Powershell Create Shortcut Icon From Url

MIster jashon

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Oct 02, 2024

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How to Create a Shortcut Icon from a URL using PowerShell

PowerShell is a powerful scripting language for Windows that allows you to automate tasks and manage your system with ease. One such task you can automate is creating shortcuts to websites with custom icons, making it easier to access your favorite websites. This article will guide you on how to use PowerShell to create a shortcut icon from a URL.

Understanding the Process

The process of creating a shortcut icon from a URL using PowerShell involves creating a shortcut file (.lnk) with the desired properties, including the URL, icon location, and shortcut name. We'll use PowerShell cmdlets to accomplish this.

Step-by-Step Guide

1. Obtaining the Icon:

• Directly from a Website: Many websites provide their favicon (the small icon that appears in the browser tab) in an accessible format like .ico. You can usually find this by inspecting the website's source code or by searching for the website's favicon online.
• Using a Website Favicon Converter: If the website doesn't provide a direct link to its favicon, you can use a website favicon converter to extract the favicon from the URL and download it locally.

2. Creating the Shortcut:

• Open PowerShell: Search for "PowerShell" in the Windows search bar and run it as administrator.
• Define Variables: Define variables for the URL, icon location, shortcut name, and shortcut location:

$url = "https://www.example.com" 
$iconLocation = "C:\path\to\icon.ico" 
$shortcutName = "Example Website"
$shortcutLocation = "C:\Users\YourUserName\Desktop"

• Create the Shortcut: Use the New-Object cmdlet with the -ComObject parameter to create a shortcut object and then set its properties:

$shortcut = New-Object -ComObject WScript.Shell
$shortcut.CreateShortcut("$shortcutLocation\$shortcutName.lnk")
$shortcut.TargetPath = $url
$shortcut.IconLocation = $iconLocation
$shortcut.Save()

3. Verification:

• Check the Shortcut: Navigate to the specified shortcut location and verify that the shortcut has been created with the correct icon and target URL.

Tips and Tricks

• Using Relative Paths: You can use relative paths for $iconLocation and $shortcutLocation for convenience. This simplifies the code and makes it more flexible.
• Adding a Description: You can add a description to your shortcut using the $shortcut.Description property.
• Batch Script: For repetitive tasks, consider creating a batch script that accepts URL, icon location, shortcut name, and location as input and executes the PowerShell script to automate shortcut creation.

Example

Let's create a shortcut for Google with a custom icon using the above process.

1. Obtaining the Icon:

• Visit (you can also use ) and download the favicon (or use a website favicon converter to extract the favicon).

2. Creating the Shortcut:

$url = "https://www.google.com"
$iconLocation = "C:\path\to\favicon.ico" 
$shortcutName = "Google"
$shortcutLocation = "C:\Users\YourUserName\Desktop"

$shortcut = New-Object -ComObject WScript.Shell
$shortcut.CreateShortcut("$shortcutLocation\$shortcutName.lnk")
$shortcut.TargetPath = $url
$shortcut.IconLocation = $iconLocation
$shortcut.Save()

3. Verification:

• Navigate to your desktop and verify that a new shortcut named "Google" with the Google favicon has been created.

Conclusion

By leveraging the power of PowerShell, you can easily create shortcuts with custom icons from URLs. This approach provides a convenient and customizable way to manage your website shortcuts, enhancing your productivity and simplifying your browsing experience. With the steps and tips provided in this article, you'll be able to create shortcuts for your favorite websites with custom icons in no time. Remember to replace the example variables with your desired values to create shortcuts for your specific needs.