Google Drive Shortcut Removed: What You Need to Know

The Google Drive shortcut has been removed, and users are now unable to add it to their desktop or taskbar. This change affects both personal and work accounts.

The shortcut was a convenient way to access Google Drive files directly from the desktop. Many users relied on it for daily tasks.

Google Drive's new design focuses on a more streamlined interface, but some features have been removed or relocated. The shortcut was likely removed to simplify the interface and reduce clutter.

If you're used to accessing Google Drive through the shortcut, you'll need to find a new way to access your files.

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If you delete the original file, the shortcut will still exist, but it's no longer functional. It's just a symbolic link that points to a file/folder that no longer exists.

You can't delete shortcuts within a Drive folder that belongs to someone else, because shortcuts inherit ownership from their parent folder.

A different take: Google Documents Shortcuts

If you're an admin, you can use the audit and investigation page to run searches related to Drive log events to check what files the user deleted.

A shortcut that points to something that no longer exists will have a trash can icon on it. Selecting the shortcut will take you to the file in the trash. If the file has been deleted from the trash, nothing happens when you select the shortcut.

If you're missing something, you can't delete the shortcut. However, as an admin, you can use the Drive API to get the file ID of the file the shortcut was pointing to.

The shortcut is not a copy of the original item; it's just a symbolic link that no longer works when the target item gets deleted.

The behavior of shortcuts is consistent with how Windows shortcuts and macOS aliases work.

Here's a summary of what happens to shortcuts:

Note: The behavior of shortcuts is the same as how Windows shortcuts and macOS aliases work.

Expand your knowledge: Can You Do Shortcuts in Google Drive

Google Drive file shortcuts have been a topic of discussion among users. Many have expressed concerns about their functionality, particularly when it comes to ownership and deletion.

One user, Van Kerschaver Frederik, pointed out that when you're not the owner of the original file, you can make a copy of a shortcut, but you can't delete it. This seems like a strange behavior.

Users like Elias have also expressed disappointment with the new file shortcut feature, citing it as a huge downgrade in functionality. They believe it adds clutter and makes it harder to keep Drive organized.

Renamed folders don't update within the Drive Directory, as Renee Szostak noted. This can be confusing and frustrating for users who rely on the Directory for navigation.

Here are some key takeaways about file shortcuts in Google Drive: