Extract text from Desktop shortcuts (DESKLINK)
To convert DESKLINK Shortcuts to another format, you need Microsoft Windows or other System software.
To convert other file formats to the "System Shortcut File" file type, you need software like Microsoft Windows or a similar tool.
A .desklink file is a specialized system configuration shortcut utilized exclusively by the Microsoft Windows operating system. It is typically found in the hidden SendTo user directory and strictly controls the 'Desktop (create shortcut)' option within the Windows right-click context menu.
This format is highly restrictive. Its main disadvantage is that it contains zero user data, text, media, or formatting. It merely holds a system identifier - specifically a GUID (Globally Unique Identifier) - that triggers a hardcoded Windows Shell command. Consequently, .desklink files are entirely useless on macOS, Linux, or mobile devices. Attempting to share or open a .desklink file on a non-Windows machine will result in an unrecognized file error.
Because this is a closed, proprietary system file, standard online converters fail to process it. You cannot convert a .desklink shortcut into standard document formats like PDF, DOCX, or JPG because there is no actual document to convert.
This file format is difficult to open or convert because it is not designed for human interaction; only the original Windows operating system can properly read or execute the routing data. If our analysis detects a supported underlying or embedded text format, viewing or conversion may still be possible.
Convert.Guru analyzes your DESKLINK file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted EXE, JPG and DLL files.
If you want to convert DESKLINK file to SYS, DLL, EXE, DRV, VXD, 386, COM, BAT, CMD, SCR, PIF or LNK, you can use Microsoft Windows or similar software from the "Windows System Shortcut" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert MSI, EXE, REG, MST, LNK, CAB, CAT, DRV, INF, SYS, MSU or DLL files to DESKLINK, try Microsoft Windows or another comparable tool in the "Windows System Shortcut" category.
The history of Convert.Guru began over 25 years ago in California with Tom Simondi’s file-format database. A former contributor to Space Shuttle development and a software pioneer of the 1980s, Simondi established a trusted resource for file type analysis that was even referenced by Microsoft Windows XP. Today, we use modern technology to process and convert thousands of file formats while continually improving our DESKLINK converter.