Windows operating system offers multiple ways to launch your favorite Firefox web browser. You can launch it from the Start menu or taskbar search, pin it to the Start menu and launch it from there, add it to the taskbar and open it from there, use the Run command or create a desktop shortcut and double-click on it to launch Firefox.
While most users use the search to launch the Firefox browser, many users prefer having a Firefox shortcut on the desktop for quick and easy launch. Users who are using Firefox on a touch device also prefer having its icon on the desktop as tapping on an icon on the desktop is way easier than typing Firefox in the search and then tapping the Enter key.
Luckily, adding the Firefox shortcut to Windows 10/11 is easy. This guide shows you how to add the Firefox shortcut to your desktop in Windows 10 or 11.
NOTE: When you install/reinstall the Firefox browser, the installer automatically adds the Firefox icon to the desktop. So, check if the Firefox icon is already present on the desktop before trying this method.
Add Firefox shortcut icon to Windows 10/11 desktop
Step 1: Type Firefox in the Start or taskbar search to see the Firefox entry in the search results.
Step 2: Perform a right-click on the Firefox entry and then click the Open file location option.
Step 3: The folder should show Firefox among other apps. To add Firefox to the desktop, copy (not cut) the Firefox icon and then paste it to the desktop area.
You can now double-click the Firefox icon on the desktop to launch it.
Add Firefox to the Start menu and taskbar in Windows 10/11
Step 1: Search for Firefox using the Start menu or taskbar search.
Step 2: Right-click on the Firefox entry and then click Pin to Start or Pin to taskbar, depending on where you would like to add the Firefox icon.
Our how-to add Chrome icon to Windows 10/11 desktop guide might also interest you.
Anonymous says
Windows 11 – Version 10.0.22631 Build 22631 (Acer Nitro V 15 Laptop) does not have the “Open file location” in the Right-click popup menu mentioned in the instructions above; now Windows 11 simply has the options to “Run as administrator” or “App settings”, and that doesn’t provide the needed information to indicate where the program is being launched from.
Is there another way, on the latest Windows 11 version, to add a shortcut for a program to the User Desktop? It looks like the program (Firefox 128.0.3) is a “Windows MSIX package” — “mozilla-MSIX – 1.0”; whatever that means. (I don’t know Windows 11.)
SOLUTION: Found an executable filename in the Registry Editor (RegEdit.exe) in the {default} data of the “Computer\HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\AppXem0p10ktgng9s0kswyhe3vwzcxarqm86\Shell\open\command” key. Putting that in the shortcut seems to be working after removing the parameter (“%1” ? “”) from the RegEdit entry.
RegEdit data: “C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\Mozilla.Firefox_128.0.3.0_x64__n80bbvh6b1yt2\VFS\ProgramFiles\Firefox Package Root\firefox.exe” -osint -url “%1”
Must be edited for the new shortcut to: “C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\Mozilla.Firefox_128.0.3.0_x64__n80bbvh6b1yt2\VFS\ProgramFiles\Firefox Package Root\firefox.exe” -osint -url “”