Shortcuts clutter desktops, as you know. What you might not know is that they hamper PC and laptop performance as well. They can cause system freezes, program lock-ups, slow performance, startup issues and even shutdown! This shortcut remover effectively eliminates all remnants of shortcut from your registry to enhance your computer performance. It also helps avoid time-consuming desktops searches for useful shortcuts.
Best Shortcut Remover Software for Windows
| Pricing | Scan Speed | Ease of Use | Shortcut Filter | Properties Checking | Support | UI | Overall | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free Shortcut Remover | $0 |  (5 / 5) | (5 / 5) |  | | (5 / 5) | (5 / 5) | (5 / 5) |
| Shortcut Fixer | $0 | (5 / 5) | (5 / 5) |  | |  (3 / 5) |  (1 / 5) |  (3.5 / 5) |
| Broken Shortcut Fixer | $0 | (5 / 5) | (5 / 5) | | | (5 / 5) | (5 / 5) | (3.5 / 5) |
| ShortcutsMan | $0 |  (4 / 5) | (3 / 5) | | |  (4.5 / 5) |  (2.5 / 5) | (3.5 / 5) |
| Puran Utilities | $0 | (3 / 5) |  (2 / 5) | | | (5 / 5) | (3 / 5) | (3 / 5) |
| Bad Shortcut Killer | $0 | (4 / 5) | (5 / 5) | | | (5 / 5) | (3 / 5) | (3 / 5) |
| Wise Disk Cleaner | $0 | (3 / 5) | (3.5 / 5) | | | (5 / 5) | (5 / 5) | (4 / 5) |
| PC Win Booster Free | $0 | (4 / 5) | (4 / 5) | | | (5 / 5) | (4 / 5) | (4.5 / 5) |
1. Free Shortcut Remover
There is also the program Free Shortcut Remover, which as the name implies, is another free program for fixing and removing shortcuts. With this handy Window’s utility tool, you can scan your computer and have it find any links that are broken, inactive, or deemed “useless” by the program. After the scan, you can go through the list and start deciding what you want to do with the various links. If there are any you wish to keep, then you can choose to fix them. Otherwise, you can select all of the ones you want gone, and Free Shortcut Remover will delete them for you in one go.
Pros:
- Compeletely free
- Super easy and friendly to new users
- Filter and search box available
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2. Shortcut Fixer
One great shortcut fixer software option is appropriately named Shortcut Fixer. This is a free open source software that is incredibly easy for any Windows user. It will analyze your computer and find any broken links that may be present; broken shortcuts, targets, and found targets. From there, all you have to do is select all the broken links and choose the “Fix” option. It will fix whatever links it can, while deleting anything that it cannot fix, clearing some of the clutter.
Pros:
- Free
- Can delete recent history
- Easy-to-use
3. Broken Shortcut Fixer
Broken Shortcut Fixer is another software option dedicated specifically to fixing broken shortcuts on your computer. With this specific shortcut fixer software, you can select which computer drive you want it to scan. Once it has completed the selected scan, it will present you with a list of all the broken shortcuts that it was able to find. From there, you can choose to fix them or delete anything you no longer want on your computer. If you are not entirely sure about a given shortcut, the program also allows you to explore it before making a choice, so you do not end up deleting the wrong thing by mistake.
Pros:
- Scans drives quickly
- Easy-to-use
- Tries to delete broken shortcuts, but asks to delete ones it cannot fix
Cons:
- Does not tell you which shortcuts it fixed
4. ShortcutsMan
Yet another program dedicated specifically to dealing with computer shortcuts is ShortcutsMan. Like all the others, this program will scan your computer and give you a list of all the shortcuts it finds; broken and working. To help differentiate between the different links, the program displays any that are broken in red. In the interface, you can look at the shortcut’s name, status, the link to the file, and the shortcut file name. Again, as with other programs, you have the option to either fix or delete any broken links. But, you can also save or copy them as well with this program, and a final HTML report can be generated for scanned results.
