Power users of Windows 11 may want to access their applications quicker by bypassing the Start Menu. The Shell command and some insider knowledge makes that possible.
Image: Mark Kaelin/TechRepublic Whether you are running Windows 11 or Windows 10 on your desktop computer, the simplest and most standard way to access any application is to press the Start Menu, scroll through the list of applications, and after that pick the one you want. For the majority of people, this treatment serves them well, however some power users might wish to further simplify the procedure. SEE: 100 +IT policies at your fingertips, all set for download (TechRepublic Premium)Must-read Windows coverage Accessing the Windows Shell command and a little bit of insider knowledge, a user might bypass the Start Menu and dive straight
to the AppsFolder. Add an easy drag and drop procedure and that gain access to could permanently reside
on the desktop or anywhere else
you may wish to save your new shortcut. This technique will work for lots of other unique Windows folders and a similar strategy was utilized for accessing god-mode in a previous article. How to access the Shell command The Shell command has been a part of the Windows operating system since the beginning. The Shell command can be run from the command timely or with the standard Windows 11 Run command. Press the Windows secret+R to open the Run dialog box as shown in Figure A. Type your Shell command in package, in our example shell: AppsFolder, and press OK. Figure A Image: Mark Kaelin/TechRepublic. That Shell command will open the special all apps folder and show it in the basic Windows 11 File Explorer, as displayed in Figure B. Figure B Image: Mark Kaelin/TechRepublic. Keep in mind, the Applications folder we just accessed can not be discovered through File
Explorer
utilizing conventional methods.
It is a covert, special folder that should be accessed via the Shell command or other non-traditional approach
. Utilize the Shell 
command in Windows 11 to access the AppsFolder Now that we have accessed the Applications folder in Windows 11 File Explorer, we can produce a desktop shortcut to the folder. The simplest way to do this is by dragging the folder name from File Explorer and
dropping it on a blank area on the Windows 11 desktop
, as displayed in Figure C. Figure C Image: Mark Kaelin/TechRepublic. With the Applications folder faster way, a user can access all their applications with a double-click. This method works for any of the lots of unique folders and features buried and hidden deep inside the Windows os. Use the Shell command in the Run dialog box to access the folder.
You might find a list for other Windows 11 Shell commands via Winareo. The Shell command also deals with GUID codes, but those codes are beyond the scope of this article. Source
