Weird Incorrect Behavior when making shortcuts to apps


S

Shadly

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I have a gaming frontend that I am trying to launch the XBox app from. I went to the Apps folder from the Start menu, right clicked "Create Shortcut", and made a shortcut on the desktop.

First bit of weird behavior: I can't right click/properties on the shortcut. Just why???

Second bit of weird behavior: I can't launch the shortcut through the frontend software no matter what I try. I've tried giving it the command start "path\to\shortcut.lnk", it tells me the shortcut "doesn't have a defined path". I've made a .cmd file and just type in the start "path\to\shortcut.lnk". I then launch the .cmd file from the frontend software and it's the same thing. Here is the weird, incorrect part - if I click on the shortcut directly, it launches XBox; if I click on the .cmd file it launches XBox. The frontend software can't though. I know it's running the .cmd file because it throws the error for the .lnk file. But it's like if you try to activate the frontend, all of a sudden, that shortcut is blank. Weird!!!!!

Anyway, how do I program a program to launch a Windows App??? In Windows 10, this would work: start shell:AppsFolder\Microsoft.XboxGamingServices_8wekyb3d8bbwe!App. Making the shortcut on the desktop would also work.

1749614879162.webp
 
Windows Build/Version
W11, 24H2
Last edited:

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I can answer your first question.
Shadly said:
I went to the Apps folder from the Start menu, right clicked "Create Shortcut", and made a shortcut on the desktop.
Click to expand...
If you mean you right clicked on XBox and chose "create shortcut" I do not know how you did that. I do not have "create shortcut" as an option for Xbox
XBox is a UWP app. You CAN pin it to the start menu or taskbar. If you want it on your desktop, just find XBox in the all apps list and drag it to the desktop to create a shortcut. Once you do that your right click will work.

Here is what I get when right clicking on XBOX after creating the shortcut created using this method.
 

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glasskuter said:
I can answer your first question.

If you mean you right clicked on XBox and chose "create shortcut" I do not know how you did that. I do not have "create shortcut" as an option for Xbox
XBox is a UWP app. You CAN pin it to the start menu or taskbar. If you want it on your desktop, just find XBox in the all apps list and drag it to the desktop to create a shortcut. Once you do that your right click will work.

Here is what I get when right clicking on XBOX after creating the shortcut created using this method.
Click to expand...
See, that properties window won't open for me when I right click on the shortcut. It doesn't matter how I make the shortcut. Can you post the "Target" field here? I can try just launching that directly.
 

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Shadly said:
See, that properties window won't open for me when I right click on the shortcut. It doesn't matter how I make the shortcut. Can you post the "Target" field here? I can try just launching that directly.
Click to expand...
Just create your shortcut using the apps folder by running the command below:

Code: 
%windir%\explorer.exe shell:AppsFolder
 

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Shadly said:
First bit of weird behavior: I can't right click/properties on the shortcut. Just why???
Click to expand...
WindowsApps folder or UWP apps have limited permissions for security, even admin can not open them directly.
But you can start the app, right click on it in task manager, open location and create a shortcut from exe there.

capture_06112025_160151.webp capture_06112025_160247.webp
 

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For W11, the Xbox app alias is:
Microsoft.GamingApp_8wekyb3d8bbwe!Microsoft.Xbox.App

MS doesn't use the same Appx Package name as W10 did before. You can search for current Store app aliases using:
Code: 
powershell -C "Get-StartApps | where { $_.Name -match 'Xbox' }"
 

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TairikuOkami said:
WindowsApps folder or UWP apps have limited permissions for security, even admin can not open them directly.
But you can start the app, right click on it in task manager, open location and create a shortcut from exe there.

View attachment 136567 View attachment 136566
Click to expand...
So this kind of worked, but not really. I did what you said and made the shortcut on the Desktop. The shortcut works and opens XBox. If I call the shortcut in a batch or cmd file, it works. But, if I program my frontend to fire the shortcut, batch or cmd file, it still doesn't work. I get the same error about how the target doesn't exist.

This time, though, I was able to open the properties menu for the shortcut. I grabbed the target from the target field:

"C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\Microsoft.GamingApp_2505.1001.9.0_x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe\XboxPcApp.exe"

...and, when I programed my frontend to launch this file directly (no shortcut, batch or cmd involved) ... it worked.

I don't know why this worked and the other ways didn't and I likely will never know.

Still weird. But fixed. Thank you.
 

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