When you no longer need the app icon on Mac’s desktop or another Finder folder, simply right-click on the shortcut icon and choose Move to Trash. But to keep the Applications folder tidy, you may delete it. Please note that even if you don’t delete this alias, it won’t show the same app twice in the Launchpad. Choose Make Alias.ģ) Drag the newly created shortcut to your Mac’s desktop.Ĥ) You can also drag it to any other folder like Downloads, etc.Īdditionally, you can use this method to create shortcuts for Downloads, Documents, and other Finder folders on Mac’s desktop.Īfter you have dragged the shortcut icon, you may delete the shortcut created originally in the Applications folder (step 2). Slightly longer method:Ģ) Select an app and right-click on it. How to create app icons on Mac’s desktop and folders The easy way:ġ) Open the Applications folder and make sure it isn’t taking the whole screen.Ģ) Drag an application from here onto Mac’s desktop to create its shortcut icon. Now that you have an idea, here are the steps to proceed and have Windows-like application icons or shortcuts on Mac’s desktop. I have also added the Chrome app icon here for convenience if I ever need it. Similarly, while making, resizing, and compressing images for iDB posts, I spend a lot of time in Mac’s Downloads folders. For me, it’s a tad bit faster and convenient. Still, at times, I just wish my most-used apps to be on the desktop. I have even used a Terminal command to turn off Dock animations so that it shows up instantly when I bring my mouse pointer to the bottom of the screen. But since I use a 13-inch MacBook Pro, I always keep the Dock hidden to get more screen area for my apps. But to give you some context, let me tell you why I use them for a few of my most-used apps.ĭock on the Mac is great. If you landed on this page via a web search, you already know why you want to have macOS app icons on your desktop. Let us show you quick ways to create your favorite app icons on Mac’s desktop or any Finder folder you want. Do you like the application shortcuts on Windows PC desktop and miss them on your Mac? If so, this tutorial is for you.

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