How to Find the Original File for a Shortcut on Windows 10

A Windows shortcut is only a pointer to another file, folder, or program. If you need to find the original item behind a shortcut in Windows 10, the quickest option is to right-click the shortcut and choose Open file location when that command is available. If it is not, open the shortcut's Properties and read the Target field.

Deleting a normal .lnk shortcut does not delete the file it points to. Microsoft describes Shell Links as references to target objects, and Windows can retrieve the target path stored by the link. These steps work for ordinary desktop and File Explorer shortcuts to files, folders, and classic desktop programs.

Windows 10 note: Microsoft ended standard Windows 10 support on October 14, 2025. Existing Windows 10 PCs still work, and the shortcut behavior described here remains useful on those systems. See Microsoft's Windows 10 support notice for current support options.

Method 1: Use Open File Location

This is the fastest method when Windows shows the command for the shortcut.

1. Find the shortcut on the desktop or in File Explorer.
2. Right-click the shortcut.
3. Select Open file location.
4. File Explorer should open the folder that contains the shortcut's target. For many shortcuts, the target file is also selected automatically.

If Open file location takes you to a folder that contains another shortcut instead of the actual program, you are probably starting from a Start menu entry. Right-click that shortcut and use the Properties method below to see its real target.

Method 2: Check the shortcut's Target field

The Properties window is the most reliable way to inspect a standard .lnk shortcut because it shows the destination recorded by the link.

1. Right-click the shortcut and choose Properties.
2. Open the Shortcut tab.
3. Look at Target. Do not confuse it with Target location or Start in.
4. If the Open File Location button is available, select it to jump directly to the folder containing the target.
5. If you need the path itself, select the text in the Target box and copy it. A program shortcut may include command-line arguments after the executable path, so copy only the actual file path when necessary.

For example, if Target shows C:\Users\Alex\Documents\Projects\Project Notes.docx, the original file is Project Notes.docx inside C:\Users\Alex\Documents\Projects.

Target, Target location, and Start in are not the same

What if the shortcut is broken?

If the original file was deleted, renamed, disconnected from a network drive, or moved somewhere Windows cannot resolve, opening the shortcut may produce a Problem with Shortcut message. The old path can still be useful because it tells you where the file was expected to be, but it does not restore the file.

Windows Shell Links can attempt to resolve a target that has moved, but you should not assume that every moved file will be found automatically. If the shortcut no longer works, copy the filename from the Target field and search for it in File Explorer. Also check the Recycle Bin, OneDrive or another synced folder you use, and any backup location that may contain the missing file.

One important exception: not every app shortcut points to a normal EXE

Traditional desktop shortcuts usually point to a file path that you can inspect. Some packaged or Microsoft Store apps are launched through app identifiers rather than a conventional executable target exposed in the same way. If a shortcut does not have the normal Shortcut tab or Target field, it may not be a standard Shell Link to a local file.

For the underlying Windows behavior, see Microsoft's Shell Links documentation, which explains that a Shell Link stores a reference to its associated object and that Windows can retrieve the current target path from the link.