Vista Tutorial - Quick Launch

**Brink** · **OPTION ONE:**

How to Use Quick Launch in Vista

Information

This will show you how to turn Quick Launch on or off, add or remove shortcuts, and use the Quick Launch keyboard shortcuts.

NOTE

Quick Launch is used to launch a program quickly from a shortcut on the Taskbar with one click. The Quick Launch folder is located at the hidden system folder (STEP TWO step 2):

C:\Users\(User-Name)\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch

Tip

Quick Launch Keyboard Shortcuts
NOTE: In Vista, the first 10 shortcuts in Quick Launch have their own keyboard shortcut automatically.

1. Press Windows Key + a number between 1 to 0 to open the corresponding shortcut.

RELATED LINKS:

EXAMPLE: Quick Launch on the Taskbar

OPTION ONE:
How to Turn Quick Launch On or Off

1. Right click on the taskbar.

2. Click on Toolbars and Quick Launch. (See screenshot below)
NOTE: Checked = ON, Unchecked = OFF

OPTION TWO:
Fix Quick Launch Shortcut that Does Not Work

NOTE

If the Quick Launch shortcut does not work when you click on it, then delete it and create a new one. The shortcut has lost it's association to the program.

1. Go to the Quick Launch folder location. (See the NOTE at the top of the tutorial)

2. Right click in a empty area and click on New and Shortcut.

3. Browse to the location of the program's .exe file and click on OK.
4. Click on Next.

5. Type in a name for the shortcut and click on Finish.

OPTION THREE:
How to Add or Remove Shortcuts to Quick Launch

METHOD ONE:
1. Open Folder Options.

2. Dot Show hidden files and folders. (See screenshot below)

3. Click on OK.

4. Go to: (See screenshot below)
C:\Users\(your username)\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch

5. To Add a Shortcut -
A) Drag and Drop,or Cut and Paste, the shortcut into the Quick Launch folder.
NOTE: It is best to create the shortcut directly from the program's .EXE file to prevent lost shortcut associations. See the Quick Launch Shortcut Does Not Work section above.

6. To Remove a Shortcut -
A) Right click on the shortcut in the Quick Launch folder and click on Delete.

METHOD TWO:
To Add a Shortcut Icon:
1. Right click on the program you want to add to Quick Launch.

2. Click on Add to Quick Launch. (See screenshot below)
NOTE: You may need to press and hold the Shift key and Right click on the file to see the Add to Quick Launch.
WARNING: If you move or delete the file that you clicked Add to Quick Launch with, then the shortcut in Quick Launch will lose it's association and will not work anymore.

METHOD THREE:
1. To Add a Shortcut Icon -
A) Drag a program's icon or shortcut onto the Quick Launch area of the Taskbar and release. (See screenshot below)
WARNING: If you move or delete the shortcut that you dragged into Quick Launch, then the shortcut in Quick Launch will lose it's association and will not work anymore.

2. To Remove a Shortcut Icon -
A) Right click on the shortcut in Quick Launch and click on Delete.

OPTION FOUR:
Restore Default Quick Launch Shortcuts

1. To restore the Launch Internet Explorer Browser shortcut -
A) See: How to Create a Fully Functional IE7 Shortcut Icon in Vista

2. To restore the Show Desktop shortcut -
A) See: How to Create a Show Desktop Shortcut in Vista

3. To restore the Switch Between Windows (Flip 3D) shortcut -
A) See: How to Use and Create a Flip 3D Shortcut in Vista

That's it,
Shawn

AdamBC · 07-07-2007

Wonder if you can help me with this one???
Quick Launch toolbar is visible on Taskbar (which is NOT locked) - shortcuts I want on the QL toolbar are in the correct folder (and permissions on the folder are Full Control) - but the shortcuts icons are NOT displayed on the QL toolbar - ANY ideas what's happening???

**Brink** · 07-07-2007

Hi AdamBC,

Do you mean that the shorcuts are not in QL, or that the icons are incorrect for the shortcut in QL?

If they are not in QL, then try refreshing the desktop or do a restart.

