Desktop Shortcuts not Working for Games

Question

Desktop shortcut for games does not work. All games for Steam and Epic no longer have a working shortcut. The game icon is replaced with a blank page icon, and when I click on it, Windows does not know how to launch the game. I have deleted and recreated the shortcut, but that did not do anything. I have also deleted and reinstalled the game which did not do anything. I can launch the games just fine from Steam and Epic, just not the Desktop Shortcut.

Answer 1

Hi there,

I'm Cherrelyn, I'm here to help and I know how frustrating it is when your shortcuts suddenly stop working. Please try to right click the shortcut > Properties under the Shortcut tab, check the Target path and it should point to the game’s launcher like steam://rungameid/xxxx. If it's missing, delete the shortcut and for Steam, right-click the game > Manage > Add desktop shortcut. For Epic, go to the Library, click the three dots next to the game > Create shortcut

Also, make sure your default app for .lnk files hasn't been changed and it should be set to Windows Explorer.

Let me know how it goes, I'm here to guide you for further assistance.

Warm regards,

Cherrelyn

Answer 2

Hi there,

Thanks for the update, It sounds like the .lnk file association is broken. Please try to press Windows + R, type regedit, and press Enter. Then go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FileExts.lnk . Right- click the .lnk folder and delete it and restart your PC.

This should restore proper shortcut behavior and let you edit targets again.

Let me know how it goes, I'm here to guide you for further assistance.

Warm regards,

Cherrelyn

Answer 3

Hi there,

Thanks for the update, I'm sorry if my suggestion didn't work. Since the registry reset didn’t help, the next best option is to run the System File Checker. Just press Windows + X, then select Windows Terminal (Admin). Type: sfc /scannow and press Enter. Let the scan complete and follow any repair prompts. This will fix any core file association issues that may be preventing your shortcuts from working properly. As for live chat, Microsoft doesn’t currently offer direct live chat for every issue, but I’m here to support you as closely and personally as I can step by step.

Let me know the result of the scan and we’ll continue from there.

Warm regards,

Cherrelyn

Answer 4

Hi Name,

Sorry for the late reply since Windows fixed some corrupted files but the issue with shortcuts persists and they're still being treated as .url files instead of .lnk, it sounds like the file type association is still misconfigured. Please try to open Registry Editor (Windows + R, type regedit, press Enter). Navigate to: HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT.lnk . Make sure the Default value on the right says: "lnkfile" If not, double-click and change it to lnkfile no quotes. Then go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\lnkfile ensure it exists. If not, we may need to recreate it. After that, restart your PC, then recreate a shortcut from Steam (right-click the game > Manage > Add desktop shortcut). It should now create a .lnk shortcut with proper functionality.

Let me know how it goes, I'm here to guide you further.

Warm regards,

Cherrelyn