I am using Windows 8 at the moment and I was wondering if there is a way to make a shortcut to a Modern UI (formerly known as Metro UI) application on my desktop.
6 Answers
As far as I know, there's no built-in way to do this. For the apps that come with Windows 8, you can use MetroApp Link; official website (in Italian) here. It doesn't currently support apps downloaded through the Store, though.
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All Modern UI apps have a URL protocol associated with them which can be used to launch the app.
You can find find the protocol for a specific app like this:
- Press Windows+R
- Type
regedit
- Navigate to
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Extensions\ContractId\Windows.Protocol\PackageId
- Find the subkey for your app (eg,
AMZNMobileLLC.KindleforWindows8_1.1.0.0_neutral__stfe6vwa9jnbp
) - Within that subkey, go to
ActivatableClassId_some long name_\CustomProperties
- The
Name
value will tell you the protocol name.
You can then make a shortcut to name://
. (eg, kindle://
)
Getting an icon is a little harder.
In the subkey directly under ActivatableClassId
, you'll find a value named Icon
, in the format @{AppIdentifier?ms-resource://AppName/Files/path/to/icon.png}
.
You'll find a PNG icon in C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\AppIdentifier\path/to/icon.png
.
However, you'll need to convert this PNG to an ICO file to use in a shortcut.
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4If people are interested, I can write a desktop app that will create shortcuts to arbitrary Modern UI apps, automating these steps. I'll do that if this answer gets 15 votes.– SLaksOct 31, 2012 at 20:32
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2@SLaks you have my vote and I'll really love to see that desktop app. :)– avirkNov 6, 2012 at 12:21
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1Amazing answer. I know that this is old, but did you ever maked that desktop app? Apr 23, 2013 at 14:30
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2This answer is not correct, the only packages listed are ones that have registered URI handlers. A lot of apps have URI handlers registered but not all– EionRobbFeb 23, 2014 at 20:19
- Right click on your Desktop and select
new->shortcut
. - When the dialog window opens enter
%windir%\explorer.exe shell:::{4234d49b-0245-4df3-b780-3893943456e1}
and name your application appropriately. - Click on the icon your created and launch the
Applications
window. - Select the Metro application to use.
Ref: http://forums.mydigitallife.info/threads/32777-Launch-Metro-Apps-Directly-from-Desktop
I have found out a solution myself and want to make the answer here to be complete. It's done by a piece of codes of C# and PowerShell by Tome Tanasovski posted at http://poshcode.org/3740 .
You don't have to understand the codes well to have it worked. The good thing is that I don't need to download some 3rd exe and it's programmable so that I can open up the calculator and PDF viewer with just a single hot key.
Open up PowerShell command box, and simply paste all codes copied from the link above.
Run
Get-metroApp
A list of AppUserModelId of some guessable app name is listed. E.g., I'm looking for Calculator. The AppUserModelId is "Microsoft.WindowsCalculator_8wekyb3d8bbwe!App". In the PowerShell command box, run
start-metroApp Microsoft.WindowsCalculator_8wekyb3d8bbwe!App
Of course you won't like to invoke Calculator again like this. You can save the commands (not all of them, e.g., the part of function get-metroApp is not needed) to a .ps1 . A shortcut to this .ps1 can then be created to execute it. Finally, placing this shortcut to the start menu folder allows you to assign a hot-key for your app.
Go here: (It's a clear and simple solution for any "modern" app you want to create a shortcut for - I used my shortcut to put in the startup folder so the app opens when i log on. http://winaero.com/blog/exclusive-how-to-start-a-modern-app-from-desktop-without-going-to-the-metro-start-screen/#comment-5450
You can launch them via PowerShell. For example,
powershell.exe Start-MetroApp Microsoft.BingNews_8wekyb3d8bbwe!AppexNews
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