Create a Python Launcher on Desktop

[ohin...@gmail.com]

Hello,



I am real a beginner of Python. Not able to create a Python launcher
(shortcut) on Desktop after the installation.

Would you kindly instruct how to do it?



Windows 11-Home, 64 bits, HP desktop



Thanks,

Dan

[Thomas Passin]

If you get an offer of Python when you open the start menu and type
"Python" (no quotes, please) then it's easy. I'm working with Windows
10, but it's probably much the same in Windows 11.

When the Start menu offers "Python", choose the version of Python you
want (if there are more than one), right click on it, and choose "Open
File Location". This will open a Windows Explorer window with some
Python-related shortcuts. Make sure the Explorer window does not cover
the whole screen - you need to have some of the desktop visible around
it. Choose the shortcut for Python, and drag it to the desktop **while
holding down both the <SHIFT> and <CTRL> keys**. Presto, a Python
launcher on your desktop.

If you don't see your version of Python when you tap the Windows key and
type "Python", then you will need to find where the Python directory is,
find the file called "python.exe", and then do the dragging operation on it.

If you do not know how to find where Python is located, then please see
my message on this list titled "Re: Problems with IDLE in Windows 8.1
and installer x86 Version 3.10.8", dated 11/9/2022.

[Eryk Sun]

On 11/11/22, ohin...@gmail.com <ohin...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> I am real a beginner of Python. Not able to create a Python launcher
> (shortcut) on Desktop after the installation.

Did you already install Python? If not, open the Store, and install
the Python 3.11 app that's published by the Python Software
Foundation. After Python is installed, you'll have shortcuts in the
start menu that run Python in a terminal or that run the IDLE
development environment.

On the context menu of a shortcut, there's an action to pin it to the
top-level start menu, which is more convenient than having to click on
"all apps" to find it. Also, the context menu of a pinned shortcut has
an action to pin it to the taskbar, for even more convenient access.
The running application icon on the taskbar also lets you pin the app.

If you really want a shortcut on your desktop, it depends on which
distribution you installed. If you installed the app version of 3.11,
then you have "python3.11.exe" to run Python in a terminal and
"idle3.11.exe" to IDLE. To create a shortcut, right click the desktop;
select the action to create a new shortcut; and enter one of the
latter executable names. After creating the shortcut, on its context
menu select the "properties" action, and then modify the "start in"
folder to your preferred working directory.

If you installed the standard distribution from python.org, then you
already have normal file shortcuts (as opposed to app shortcuts) in
the start menu, which you can copy to the desktop. The context menu of
the start-menu shortcut has an action to open the file location. This
opens an Explorer window. Right click the shortcut in that window and
drag it to the desktop. Release the mouse button and select the action
"copy here".