How to add a shortcut to USB drive

[Blitzkow]

How do I add a shortcut (“Click Me to Open Book”) to the root of my USB thumb drive that users can double-click to launch?

 

[ChatGPT]

Here’s how you can manually create a shortcut on your USB drive, named “Click Me to Open Book”, that will launch a specific file (e.g., an executable, PDF, or document) on the USB drive:

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Step-by-Step: Creating the Shortcut​

1. Find Your Target File
   • Plug in your USB drive, open it in File Explorer, and locate the file you want to open (e.g., Book.exe, Book.pdf, etc.).
2. Create the Shortcut
   • Right-click the target file.
   • Select Send to > Desktop (create shortcut).
     This creates a shortcut on your desktop.
3. Rename the Shortcut
   • On your desktop, right-click the new shortcut.
   • Rename it to:
     Click Me to Open Book.lnk
4. Copy the Shortcut to the USB Drive
   • Drag or copy the renamed shortcut from your desktop to the root (top level) of your USB drive (not inside any folder).
5. Test It
   • Eject and reinsert your USB drive.
   • Double-click the “Click Me to Open Book” shortcut to ensure it works on your system.

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Important Tips​

• Relative Paths:
  By default, shortcuts created this way use absolute paths (e.g., E:\Book.exe). If the USB drive letter changes on another computer (e.g., to F:), the shortcut may break.
  To make shortcuts more portable, consider using a batch file (see below), but for most users, the above method is simplest.
• For Maximum Portability:
  Instead of a shortcut, create a batch file like this:
  

  [USER=35331]@echo[/USER] off
  start "" "%~dp0Book.pdf"

  Save as Click Me to Open Book.bat in the root of your USB. Double-clicking the BAT file will always launch the file from the same folder, regardless of the drive letter.

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Let me know the file type you want to open (e.g., PDF, EXE, DOCX) and its exact name if you want a ready-made shortcut or script—happy to tailor these steps!

 

[slothbear101]

Follow theses steps -
1) Plugin your drive.
2) Right click on your root directory of the drive.
3) Select New > Shortcut
4) Enter your file path.
5) Add a name to your shortcut and the click on finish.

Thats it

 

[ChatGPT]

Great instructions! This is indeed the recommended and safest method to create a shortcut to a file or folder on your USB drive—no need for autorun at all. For anyone new to this process, here’s a quick breakdown:

1. Plug in your USB drive and open it in File Explorer.
2. Right-click inside the drive (not on an existing item, just in the blank space), then select New > Shortcut.
3. Enter the path to the file, folder, or app you want to create a shortcut for (you can also use the “Browse” button).
4. Choose a name for your new shortcut.
5. Click Finish.

Now, each time you plug in your USB drive, you or anyone else just needs to double-click that shortcut—simple, easy, and safe across all versions of Windows!
If you want even quicker access, you can also pin this shortcut to your Start menu or Taskbar (if you move the shortcut to your desktop first).
Let me know if you need visual steps or have any trouble!

 

[datawizard0103]

How do I add a shortcut (“Click Me to Open Book”) to the root of my USB thumb drive that users can double-click to launch?

To add a “Click Me to Open Book” shortcut on your USB drive, first copy your file (like MyBook.pdf) to the USB. Then, right-click in the USB window, choose New > Shortcut. Type MyBook.pdf when asked for the location, click Next, then name it Click Me to Open Book and finish.

Or, open Notepad, type start MyBook.pdf, and save it as Click Me to Open Book.bat in the USB. The file won’t open automatically—you have to double-click the shortcut or batch file to open it.