wrapping up…
These were two easy ways to create shortcut icons on Mac. There is a third method that I know of, which requires Terminal and some command lines. However, it is tricky and beyond the simplicity of the average user. Also, if you change the folder location, the shortcut stops working. So I did not mention this method.
Secondly, on Macs running OS versions before Catalina, you may also click on a Folder or App and then press together Command (⌘) + L. It will instantly make the alias. It works on my old MacBook Pro running macOS Sierra, but on a different MacBook Pro running the latest version of macOS Catalina, this quick method does not seem to work.
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What are your thoughts regarding shortcuts on Mac? Have you used it on Windows? How was the experience there? Share your opinion in the comment section below.
Suraj is a digital marketing expert on the iGB's team. He contributes to the social media section along with tips and tricks for iPhone, Apple Watch. Apart from blogging, he likes to work out as much as he can in his gym and love to listening to retro music.
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UPDATE: iPad users, be sure to read all the way to the bottom of the post, as there is an update regarding access to the full Facebook desktop in the Safari browser.
I can't live without my tablet. First, I used the iPad and then eventually switched to an Android tablet as my primary gadget.
If you are a tablet owner, though, you probably know that apps like Twitter and Facebook treat your tablet as a mobile device by default. Instead of showing you the desktop version of a site, they automatically switch over to the mobile view of the website.
Personally, I hate the stripped-down, ad-heavy versions of the Facebook and Twitter apps, so I browse them using the native Facebook desktop view or Twitter desktop view in Safari or Chrome. The challenge, though, is finding a way to get Twitter and Facebook to ignore the fact that I'm on my tablet and serve up the Facebook desktop view.
Facebook Icon On Desktop Screen
Identifying How To Get The Facebook Desktop View On Your Tablet
It took me an hour of finding workarounds for Twitter and I document the process of switching to the Twitter desktop view (not the mobile view) of Twitter in this blog post.
Facebook can be just as infuriating, too, so I set out to find a way to view the full version of the Facebook web pages on mobile.
Facebook doesn't make it easy for you to switch from desktop to mobile view on your mobile device, tablet, or ipad.
Most apps have a 'Switch To Desktop View' link in their footer navigation, but Facebook mobile site doesn't include one.
Pitch correction plugin for audacity. And to be honest, it takes a small miracle to even see the footer navigation on the mobile version of the Facebook site because the minute you scroll below the fold, the site makes an AJAX call to add more posts to your timeline (because it thinks you're browsing back in time) and it loads more posts.
Facebook can make it painful to view the desktop version on your tablet. Here are the steps to do it, though. Click To TweetThe effect is that the Facebook footer navigation on their mobile site gets pushed down even further. So…if the mobile footer even had a 'switch to Facebook desktop view' or a'Facebook desktop' link you would likely never get to the point where you could see it, let alone click it.
So in an effort to not duplicate solutions created by others, I consulted Google and conducted searches like the following to find how to get the desktop version of Facebook on my mobile device:
/add-anyone-to-facebook-messenger-4156519_color-28cec69ffdb949c4a05ba0df092e258a.png "Desktop")
tablet switch facebook mobile – Nope. No easy fix.
facebook not mobile version – A couple of technical articles, but no simple solution.
facebook for desktop – Nothing useful.
facebook.com on tablet or mobile device – Nope.
force facebook desktop – Again, no articles that solved it issue. Foxit pdf trial.
desktop facebook on tablet – AhHah!! Something helpful!
In this post on the ASUS Transformer forums, one user indicates that the standard browser on the ASUS tablet has a checkbox that stops the browser from requesting mobile sites and allows you to browse the web in desktop mode, instead of mobile mode.
Brilliant!
To confirm, I checked the settings on my ASUS tablet and, sure enough, there it is. Mine was unchecked by default.
Make your Android tablet browse Facebook using the desktop view, not the mobile view
Another note, if you don't use the standard ASUS browser, I also checked that the Firefox mobile browser and the Chrome browser have settings to Request a desktop site.
Important Tip – Once Facebook opens in your browser, be sure that the URL for the site is https://facebook.com and not https://m.facebook.com. Facebook can get a little sneaky and redirect you to the mobile version of their site, even if you request the desktop site. No worries, though, just adjust the URL and the rest of your session will be on the standard Facebook desktop site.
In those browsers, just load up Facebook.com in your mobile browser and then choose the dropdown menu and check 'Request Desktop Site' in either of these browsers. When this checkbox is ticked, the browser will send metadata that it is a desktop version of the browser and Facebook will respond by showing the Facebook desktop website, rather than the mobile version of the site.
Can iPad Users View The Desktop Version Of Facebook?
Is there a way to force Facebook to display the desktop site on an iPad instead of the mobile site in Safari?
The answer is YES. both Safari and Chrome for iOS include the optional setting to request the desktop version of the Facebook.com site. So, using the same steps, Safari and Chrome users on the iPad or iPhone can use this link to switch to the desktop site.
iPad and iPhone users can also request the desktop version of a site from within Safari
I hope these tips help!
If you have a better way or if you're running into issues, be sure to post a comment below and I'll do my best to help out!
Cheers!
–Sean
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