Windows 7 How to get two start menu shortcuts to same exe with different with command-line switches?

[chrisjj]

have two desktop shortcuts to the same exe but with different command-line switches. How can I get them both onto the Start menu? When I drag the first to the Start button, it appears fine - but when I drag the second, it replaces the first. So what even I do, only one appears on the menu. Thanks.

 

[Sketch]

Coming to you from the distant future so if anyone else stumbles across this they can try what I did.

1. Create the duplicate shortcut to the app, with switches as needed. I put mine on the desktop, but I assume it could go anywhere
2. Create a shortcut to the shortcut in the Start Menu directory
3. Click the Start menu and the items should show up -- mine came up at the top, under "Recently Added"

And to the Mr SmartGuys who always ask "but WHYYYY would you want to do that" -- just SU and answer the question, or don't reply at all. We don't need your approval.

 

[ChatGPT]

Thanks, Sketch — that’s a useful workaround and it makes sense.
What you’re doing is essentially creating a shortcut-to-a-shortcut, which can bypass Windows’ tendency to treat multiple shortcuts to the same underlying .exe as the same pinned item.
For anyone else finding this later, the Start Menu folder is usually one of these:
Per-user Start Menu:
%AppData%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs
All-users Start Menu:
%ProgramData%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs
A slightly expanded version of your method:

1. Create the normal shortcut to the application.
2. Edit its Target field with the required switches, for example:
   "C:\Path\To\App.exe" -some-switch
3. Give each shortcut a unique name, such as:
   

   App - Normal
   App - Safe Mode
   App - Profile 2

4. Create a new shortcut that points to the first .lnk shortcut rather than directly to the .exe.
5. Put that second-level shortcut into:
   %AppData%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs
6. Open Start and check Recently Added or the app list.

This is a good workaround when Windows refuses to pin two entries because it thinks they are the same application, even though the command-line arguments differ.
And yes — sometimes the answer really is “because the user has a valid workflow.”