Solved App install behavior I can't understand

Today I installed IrfranView.

I expected I would be able to directly call it up as an application like I used to do. But when I access it via Win11 apps I get:
1)
and when I access it through the Search menu I get:
2)
Of course, if I want to do what I had, trained myself NEVER to do and rely on an icon on a desktop beginning to be littered with shortcuts , I can get the app to open.

Is there a way to activate IrfanView directly (#1 or #2) without having to resort to a shortcut on the Desktop, in the Taskbar, in the Recommended.. area of the Startbar?

jro11 said:

Is there a way to activate IrfanView directly

Click to expand...

From the START Menu, click on... Irfanview 64 4.67
(assuming ofc, that I understand the question)

You mean
?
All of this will go away eventually.

jro11 said:

You mean
View attachment 94181?
All of this will go away eventually.

Click to expand...

There's a way to get rid of all that, but I don't remember how I did it.

@jro11

It took a while, but I found it...

Once you have pinned the IrfanView icon to the Start it goes to the bottom of the Icons so find the 3 dots on the right of the start area until a down arrow appears (next page).
It should be the last icon.
Then right click IrfanView icon > Move to front.

The scrolling "3 dots" are small and not very obvious.
Very poor design of Start screen.

I just minimise the "Recommended" area. To me a useless area.
To change that go to.
Settings > Personalisation > Start. Fiddle with the options there.

jro11 said:

Is there a way to activate IrfanView directly (#1 or #2) without having to resort to a shortcut on the Desktop, in the Taskbar, in the Recommended.. area of the Startbar?

Click to expand...

SO you want to invoke an application with zero input from yourself? Email Elon Musk and ask about one his brain implants.

My, my... Seems the fish are biting.

I type "W" (without the quote marks) in the Search box and up pops (best match) "Word" I type "ifr" (in the Search box) and up pops (best match) "IfrView" a file folder.

I used to be able to get around this problem (and the one where instead of an app-shortcut you get a folder) by simply creating a folder (_Programs) and assigning it to the taskbar - voila a popup menu with apps. but alas the taskbar no longer seems to accept such.

You can rename the desktop shortcut "ifr" and put it in your documents folder or something and then by searching for that it will instantly appear and you launch by just typing it. Or you can just pin it to your start menu as suggested in post 8.

Ghot said:

It took a while, but I found it...

Click to expand...

Thanks Ghot. I'd considered clearing the start menu Recommended area, but it is one of those artifacts that lets me understand Win11 better.

btw I notice that you (and I) use Win11 Home. I'm surprised you use it because you're a big time user (and well deserve the 'Guru' moniker). This is my first "Home" system. I've been told it's quite different from the Pro version.

jro11 said:

btw I notice that you (and I) use Win11 Home. I'm surprised you use it because you're a big time user (and well deserve the 'Guru' moniker). This is my first "Home" system. I've been told it's quite different from the Pro version.

Click to expand...

I have some W11 Home systems, in particular my System One in My Computers below which I use as my general purpose browsing machine. There isn't really much difference between Home and Pro, the only real advantage of Pro for me is that I can use Hyper-V VMs.

A secondary advantage is that Pro has the Group Policy editor. I like to configure Windows Update to notify me of available updates rather than automatically download them.

This setting lets you specify whether automatic updates are enabled on this computer. If the service is enabled, you must select one of the four options in the Group Policy Setting:

2 = Notify before downloading and installing any updates.

When Windows finds updates that apply to this computer, users will be notified that updates are ready to be downloaded. After going to Windows Update, users can download and install any available updates.

Click to expand...

In addition to @Bree excellent post, I prefer pro as I love group policy editor for making things more secure. There are a ton of ways to lock your system down and offer additional protection that is not in home edition. Such as lockout timers, password guesses, bitlocker encryption, windows sandbox, hyper v, etc

It's really just features though, in terms of looks and everything else your not missing much using windows 11 home. And the pro tools are only worth it if you know what your doing.

jro11 said:

I type "ifr" (in the Search box) and up pops (best match) "IfrView" a file folder.

Click to expand...

Choose Apps!

I don't like desktop shortcuts, either, and I have only a few on my taskbar, but it's easy to call up IrfanView with a keyboard shortcut. I use Ctrl-Winkey-I (that's I, not 1). No problem.

Wisewiz said:

I don't like desktop shortcuts, either, and I have only a few on my taskbar, but it's easy to call up IrfanView with a keyboard shortcut. I use Ctrl-Winkey-I (that's I, not 1). No problem.

Click to expand...

Yup, or if you pin the program to your taskbar you can do key + 3 (or whatever the number of apps it is on the taskbar)

Yeah, unfortunately you cannot invoke any app without some type of input method, period. Unless you have excellent mind control, lol....

Edwin said:

Choose Apps!

Click to expand...

Choose Apps where (on the window)?

I used this Search box on the taskbar.

But I now notice, I have to admit, and apologize for my mistake, I mistakenly looked for the letters "ifr" rather than "irf" (I've mispelled this for years). And, yes, I can take advantage of my mistake and just misspell the Irfran shortcut, etc.

To wrap up this topic: Is (what I'm experiencing in Win11) it true that one can no longer create a popup menu that extends from the taskbar, (with folder submenus) by placing a folder in the taskbar?