If they have incorrect icons, then :
1. Right click the shortcut.
2. Click Properties.
3. Click Change Icon button.
4. Select the correct icon and click Ok.
5. Click Ok to apply and close properties.

Shawn

**FightingScallion** · 08-18-2007

I came to this link through the Windows Vista Community boards. Shawn had linked after someone reported that some Quick Launch icons wouldn't work.

I've got the same problem and additional details, if anyone can help.

Here's what's happening (as I've posted a couple places, to no avail):

I've added MS Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and Outlook icons to my Quick Launch toolbar. All of these are Office 2007 Enterprise edition and I'm operating Windows Vista x64 Home Premium.

So, here's the rub. If I have my Quick Launch set up so that only a few (let's say 3) icons are visible and the rest come from expanding the window, the ones in the expansion don't work.

To make the problem more clear, let me explain a little more how it would work. Let's say I've got an MS Word icon in there. If it is one that is seen all the time, without expanding the selection, MS Word will launch when I click on the icon. If I move the same icon into the expansion group, it won't launch MS Word.

If I unlock the toolbar and make all my Quick Launch icons visible all the time, they all work. Again, if I collapse this to save space on the bottom, every Office icon hidden becomes unresponsive. Non-Office icons appear to still work.

Ideas on how to fix this? I like having those icons in there, but I really don't want to lose that much task bar space.

Thanks for any help,

Frank

**Brink** · 08-18-2007

Hi Frank,

Try restarting the computer to see if it will reset Quick Launch. If it doesn't, then try running the command sfc /scannow in a elevated command prompt. You can see how here:

http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/66978-system-files.html

Shawn

**FightingScallion** · 08-18-2007

Tried both. No improvement.

There are a lot of weird things about this problem. Other QL links in the expansion menu still work. The WindowsKey + number hotkeys work for things in the expansion. If I drag one of the Office icons out to one of the visible ones, it works.

It's just a few icons that don't work, and only when they are in the drop-down (pop-up?) expansion menu.

I've solved lots of problems before, but this one is just plain baffling to me. Too many things are going right that should go wrong at the same time.

**Brink** · 08-18-2007

Ok Frank,

Try deleting the ones that do not work from Quick Launch in the expansion area, then create new shortcuts for them and put them in Quick Launch. Hopefully the new ones will work. The old ones must have gotten corrupted some how.

Shawn

**FightingScallion** · 08-18-2007

Done that one quite a few times. No luck. I'm starting to think I might have to call MS and then probably wait for a Hotfix.

**Brink** · 08-18-2007

Ok Frank,

One last thing to try.

1. Uncheck "Hide protected operating system files..." in folder options.
2. Check "Show hidden files and folders" in folder options.
3. Go to C:\Users\(your username)\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch
4. Delete the desktop.ini file inside the Quick Launch folder.
5. Restart computer.

Hope this helps,
Shawn

**FightingScallion** · 08-18-2007

Hmm...now that's interesting. I don't seem to have a desktop.ini file in there. Wonder what that means...

07-07-2007
AdamBC Newbie Join Date: Jul 2007 Vista Home Premium 1 posts	Re: Quick Launch Wonder if you can help me with this one??? Quick Launch toolbar is visible on Taskbar (which is NOT locked) - shortcuts I want on the QL toolbar are in the correct folder (and permissions on the folder are Full Control) - but the shortcuts icons are NOT displayed on the QL toolbar - ANY ideas what's happening???
My System Specs

07-07-2007
Brink Administrator Join Date: Apr 2007 Vista x64 Ultimate SP2, Windows 7 (7600) x64 25,803 posts	Re: Quick Launch Hi AdamBC, Do you mean that the shorcuts are not in QL, or that the icons are incorrect for the shortcut in QL? If they are not in QL, then try refreshing the desktop or do a restart. If they have incorrect icons, then : 1. Right click the shortcut. 2. Click Properties. 3. Click Change Icon button. 4. Select the correct icon and click Ok. 5. Click Ok to apply and close properties. Shawn
My System Specs

