create .exe to quick-launch an excel file

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Nick Vittum
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create .exe to quick-launch an excel file

Post by Nick Vittum »

The objective is to be able to pin a shortcut to the taskbar. I learned how to do this a while back, somewhere—I think it was here—but I lost it and now I can't find it. And I searched the web, and can't find it there either. Wrong search terms, again? probably. I remember that it involved creating a text file and saving it as an .exe, but I can't remember what to put in the file.
Can anyone help with this?
Last edited by Nick Vittum on 03 May 2020, 14:28, edited 2 times in total.
—Nick

I’m only an egg (but hard-boiled)

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HansV
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Re: create .exe to launch an excel file

Post by HansV »

If I remember correctly, you can simply drag the workbook to the taskbar and drop it there in Windows 7. It's a different story in Windows 10...
Best wishes,
Hans

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Nick Vittum
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Joined: 21 Feb 2020, 21:27
Location: Vermont (USA)

Re: create .exe to launch an excel file

Post by Nick Vittum »

HansV wrote:If I remember correctly, you can simply drag the workbook to the taskbar and drop it there in Windows 7. It's a different story in Windows 10...
Well you can do that. But then you have to right-click on the Excel icon to access the workbook shortcut, and then left-click the shortcut, and . . . well 20 years ago, I'd have marveled at how easy that was. But now it doesn't quite feel like "quick launch" any more.

But: I found it. I just had to keep changing up my search terms. Here's what you do, if anyone's interested. First you create a dummy .exe, just the way I remembered. But the secret is, it really is a dummy, just to fool Windows into letting you drag it onto the task bar. Doesn't have to have any contents at all. But then after you get it on the taskbar, you right click to get properties, and change the target from the from your dummy file to the actual Excel (or whatever) file. Add a distinctive icon if you want, and voila!

You can throw the dummy .exe away afterward, it was just there to fool Windows. The new shortcut goes straight to the Excel file, it doesn't go through the ".exe" at all.
—Nick

I’m only an egg (but hard-boiled)