Shortcuts appearing on all users desktops

Hello all,

I've just bought a new computer with Win 10 installed of course

I have the main user account as admin and I've set up two other user accounts for my kids, without admin.

Whenever I install a new application a shortcut for that application gets placed on everyone's desktop. If I delete the shortcut, say on my daughters desktop, it also deletes it from my own desktop.

Is there a setting to change somewhere.

Any help will be greatly appreciated, thanks

Hi Gordon, welcome to windowssh blog.

This quote from another similar thread:

Each user has access to two Desktop folders, public and user specific.

Check the C:UsersPublicDesktopfolder, move all shortcuts you want to be shown only on your desktop to folder C:UsersYour_UsernameDesktop. Do the same for shortcuts you only want to be shown on your partner's desktop.

Kari

Solved 2nd user can see all my shortcuts ? - Windows 10 blog

Kari

Thanks for your welcome Karri,

great advice, although at first I couldn't find the public desktop folder I soon realised it was hidden and changed the folders properties.

Also I was confused as I wanted to have the same shortcuts on more than one account but soon learned instead of dragging them across, copying them into each desktop separately worked fine, deleting the final one from the public desktop.

I just mention the above for advice to other viewers on this thread, I bet you knew all of that already.

Thanks again for the welcome, I can see I'll be reading a lot at these blog from now on

You are welcome.

The idea of the public desktop folder is that when you install software that by default or by your choice will be available to all users, the shortcut will be placed on public desktop.

The desktop any user sees is a combination of two desktop folders, the user specific one and the public one.

Kari

You are welcome.
The idea of the public desktop folder is that when you install software that bydefault or by your choice will be available to all users, the shortcut will be placed on public desktop.
The desktop any user sees is a combination of two desktop folders, the user specific one and the public one.
Kari

Oh I see. If I pay more attention the next time I install something, will I be able to see an option not to place a shortcut in the public desk top? Maybe I should never just accept the easy install options and choose the customise install option?

Most software will be installed for all users. Selecting Advanced or Options (depends on software) when installing might let you choose if the software will be installed for current user only or for all users (not all software installers have this option, those which have might not always use Advanced or Options label for buttons where you find this option).

Opera browser installer is a good example. If you download it from opera.comand just accept defaults (#1 in screenshot below), it will be installed for all users and shortcut will be created on public desktop for all users to see it:

To install it only for you, you need to click Options (#2 in above screenshot) and select Install for Current user:

Selecting Current user Opera will now be installed for you only, shortcut placed on your personal desktop, and Opera in Start menu will only be shown to you.

Kari

I thought it may be something like that.

Thanks for taking the time for the great explanation Kari