How to pin links to the Taskbar or Start Menu of every browser

If you’re doing anything on your PC or one of the best Chromebooks, you can’t go far without opening a web browser. If there are certain websites that you open regularly, it’s often useful to have a shortcut on your Taskbar or in the Start Menu. Some browsers have a built-in feature that makes it easy, while other browsers require a complicated series of steps.

No matter which browser you use, this guide shows you how to pin your links where you want them.

How to pin links in Google Chrome

Google Chrome is the most popular browser on the market. While it can’t pin a link directly to the Taskbar or Start Menu, it has a built-in shortcut feature that works as a good launching-off point.

Here’s how to create a Google Chrome link to the Taskbar or Start Menu:

1. Click the three vertical dots in the upper-right corner of the browser.
2. Hover your cursor over More tools.
3. Click Create Shortcut.

4. Name the shortcut and click Create.
5. The shortcut can be found on your desktop. Right-click the shortcut to open the context menu.
6. To pin the link to the taskbar, select Pin to taskbar.
7. To pin the link to the Start Menu, select Pin to Start.

How to pin links in Microsoft Edge

Microsoft Edge offers the easiest method for pinning links to the Windows taskbar and Start Menu. To pin your links, take the following steps:

1. Click the three horizontal dots in the upper-right corner of the browser.
2. Hover your cursor over More tools.
3. To pin the link to the taskbar, select Pin to taskbar.
4. To pin the link to the Start Menu, select Pin to Start.

5. A dialogue box asks if you want to pin the link to the taskbar or Start menu. Select Yes.

How to pin links from Firefox, Opera, Vivaldi, Brave, and other browsers

Unlike Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge, these browsers don’t have a built-in function for creating browser-specific shortcuts. However, it is possible to create shortcuts that open in your preferred browser.

To do this, you will need the following:

• The URL of the site you want to link.
• The location where your preferred browser is installed.

In this example, we use the URL for our website, https://www.androidpolice.com. You can substitute the URL for any website you wish.

To find the location your browser is installed, right-click the browser shortcut and select Properties. The file location under Target is the location you need.

The default install locations for each browser are as follows:

• Firefox: C:Program FilesMozilla Firefoxfirefox.exe
• Opera: C:Users[USERNAME]AppDataLocalProgramsOperalauncher.exe
• Vivaldi: C:Users[USERNAME]AppDataLocalVivaldivivaldi.exe

Once you have both the URL and the file location, take the following steps:

1. Right-click on the desktop.
2. Hover over New.
3. Select Shortcut.
4. Enter the file location and the URL into the text box, separated by a space and with each one surrounded by quotes.

5. Click Next.
6. Name the shortcut whatever you want.
7. Click Finish.

You now have a shortcut to your site on your desktop. To pin it to the taskbar or Start menu, take the following steps:

1. Right-click the shortcut to open the context menu.
2. To pin the link to the taskbar, select Pin to taskbar.
3. To pin the link to the Start Menu, select Pin to Start.

These steps can also be used to pin a link with Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge, but it’s easier to use those browsers’ built-in functionality.

How to pin links from Safari

While Apple no longer offers a Windows version of the Safari browser, it’s still the default (and the most popular) browser on all machines running macOS. Using Safari, you can pin a link to any website to the macOS dock, which is roughly the macOS equivalent of the Taskbar. You can do this by following these steps:

1. Visit the page you want to pin to the dock.
2. Move the cursor over the address bar, and click and hold the URL.
3. Drag the URL down to the dock at the bottom of the screen.
4. Release the URL.

A link to the URL is pinned to the macOS dock. Clicking it opens the link in Safari.

Browse how you want

Each browser has its upsides and downsides, but there’s a reason Google Chrome is the most popular browser in use. It’s lightning-fast and constantly updated with new features. To find out what more you can do with the browser, there are some incredible tips and tricks for Chrome on the desktop.