Add your own shortcuts to Windows 11 power user menu

The Windows 11 power user menu (Win+X) can be enhanced with custom shortcuts to your preferred applications and files. While Microsoft doesn’t officially support this customization, you can accomplish it using a specialized tool.

Adding custom shortcuts with hashlnk tool

The process requires careful attention to detail but isn’t overly complex. Here’s the complete walkthrough:

  1. Visit the Hashlnk GitHub page and download the hashlnk_xxx.zip file to your system.

  1. Navigate to your downloads folder, find the hashlnk_xxx.zip file, right-click it and choose ‘Extract all’.

  1. Select your preferred extraction location and click the ‘Extract’ button.

  1. Find hashlnk.exe in the extracted folder, right-click it and select ‘Properties’.

  1. Copy the file location path shown in Properties - you’ll need this later.

  1. Access the WinX folder by entering this path in File Explorer:

C:\Users\Default\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\WinX

  1. Inside the WinX folder, you’ll find Group1 (bottom), Group2 (middle), and Group3 (top) folders. Select the appropriate group for your shortcut.

  1. Right-click in the group folder, hover over ‘New’, and select ‘Shortcut’.

  1. Click ‘Browse’ in the shortcut creation window.

  1. Select the application or file you want to add to the menu.

  1. Click ‘Next’ to continue.

  1. Name your shortcut and click ‘Finish’.

  1. Verify that your shortcut appears in the group folder.

  1. Open Terminal through the Start menu search.

  1. Switch to Command Prompt using the dropdown menu.

  1. Run the hashlnk command with your paths:

"C:\Users\YourUsername\Downloads\hashlnk\hashlnk.exe" "C:\Users\YourUsername\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\WinX\Group2\YourShortcut.lnk"

  1. Sign out and back in to Windows to apply the changes.

  1. Press Win+X to see your new shortcut in the power user menu.