SafePC · First steps
Create a desktop shortcut
Right-click an app to put it on the desktop.
Step by step
- Click the Start button! Look at the bottom of this practice computer: the dark strip there is its taskbar. In the middle of it, click the Start button (four blue squares). The main menu opens just above it. If you see two taskbars, use the one inside this page.
- RIGHT-CLICK "Notepad". In the Start menu, put the mouse on the "Notepad" tile (a square with its name) and press the RIGHT mouse button, then let go. A small menu with three lines appears next to it: "Open", "Pin to taskbar" and "Create desktop shortcut".
- Click "Create desktop shortcut". In the small menu, click "Create desktop shortcut" (the last of the three lines). A Notepad icon appears on the desktop, on the left of the screen (it may already be there): you can double-click it later to open Notepad.
These steps are written for SafePC, a pretend Windows-style computer in your web browser. On your own computer, the buttons and menus may look a little different, but the idea is the same.
Practice it where nothing can break
SafePC works like a real computer, but nothing you do goes anywhere. Try every button, make mistakes and start again. This lesson is free.
Get a tip like this every month
The TryTechSafe newsletter: one short email a month with phone and computer tips for you and your parents.