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I want to click an icon in Windows Explorer and have it open a specific web page with the default browser. How is this done?

I don't want to download the web page, I just want to access it via a shortcut in the file manager. My google searches haven't turned up anything.

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  • Create a shortcut to the url, then change the icon for the shortcut, you drag and drop from the url field to create the shorcut.
    – Ramhound
    Nov 5, 2015 at 15:28

8 Answers 8

Reset to default
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  1. Right click on the folder.
  2. New Shortcut.
  3. Insert the URL in the dialog, Next.
  4. Put a meaningful name.

Double click the shortcut to test it.

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  • 4
    Is there a file format which will link to a web page and work on Windows, macOS and Linux?
    – Royi
    Jul 20, 2018 at 20:22
  • 1
    @NathanielM.Beaver, I actually found a different method as in - superuser.com/a/1404213/95468.
    – Royi
    Feb 10, 2019 at 18:48
  • this answer does not allow pasting strings longer than 259 characters. Windows 10 20H2 Geoff Kendall's answer below skips the shortcut creation UI and doesn't suffer this limitation
    – G-.
    Feb 10, 2021 at 14:48
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Personally I found this answer best. Just create a file, myLink.html with the following content: 

<html>
   <body>
      <script type="text/javascript">
    window.location.href = "http://stackoverflow.com"; //change this to the URL
                                                       //you want to redirect to
      </script>
   </body>
</html>
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  • 1
    this solution can even be send as a file to another PC, which I used to provide a file-link to my portfolio in an application.
    – Julian
    Jul 3, 2019 at 8:38
  • 1
    Also, this works cross-platform and even for files shared through cloud services (like nextcloud).
    – Thawn
    May 16, 2021 at 9:20
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This is actually much easier than you might think! If you are on the web page you want to save a link for, just click and hold on the small 'padlock' icon (which you see just to the left of the address, in the address bar). Drag the padlock over into an open Windows Explorer window/folder (or over its icon, as you please) and let go. Drag and drop, job done :-)

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  • The best answer!
    – yuk
    Jun 9, 2020 at 0:59
  • this has the benefit of allowing the creation of links with very long URI The answer from @jcbermu does not allow pasting strings longer than 259 characters. Windows 10 20H2
    – G-.
    Feb 10, 2021 at 14:47
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If you want to create the link programatically, save a file with content shown below, replace with actual URL, and name the file <something>.url to let Windows launch your default browser when the file is opened.

[{000214A0-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}]
Prop3=19,11
[InternetShortcut]
IDList=
URL=https://superuser.com/questions/996482/how-do-i-save-a-link-to-a-webpage-as-a-shortcut-in-the-windows-file-manager/996484
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  • Question for better understanding: what is the code in the first line for?
    – Christian Geiselmann
    Nov 3, 2019 at 12:54
  • My guess is that it's a Microsoft assigned GUID representing the shortcut file type.
    – k.c. sham
    Nov 8, 2019 at 20:33
  • All that truly needs to be included is the [InternetShortcut] and URL=... lines, and it will work
    – Scott H
    Apr 12 at 12:55
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In addition to what others have mentioned, you can access your current Favorites in Explorer by navigating to C:\users\%USERNAME%\favorites\ and then copy over any links you may already have bookmarked from there.

EDIT: I should clarify, this is the Internet Explorer Favorites location.

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Right click the link then use save link as at your browser and save. enter image description here

enter image description here

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I was also wondering this same question, and when I found this page, none of these answers was what I was looking for (the first answer was the closest, but still way too tedious), so I decided to search some more. Happy to report I finally found what I believe to be the best option...

It's a Chrome extension called: "Save as Shortcut" (by mythofechelon.co.uk)

HTH!

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The question was about saving a link on a webpage, which i understand to be a clickable link.

"Save as Shortcut" can save the link of the page being displayed, but not a link on the page. One would have to click on the link to have it rendered and then one would be able to save the currently displayed page link.

On Firefox post 57, there is an extension, "lcwmcfpon", that can do that, i.e. save the target of a link as shortcut in the Windows file manager. One uses the windows context menu on the link of interest.

Pre 57, there use to be one called "Deskcut", which could also save the target of a link being displayed on a web page, without having to actually render the page.

So that one does not have to constantly go back to some free desktop area to drag the link to (as chrome assumes to be the only user-friendly option). At this point, i am unaware of an equivalent extension for chrome.

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