Focus On Desktop Shortcuts In Order To Use Them

In the attached screenshot the red arrow points to the browser named Brave. When the focus is on any particular shortcut all I need to do to open that shortcut is double click it. But, as mentioned, it must be the shortcut that the focus is on.

So here is the quandary. I have my power modes set to turn off only the monitor after 20 minutes of no action. This has always worked perfectly until one of my Win 11 machines started performing slightly differently. By moving the mouse, the monitor would wake up. But even though I could move the mouse anywhere I wanted I could not get that focus to activate until about 5 seconds later than it should have. This is not a big problem, but things like this make me wonder if anyone else has run into this. I checked my power settings to make sure nothing had changed, and that the computer NEVER went to sleep. All seemed to be set the way I wanted it but that issue I mentioned was still there.

Now here is the funny part of this. I have had this issue for about 2 months now. I never considered it a big enough problem to post about. BUT yesterday all my Win 11 computers were updated to Windows Update site’s cumulative recommended update for Win 11 ver. 22H2. This was not a mandatory update, but it was recommended, so I installed it. Once installed, the problem I just described went away.

So, as of now, I need no fix just maybe some idea of what was going on and if anyone else has encountered this.

Well now I am looking for a solution because it functioning correctly only lasted the one day the update was installed. It went back to taking 5 to 10 seconds to be able to use the desktop shortcuts. Any idea how to fix this would be appreciated.

Is this your issue Very Minor Desktop Icon issue

Zinoviev said:

Is this your issue Very Minor Desktop Icon issue

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Yes it is. Though I have never tried clicking the taskbar, I surely will do that next. Thank you.

HDL said:

Yes it is. Though I have never tried clicking the taskbar, I surely will do that next. Thank you.

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Opening and closing widgets will un-freeze them. Also the right side of the screen works normally if you put the icons there. Only the left side is broken at the moment.

Zinoviev said:

Opening and closing widgets will un-freeze them. Also the right side of the screen works normally if you put the icons there. Only the left side is broken at the moment.

Click to expand...

Thank you. I am not familiar with widgets even after looking up the definition on the NET. So not sure I use them unless it is something MS forced on me and I don't know about.

I have many shortcut icons on the right side of the monitor and just tried them. As with everyone else, they immediately worked. Now the next time I wake up my computer I'll try the clicking the taskbar and see if that, too, works for me.

HDL said:

Thank you. I am not familiar with widgets even after looking up the definition on the NET. So not sure I use them unless it is something MS forced on me and I don't know about.

I have many shortcut icons on the right side of the monitor and just tried them. As with everyone else, they immediately worked. Now the next time I wake up my computer I'll try the clicking the taskbar and see if that, too, works for me.

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Win + W keys open up widgets. They are a forced feature.

Zinoviev said:

Win + W keys open up widgets. They are a forced feature.

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Thank you.