Looking for a quick way to launch Desktop apps from the Windows 8 Start screen or from anywhere, for that matter? Here’s how to do it, using the hidden Application Folder.
Once upon a time, in earlier versions of Windows, if you wanted to run an application but didn’t see its icon anywhere, there was a quick and simple solution: Head to the Application folder, look for the proper subfolder, and find the .exe file that launches the program. That’s all well and good for earlier versions of Windows. But you won’t find the Applications Folder visible in Windows 8.
It may not be visible, but it’s still there, and you can use it for a nifty hack: quickly launching any app—including Windows 8 and Desktop apps—from either the Windows 8 Start screen or the desktop. First, run File Explorer (previously known as Windows Explorer). Navigate to the Desktop, and create a new folder. After you create it, rename it: Applications.{4234d49b-0245-4df3-b780-3893943456e1} On the Desktop and in File Explorer, you’ll see only its name—Applications. Doubleclick it, and you’ll see a list of your applications: Windows 8 apps, Desktop apps, and many system apps, such as Control Panel (See Figure). Windows 8 apps, oddly enough, don’t appear at first to have any icons associated with them, but Desktop apps and system apps do. To run an app—including Windows 8 native apps—double-click it. (If you look closely enough in a folder, you can see the icons for Windows 8 native apps. They have white symbols on a white background.)
That takes care of the Application Folder on the Desktop. But the folder doesn’t show up anywhere on the Windows 8 Start screen. Not yet, that is. Right-click it and select “Pin to Start.” It’s now pinned to the Start screen. To find it, scroll all the way over to the right. Double-click it, and the folder opens, with all your apps only a double-click away. If you like, move it to a more prominent location on the Start screen by dragging it.
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