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How to quickly locate a specific desktop icon

Desktop Icons

Hi, I'm Adam, I'm known as Warwagon on the forum. For the past 19 years, I've been operating my own computer repair business. In doing so, I deal with the average computer user on a day-to-day basis.

Every bit of information I provide for people I do so with the lowest common denominator in mind. It's a common misconception that everyone who joins or browses a tech site is a techie. Some people are just looking for guidance. That is why for some, these tech tips may seem a bit too simplistic but they are educational for others.


If you have so many icons on your desktop that you are unable to find what you are looking for, here is an easy way to locate stuff.

  1. Left-click once on any one of the icons to highlight it.
  2. Then start pressing the letter on the keyboard that the file you are looking for starts with.
  3. Every time you press that letter it will highlight an item on your desktop starting with that letter.
  4. Just keep pressing that letter until you find the item on the desktop you are looking for.

Of course, if your computer is indexed you could search for what you are looking for but I find this method nice and simple.

Too many icons

Happy Computing!


If you learned something today, great! If not, maybe share your own tech tip in the comments below!

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