How to Stop Windows 10 from Automatically Creating ‘Shortcut’ Text on Desktop Icons

Why Does Windows Add “Shortcut” to Desktop Icons?

Whenever you create a new shortcut on your Windows 10 desktop, the operating system automatically appends the word “- Shortcut” to the end of the filename. While this technically helps distinguish a shortcut from the original file, the little curved arrow on the icon already serves this purpose.

If you prefer a clean desktop without having to manually delete this extra text every time you create a new link, you can modify the Windows Registry to stop this behaviour permanently.

How to Stop the Automatic Shortcut Text in Windows 10

This process requires a minor adjustment using the Registry Editor.

Warning: Always be careful when editing the registry. Follow these steps exactly.

1. Press the Windows Key + R on your keyboard to open the Run dialogue box.
2. Type regedit into the box and press Enter or click OK.
3. If prompted by User Account Control, click Yes to allow the Registry Editor to make changes.
4. In the left-hand pane of the Registry Editor, navigate to the following path:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer

5. With the Explorer folder selected on the left, look at the list of values on the right side of the window.
6. Find the value named link.
7. Double-click on link to modify its data.
8. The “Value data” box will likely contain the numbers 16 00 00 00 or similar. Change this value to: 00 00 00 00.
9. Click OK to save the changes.
10. Close the Registry Editor.

For the change to take effect, you must restart your computer (or restart the Windows Explorer process using the Task Manager).

Once your computer restarts, any new shortcuts you create on the desktop or elsewhere will no longer have the annoying “- Shortcut” text appended to their names.