Vista Tutorial - Shortcut Prefix

**Brink** · **METHOD ONE:**

How to Remove the Shortcut Prefix On the Shortcut Name in Vista

Information

This will show you how to remove Shortcut from the name of a newly created shortcuts after this has been applied.. This will not remove the Shortcut name from shortcuts that have already been created before this is applied.

NOTE

To remove the Shortcut name extension and change or remove the shortcut arrow, see: How to Remove or Change the Shortcut Arrow and Name in Vista

RELATED LINKS:

EXAMPLE: Before and After Removing SHORTCUT

METHOD ONE:
Through a Download

1. To Remove the Shortcut Name -
A) Click on the download button below to download the Remove_Shortcut_Prefix.reg file.

B) Go to step 3.

2. To Restore the Shortcut Name -
A) Click on the download button below to download the Restore_Shortcut_Prefix.reg file.

3. Click on Save, and save the .reg file to the Desktop.

4. Right click the .reg (On Desktop) file and click Merge.

5. Click on the Run button for Security Warning pop-up.

6. Click on Continue (UAC), Yes, and then OK when prompted.

7. Logoff and logon, or restart computer to apply changes.

8. Delete the .reg file (On Desktop).

METHOD TWO:
The Manual Way

1. Open the Start Menu.

2. In the white line (Start Search) area, type regedit and press Enter.

3. If prompted by UAC, then click on Continue.

4. Go to: (See screenshot below)
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer

5. In the right pane, right click on link and click Modify.

6. To Remove the Shorcut Name -
A) Change the value to 00 00 00 00 and click OK. (See screenshots below step 7)

B) Go to step 8.

7. To Restore the Shortcut Name -
A) Change the value back to 1D 00 00 00 and click OK. (See screenshots below)
NOTE: To change the value, press the Delete key (on your keyboard) once and type 00. (See left screenshot below)

8. Your registry will look like the screenshot below now.

9. Close regedit.

10. Logoff and logon, or restart the computer to apply changes.

That's it,
Shawn

gaetanfo · 08-19-2008

Has this been tested in Vista64 ?
I seem to have used that same method in Vista 64 and it did not work.
All my utilities that used to fix those problems in Vista 32 did not work, so
I went back to Vista 32.

If you confirm that it works, I will give it a new try.

**Brink** · 08-19-2008

Hello Gaetanfo, and welcome to Vista Forums.

Yep, it works for either the 32 bit or 64 bit Vista. Another option is to use the free program in this other tutorial to do it with instead.

Shortcut Arrow

To help determine what Vista edition and version each tutorial applies to, there is a Applies to box in the upper right corner of each tutorial.

Hope this helps,
Shawn