08-18-2007
FightingScallion Enthusiast Join Date: Aug 2007 Windows Vista Home Premium x64 SP1 425 posts	Re: Quick Launch I came to this link through the Windows Vista Community boards. Shawn had linked after someone reported that some Quick Launch icons wouldn't work. I've got the same problem and additional details, if anyone can help. Here's what's happening (as I've posted a couple places, to no avail): I've added MS Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and Outlook icons to my Quick Launch toolbar. All of these are Office 2007 Enterprise edition and I'm operating Windows Vista x64 Home Premium. So, here's the rub. If I have my Quick Launch set up so that only a few (let's say 3) icons are visible and the rest come from expanding the window, the ones in the expansion don't work. To make the problem more clear, let me explain a little more how it would work. Let's say I've got an MS Word icon in there. If it is one that is seen all the time, without expanding the selection, MS Word will launch when I click on the icon. If I move the same icon into the expansion group, it won't launch MS Word. If I unlock the toolbar and make all my Quick Launch icons visible all the time, they all work. Again, if I collapse this to save space on the bottom, every Office icon hidden becomes unresponsive. Non-Office icons appear to still work. Ideas on how to fix this? I like having those icons in there, but I really don't want to lose that much task bar space. Thanks for any help, Frank
My System Specs

08-18-2007
Brink Administrator Join Date: Apr 2007 Vista x64 Ultimate SP2, Windows 7 (7600) x64 25,803 posts	Re: Quick Launch Hi Frank, Try restarting the computer to see if it will reset Quick Launch. If it doesn't, then try running the command sfc /scannow in a elevated command prompt. You can see how here: http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/66978-system-files.html Shawn
My System Specs

08-18-2007
FightingScallion Enthusiast Join Date: Aug 2007 Windows Vista Home Premium x64 SP1 425 posts	Re: Quick Launch Tried both. No improvement. There are a lot of weird things about this problem. Other QL links in the expansion menu still work. The WindowsKey + number hotkeys work for things in the expansion. If I drag one of the Office icons out to one of the visible ones, it works. It's just a few icons that don't work, and only when they are in the drop-down (pop-up?) expansion menu. I've solved lots of problems before, but this one is just plain baffling to me. Too many things are going right that should go wrong at the same time.
My System Specs

08-18-2007
Brink Administrator Join Date: Apr 2007 Vista x64 Ultimate SP2, Windows 7 (7600) x64 25,803 posts	Re: Quick Launch Ok Frank, Try deleting the ones that do not work from Quick Launch in the expansion area, then create new shortcuts for them and put them in Quick Launch. Hopefully the new ones will work. The old ones must have gotten corrupted some how. Shawn
My System Specs

08-18-2007
FightingScallion Enthusiast Join Date: Aug 2007 Windows Vista Home Premium x64 SP1 425 posts	Re: Quick Launch Done that one quite a few times. No luck. I'm starting to think I might have to call MS and then probably wait for a Hotfix.
My System Specs

08-18-2007
Brink Administrator Join Date: Apr 2007 Vista x64 Ultimate SP2, Windows 7 (7600) x64 25,803 posts	Re: Quick Launch Ok Frank, One last thing to try. 1. Uncheck "Hide protected operating system files..." in folder options. 2. Check "Show hidden files and folders" in folder options. 3. Go to C:\Users\(your username)\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch 4. Delete the desktop.ini file inside the Quick Launch folder. 5. Restart computer. Hope this helps, Shawn
My System Specs

08-18-2007
FightingScallion Enthusiast Join Date: Aug 2007 Windows Vista Home Premium x64 SP1 425 posts	Re: Quick Launch Hmm...now that's interesting. I don't seem to have a desktop.ini file in there. Wonder what that means...
My System Specs

Similar Threads
Tutorial	Category
Quick Launch file location? My quick launch has lost it's way	Vista General
Quick Launch Bar	Vista General
Vista Quick Launch Bar Won't Launch Programs	Vista file management
Quick Launch Bar	Vista General
Quick Launch	Vista performance & maintenance