This wikiHow teaches you how to create a new shortcut icon to a Google Doc file from your Docs account, and save it to your computer's desktop. You can use the Google Chrome browser to create desktop shortcuts on your PC. Google Chrome doesn't allow you to create desktop shortcuts on Mac computers. However, you can save web pages as webloc files on your Mac using any browser you want.
Step
Method 1 of 2: On Windows Computer
Step 1. Open Google Chrome
The browser is marked by a red, green, and yellow wheel icon, with a blue dot in the middle. Google is the only web browser that allows you to create desktop shortcuts from web pages.
Step 2. Type on the address bar and press the button Enter.
This bar is at the top of the Google Chrome window, below the tabs at the top of the screen. You will be taken to the Google Docs website afterwards.
- Docs will display a list of the most recently created or accessed documents.
- If you're not signed into your account right away, type in your email address or phone number and your Google account password to sign in.
Step 3. Click the document for which you want to create a shortcut
The document will open in the browser.
If you want to create a desktop shortcut for a list of documents in Google Docs, skip this step and stay on the "Recent Documents" page
Step 4. Click
It's in the upper-right corner of the Google Chrome window, next to the address bar. The options in the drop-down menu will appear.
Step 5. Hover over the More Tools option
It's in the bottom half of the drop-down menu. A pop-out menu will appear next to it afterwards.
Step 6. Click Create shortcut
This option is the second option on the "More Tools" menu. A new shortcut creation dialog box will appear.
Step 7. Type in the name of the shortcut
Use the text field next to the blue paper icon to enter a name for the shortcut. You can name it after the document name, or use another name like "Google Docs".
Step 8. Click Create
It's a blue button in the "Create Shortcut" dialog box. A shortcut icon for the selected Google Doc document will be created and saved to the computer desktop.
Method 2 of 2: On Mac Computer
Step 1. Open a web browser
You can use any browser on a Mac computer. Safari is the Mac's primary web browser. The icon looks like a blue compass. You can also use Google Chrome, Firefox, or another browser if you prefer.
Step 2. Type on the address bar and press the button Enter.
The address bar is at the top of the Google Chrome window, below the row of tabs at the top of the screen. You will be taken to the Google Docs website afterwards.
- Docs will display a list of the most recently created or accessed documents.
- If you're not logged into your account right away, type in your email address or phone number, as well as your Google account password to sign in.
Step 3. Click the document for which you want to create a shortcut
The document will open in the browser.
If you want to create a desktop shortcut for a list of documents in Google Docs, skip this step and stay on the "Recent Documents" page
Step 4. Drag the browser window until the desktop is visible
If the browser is opened in full-screen mode, click the green button in the upper-left corner of the screen to exit the mode. After that, click and hold on an empty space on the tab bar at the top of the browser, and drag it downwards until the desktop is visible. You can also drag the left or right side of the browser window inward to zoom out of the window.
Step 5. Click the site URL
The URL is displayed in the address bar at the top of the browser window. Once clicked, the entire URL will be tagged. If the URL is not fully marked, click the end of the URL and drag the cursor over the entire URL to mark it completely.
Step 6. Click and drag the URL to the desktop
Once the full URL is marked, click and drag the URL to the desktop. The shortcut to the site will be created on the desktop as a webloc file. Click on the file to open the URL in your computer's main web browser.
