What a Chrome shortcut is and why you'd use one

A Chrome shortcut is a quick link to a website that lives on your computer's desktop or in your Windows Start menu, rather than buried in your browser bookmarks. When you click it, Chrome opens directly to that site. This is useful if you visit the same few websites every day — your email, a work portal, your banking site — because you can reach them without opening Chrome first and hunting through your bookmarks.

Chrome can create two types of shortcuts. A desktop shortcut puts an icon on your desktop that opens the website in a new Chrome window. A Start menu shortcut (Windows only) adds the site to your Start menu so you can find it the same way you'd find any other program. Both methods take about 30 seconds and require no special software.

Key Takeaways

  • Right-click the address bar in Chrome, select "Create shortcut", give it a name, and Chrome will place an icon on your desktop that opens that website.
  • You can also create a shortcut by clicking the three-dot menu, going to "More tools" then "Create shortcut", which gives you the option to add it to your Start menu instead.
  • The shortcut opens the website in a new Chrome window each time you click it, not in a tab of an already-open window.
  • You can rename or delete a shortcut the same way you would any desktop icon — right-click it and choose rename or delete.

Creating a desktop shortcut the quick way

The fastest method is to right-click the address bar (the field where the website URL appears) while you're on the page you want to shortcut. A menu will pop up. Look for the option that says "Create shortcut". Click it.

A small dialog box will appear with a text field containing the website's name. You can leave it as-is or type a shorter name if you prefer — for example, you might change "Gmail - Email from Google" to just "Gmail". Once you're happy with the name, click "Create". Chrome will place an icon on your desktop immediately. The next time you restart your computer or refresh your desktop, you'll see the new icon.

If the "Create shortcut" option doesn't appear when you right-click the address bar, you may be using an older version of Chrome. Update Chrome by clicking the three-dot menu in the top right, then "Help" then "About Google Chrome". Chrome will check for updates and install them automatically.

Creating a shortcut from the Chrome menu

If you want more control over where the shortcut goes — for instance, to add it to your Windows Start menu instead of your desktop — use the menu method. Click the three-dot menu in the top right corner of Chrome. Scroll down and hover over "More tools". A submenu will appear. Click "Create shortcut".

The same dialog box will open with the website name. Type a new name if you want one, then look for a checkbox that says "Open as window". Leave this checked if you want the shortcut to open the site in its own Chrome window (the standard behavior). Below that, you'll see another checkbox: "Add to Start menu" (Windows only). Check this box if you want the shortcut to appear in your Windows Start menu in addition to or instead of on your desktop. Then click "Create".

If you're on a Mac, the "Add to Start menu" option won't appear because macOS doesn't have a Start menu. Your shortcut will go to the desktop only, but you can drag it into your Applications folder afterward if you want to organize it differently.

Managing and organizing your shortcuts

Once a shortcut exists on your desktop or in your Start menu, you can treat it like any other icon. Right-click it to rename it, delete it, or move it to a folder. You can also drag it to a new location on your desktop or into a folder you create for organizing shortcuts.

If you want to change what website the shortcut opens, you'll need to delete the old shortcut and create a new one for the different site. Chrome doesn't have a built-in way to edit a shortcut's target after it's created.

What happens when you click a shortcut

When you click a Chrome shortcut, Chrome opens a new window showing that website. If Chrome is already running in the background, it will use that existing Chrome process. If Chrome isn't running, it will launch first. The shortcut does not open the site in a new tab of an already-open Chrome window — it always creates a new window.

This behavior is useful if you want to keep your main browsing separate from a specific site. For example, you might open your work portal in its own window while keeping your personal browsing in another Chrome window, making it easier to switch between them without mixing tabs.

Troubleshooting shortcuts that don't work

If you click a shortcut and nothing happens, the most common cause is that Chrome isn't installed or has been uninstalled since you created the shortcut. Reinstall Chrome from google.com/chrome and the shortcut should work again.

If Chrome opens but the website doesn't load, the problem is usually not the shortcut itself but your internet connection or the website being down. Try opening the same website directly in Chrome to confirm. If it works in Chrome but not through the shortcut, try deleting the shortcut and creating a new one.

On Windows, if a shortcut disappears after you restart your computer, it may have been stored in a temporary location. Create it again using the menu method (three-dot menu → More tools → Create shortcut) and make sure you see it on your desktop before restarting.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I create a shortcut to a specific page within a website, not just the homepage?

Yes. Navigate to the exact page you want — for example, your Gmail inbox or a specific document in Google Drive — then create the shortcut. The shortcut will open that page directly, not the site's homepage. This works as long as the page doesn't require you to log in again.

What's the difference between a Chrome shortcut and a bookmark?

A bookmark is stored inside Chrome and appears in your bookmarks bar or menu. A shortcut is an icon on your desktop or Start menu that opens Chrome to that site. Shortcuts are faster if you use the same few sites constantly, because you don't have to open Chrome first.

Can I create a shortcut on my phone or tablet?

Chrome on Android and iOS doesn't have a built-in shortcut feature like the desktop version. Instead, you can add a website to your home screen: open the site in Chrome, tap the three-dot menu, and select "Add to Home screen". This creates an icon that works similarly to a desktop shortcut.

Will the shortcut still work if the website changes its URL?

No. If a website moves to a new address, the shortcut will try to open the old URL and fail. You'll need to delete the old shortcut and create a new one pointing to the new address. Most major websites keep their URLs stable, so this is rare.

Can I customize the icon that appears on the shortcut?

Chrome automatically uses the website's favicon (the small icon that appears in browser tabs) for the shortcut. You cannot change this icon through Chrome's built-in options, but you can right-click the shortcut, select "Properties", and manually choose a different icon file from your computer if you want to customize it further.