Migrating desktop short cuts to a new laptop

[ezzra]

How to migrate desktop's short cuts and apps from a Win7 laptop to a Win 10

new laptop? as hard as i have tried to do it by following tutorials everywhere

once i have copied it to the new machine all those short cuts turns into blanks

with no links, any computer wizard out there that can help please?...

 

 

[sammieuk1]

Go to settings click on import browser data on win 10 should work ????

[Bruno123]

1 hour ago, ezzra said:

How to migrate desktop's short cuts and apps from a Win7 laptop to a Win 10

new laptop? as hard as i have tried to do it by following tutorials everywhere

once i have copied it to the new machine all those short cuts turns into blanks

with no links, any computer wizard out there that can help please?...

No ????

 

You cannot move applications that way. They will need to be cleanly installed to the new PC.

 

sammieuk1 is referring to Browser Bookmarks, which is something else entirely.

[KannikaP]

Sorry, I put some BS.

Edited July 7, 2022 by KannikaP

[Halfaboy]

Copy the shortcuts from the directory on your old computer to an usb stick. Then past this contents into the directory of your new compter. May seem elaborate, but it works. Did this already quite a few times.

[ezzra]

Copying from directory doesn't work either, it copy into a USB but it will not transfer to the directory on the new laptop..

[RedBackman]

It really would be recommended just to fresh install apps/programs especially because you're switching both hardware and OS version. There are ways to technically do what you're asking but it's really asking for complications if you don't know what you're doing.

 

The other shortcuts/files/etc on your desktop should transfer over just fine but the shortcuts will only work correctly if their target destination is exactly the same. So if you've changed usernames or something you might have to update the links on the shortcut.

[bendejo]

There is something called DesktopOK that may help.  It's free.

 

 

[BigStar]

You don't "migrate" apps. You could make an image of your Win 7, restore it to your new laptop, then upgrade the new laptop to Win 10. But that's merely perverse and not to be recommended.

 

You'll have to reinstall all the apps you want on your Win 10. Typically at the end of the installation the app will offer to create a desktop shortcut  for you.

 

Otherwise you may copy your shortcuts from your Win 7 as .lnk files in the following folder: C:\Users\{USERNAME}\Desktop to the same folder on your Win 10. However, a shortcut won't work if the app to which it refers isn't actually installed on the Win 10 machine. A shortcut to an app isn't the app itself, you see.

[Digitalbanana]

I did something similar using Clone App https://github.com/builtbybel/CloneApp which worked for some apps (Win7 to Win10 a few years ago) and saved a bit of time, but best way is a fresh app install on new system I think.

 

Many ways to do short cuts, I don't like having them on desktop, rather I have them as pinned links to their respective apps on the taskbar, and Clone App doesn't do that afaik.