Personalization Add Custom Shortcuts to Win+X Quick Link Menu in Windows 11


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Start.png


The hashlink.exe app no longer works to allow using this tutorial to add custom shortcuts to the Win+X menu.



The Win+X Quick Link menu (aka: Power User menu) is a pop-up menu from the Start button that includes shortcuts of common management, configuration, and other power user tools for Windows.

The shortcuts on the Win+X Quick Link menu are broken up into 3 groups. Group1 shortcuts in the bottom section, Group2 shortcuts in the middle section, and Group3 shortcuts in the top section.

Starting with Windows 11 build 22579, Windows Terminal and Windows Terminal (Admin) in the Win+X menu has been replaced by Windows PowerShell and Windows PowerShell (Admin). If you have Windows Terminal installed and would like Windows PowerShell to open in Windows Terminal, set Windows Terminal as your default terminal app.

This tutorial will show you how to add any custom shortcuts you want to the Win+X Quick Link menu for your account in Windows 11.


EXAMPLE: Default shortcuts on Win+X Quick Link menu

Win+X_Quick_Link_menu.jpg



Here's How:

1 Download the free hashlnk_0.2.0.0.zip file created by Rafael Rivera on GitHub.


2 Unblock the hashlnk_0.2.0.0.zip file.

3 Extract (drag and drop) the hashlnk.exe file from the hashlnk_0.2.0.0.zip file, and save the hashlnk.exe file to where (ex: Desktop) you like.

This hashlnk.exe file will be used to apply the required hash to the new Win+X menu shortcut in step 9.


4 Open File Explorer (Win+E).

5 Copy and paste the location below you want into the address bar of File Explorer, and press Enter.

For current user only: %LocalAppdata%\Microsoft\Windows\WinX

OR​

Applied to new users when created: C:\Users\Default\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\WinX

6 Open the Group1 (bottom), Group2 (middle), or Group3 (top) folder for the Win+X Quick Link menu group you want to add a shortcut to. (see screenshot below)

If you would like to add more group(s) to the top of the Win+X menu, then you can create a new Group4, Group5, etc... folder to open and add shortcuts to.


WinX_folder-1.png

7 Create a shortcut for any app or item (ex: "Registry Editor") you want in this Group1, Group2, Group3, etc... folder. Leave this File Explorer window open. (see screenshots below)

If you wanted to remove a shortcut from your Win+X Quick Link menu, you can just delete the shortcut from the Group1, Group2, Group3, etc... folder, and go to step 11.


WinX_folder-2.png
WinX_folder-3.png
WinX_folder-4.png

8 Open Windows Terminal, and select Command Prompt.

9 Perform the following actions in the command prompt to apply a hash to the new Win+X shortcut: (see screenshot below)

A) Copy and paste the full path wrapped in quotes of the hashlnk.exe file from step 3 into the command prompt.​

B) Add a Space after the path above.​

C) Copy and paste the full path wrapped in quotes of the new shortcut from step 7 into the command prompt.​

D) Press Enter.​

For example:

"C:\Users\Brink\Desktop\hashlnk.exe" "C:\Users\Brink\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\WinX\Group2\Registry Editor.lnk"


Win+X_command.png

10 You can now close the command prompt and File Explorer if you like, and delete the hashlnk.exe file from step 3 if you like.

11 When finished adding shortcuts, restart the explorer process or sign out and sign in to apply your changes to the Win+X Quick Link menu.

12 You can now open the Win+X Quick Link menu to see your new shortcut (ex: "Registry Editor") added. (see screenshot below)

Win+X_new_shortcut.png


That's it,
Shawn Brink


 

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Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell
    CPU
    12th Gen i7
    Memory
    16GB DDR4
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel onboard
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1280
    Hard Drives
    512GB SSD
    2 TB SATA HDD
    Internet Speed
    250 Mb/s
You could always manually drop shortcuts into 1 of the 3 group folders:
C:\Users\<USERNAME>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\WinX\
or if you want it for all users
C:\Users\Default\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\WinX\
They will then show in your Start/Right Click/Winkey +X menu
Sadly, they do get removed with every Dev Build install.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win11 All /Debian/Arch
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. TUF Gaming FX705GM
    CPU
    2.20 gigahertz Intel i7-8750H Hyper-threaded 12 cores
    Motherboard
    ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. FX705GM 1.0
    Memory
    24428 Megabytes
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel(R) UHD Graphics 630 / NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060
    Sound Card
    Intel(R) Display Audio / Realtek(R) Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Integrated Monitor (17.3"vis)
    Screen Resolution
    FHD 1920X1080 16:9
    Hard Drives
    2 SSD SATA/NVM Express 1.3
    WDS500G2B0A-00SM50 500.1 GB
    WDCSDAPNUW-1002 256 GB
    PSU
    19V DC 6.32 A 120 W
    Cooling
    Dual Fans
    Mouse
    MS Bluetooth
    Internet Speed
    Fiber 1GB Cox -us & ADSL Bouygues -fr
    Browser
    Edge Canary- Firefox Nightly
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    VMs of Windows 11 stable/Beta/Dev/Canary
    VM of XeroLinux- Arch based & Debian 12
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Insider Canary
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS X751BP
    CPU
    AMD Dual Core A6-9220
    Motherboard
    ASUS
    Memory
    8 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    AMD Radeon R5 M420
    Sound Card
    Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17.3
    Screen Resolution
    1600X900 16:9
    Hard Drives
    1TB 5400RPM
You could always manually drop shortcuts into 1 of the 3 group folders:
C:\Users\<USERNAME>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\WinX\
or if you want it for all users
C:\Users\Default\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\WinX\
They will then show in your Start/Right Click/Winkey +X menu
Sadly, they do get removed with every Dev Build install.
That simply doesn't work ... I know because I've tried
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell
    CPU
    12th Gen i7
    Memory
    16GB DDR4
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel onboard
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1280
    Hard Drives
    512GB SSD
    2 TB SATA HDD
    Internet Speed
    250 Mb/s

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self build
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING (11GB GDDR5X)
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G75 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3 wall mounted
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gbps Download and 35 Mbps Upload
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Spectre x360 2in1 14-eu0098nr (2024)
    CPU
    Intel Core Ultra 7 155H 4.8 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB LPDDR5x-7467 MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    Integrated Intel Arc
    Sound Card
    Poly Studio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    14" 2.8K OLED multitouch
    Screen Resolution
    2880 x 1800
    Hard Drives
    2 TB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
    Internet Speed
    Intel Wi-Fi 7 BE200 (2x2) and Bluetooth 5.4
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
I don't see an exe available in its download.
No, but it should be easy enough to compile it to an executable which takes the shortcut link as a parameter? Mind you, I have very little experience with C# ...
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell
    CPU
    12th Gen i7
    Memory
    16GB DDR4
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel onboard
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1280
    Hard Drives
    512GB SSD
    2 TB SATA HDD
    Internet Speed
    250 Mb/s
No, but it should be easy enough to compile it to an executable which takes the shortcut link as a parameter? Mind you, I have very little experience with C# ...

Considering it's 2 years old, I doubt it'll still work as well. :(
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self build
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING (11GB GDDR5X)
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G75 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3 wall mounted
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gbps Download and 35 Mbps Upload
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Spectre x360 2in1 14-eu0098nr (2024)
    CPU
    Intel Core Ultra 7 155H 4.8 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB LPDDR5x-7467 MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    Integrated Intel Arc
    Sound Card
    Poly Studio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    14" 2.8K OLED multitouch
    Screen Resolution
    2880 x 1800
    Hard Drives
    2 TB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
    Internet Speed
    Intel Wi-Fi 7 BE200 (2x2) and Bluetooth 5.4
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
Considering it's 2 years old, I doubt it'll still work as well. :(
Ah yes, you're probably right - best not to waste any more time on it and hope that MS come up with a fix. Wishful thinking perhaps?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell
    CPU
    12th Gen i7
    Memory
    16GB DDR4
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel onboard
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1280
    Hard Drives
    512GB SSD
    2 TB SATA HDD
    Internet Speed
    250 Mb/s
That simply doesn't work ... I know because I've tried
No longer works. Sorry.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win11 All /Debian/Arch
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. TUF Gaming FX705GM
    CPU
    2.20 gigahertz Intel i7-8750H Hyper-threaded 12 cores
    Motherboard
    ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. FX705GM 1.0
    Memory
    24428 Megabytes
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel(R) UHD Graphics 630 / NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060
    Sound Card
    Intel(R) Display Audio / Realtek(R) Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Integrated Monitor (17.3"vis)
    Screen Resolution
    FHD 1920X1080 16:9
    Hard Drives
    2 SSD SATA/NVM Express 1.3
    WDS500G2B0A-00SM50 500.1 GB
    WDCSDAPNUW-1002 256 GB
    PSU
    19V DC 6.32 A 120 W
    Cooling
    Dual Fans
    Mouse
    MS Bluetooth
    Internet Speed
    Fiber 1GB Cox -us & ADSL Bouygues -fr
    Browser
    Edge Canary- Firefox Nightly
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    VMs of Windows 11 stable/Beta/Dev/Canary
    VM of XeroLinux- Arch based & Debian 12
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Insider Canary
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS X751BP
    CPU
    AMD Dual Core A6-9220
    Motherboard
    ASUS
    Memory
    8 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    AMD Radeon R5 M420
    Sound Card
    Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17.3
    Screen Resolution
    1600X900 16:9
    Hard Drives
    1TB 5400RPM
Ah yes, you're probably right - best not to waste any more time on it and hope that MS come up with a fix. Wishful thinking perhaps?

It would be nice if MS added a UI to make it easy to add and remove custom shortcuts.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self build
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING (11GB GDDR5X)
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G75 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3 wall mounted
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gbps Download and 35 Mbps Upload
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Spectre x360 2in1 14-eu0098nr (2024)
    CPU
    Intel Core Ultra 7 155H 4.8 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB LPDDR5x-7467 MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    Integrated Intel Arc
    Sound Card
    Poly Studio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    14" 2.8K OLED multitouch
    Screen Resolution
    2880 x 1800
    Hard Drives
    2 TB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
    Internet Speed
    Intel Wi-Fi 7 BE200 (2x2) and Bluetooth 5.4
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
It would be nice if MS added a UI to make it easy to add and remove custom shortcuts.
It would be nice if MS made it even possible to add and remove custom shortcuts - never mind how easily, with or without a UI !
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell
    CPU
    12th Gen i7
    Memory
    16GB DDR4
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel onboard
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1280
    Hard Drives
    512GB SSD
    2 TB SATA HDD
    Internet Speed
    250 Mb/s
The hashlink.exe app no longer works to allow using this tutorial to add custom shortcuts to the Win+X menu.
It still works if you're running an alternative shell...

0005419.png
 
Last edited:

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS ROG Strix
  • Operating System
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS VivoBook
It still works if you're running an alternative shell...
I should mention, if I switch back to the native shell, the entry doesn't show anyway, so..., while the hashlink.exe does work, it doesn't seem to register in the new UI. 🤷‍♂️
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS ROG Strix
  • Operating System
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS VivoBook

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