Pros:
- Clearly marks broken shortcuts
- Fast
- Easy-to-use
Cons:
- Some users find icons confusing
5. Puran Utilities
Unlike other programs on this list, Puran Utilities is not a dedicated shortcut fixer software. Instead, it offers Window’s users some different useful tools, one of them being fixing broken shortcuts with the Fix Shortcuts utility option. When using this program, you specify the computer drive you want to be scanned and it will display any shortcuts it finds. Once the scan is complete, you can choose to fix or delete any broken or undesired shortcuts with just a click.
Pros:
- Multi-Use tool
- Free
- Easy-to-use
Cons:
- Some users complain certain tools are slow
6. Bad Shortcut Killer
Bad Shortcut Killer, while the name may make you do a double take, Bad Shortcut is another dedicated freeware program which finds shortcuts on your computers and helps delete or fix them. With this software, it automatically scans your whole computer – unlike other programs that make you choose a specific driver – and finds all the existing shortcuts. From there, you can look at the results and select all the broken links in one go, and delete them completely from your computer.
Pros:
- Free
- Scans the whole computer in one go
Cons:
- Cannot open shortcut folders for manual validation
7. Wise Disk Cleaner
Another general Window’s utility program that offers shortcut fixing capabilities is Wise Disk Cleaner. This software can do a lot, including scan your computer for any broken or invalid shortcuts, or all general junk files. When focusing on finding the shortcuts, you just need to go to the Common Cleaner Tab and choose the Invalid Shortcuts option. After Wise Disk Cleaner has completed the scan, you can choose to remove any broken links that were found. Of course, you also have access to other great tools that help to clean your computer and keep it running smoothly.
Pros:
- Offers multiple utilities
- Free
Cons:
- May cause newer versions of Windows to crash
8. PC Win Booster Free
Another general utility tool is the PC Win Booster Free, which is a PC cleaner. But, it offers a feature that allows users to find and delete any broken shortcuts from their computer. Once the scan is complete, a list of the broken shortcuts will popup, with the shortcut’s path, description, and executable path displayed as well. You can then click “Fix Problem,” and the program will then try to fix the shortcuts it can and delete any that it cannot.
Pros:
- Easy-to-use
- Has a free version
Cons:
- Limited functionality in the free version
Conclusion
The one struggle that all Windows users have is that everytime they download a new program, it ends up creating many extra files, both seen and unseen. This includes program shortcuts, which are meant to make finding and opening programs easier. But, deleting the program from your computer does not entirely remove all traces. In many cases, there are remains left behind, including unnecessary shortcut links. To ensure that these shortcuts are removed, or even fixed, the best thing to do is use a shortcut fixer software. This sort of software will allow you to scan your computer and find every shortcut, broken and working, giving you the option to either fix or delete them as you desire. These are some of the best shortcut fixer software for Windows users so far this year. With any of these programs, you can be certain that your desktop and computer will be clean and organized.
Overview of Best Shortcut Remover
Free Shortcut Remover is the best shortcut remover software, which will rid you of pesky, broken shortcuts once and for all. It features free updates and unlimited technical support.
The tool enables users to eliminate broken and invalid shortcuts scattered around their computers. The program scans the computer system, finds all the invalid shortcuts and informs the user so they can remove them and enable smooth operation of the system as needed.
This tool can also help protect your privacy by deleting your recent history. As you browse the Web, your history saves shortcuts to the URLs visited, which may then be accessed by others who use your computer. This might not be something you want. The shortcut cleaner finds and deletes recent history shortcuts in your history tool, document software or media player to protect your privacy and ensure peace of mind.
What to Look for in a Shortcut Remover
When looking for a shortcut remover, you should make sure it can remove shortcut viruses. Maybe you’ve had problems with a USB or external hard disk where folders and files get converted to shortcuts. Some viruses mainly target the files, cutting them down to tiny shortcuts. These are also known as the ‘Shortcut Virus’. This shortcut remover is capable of locating all shortcut viruses and eliminating them to avoid danger.
When choosing a shortcut remover, you should look at its filter functions. More advanced filter functions make it possible to specify filtering criteria and find the exactly wanted shortcuts more quickly. This is achieved by inputting part of or the full name of the shortcuts. This tool enables you to find and focus on the shortcuts that you actually need by displaying specific groups of shortcuts and hiding the rest from your view.
Pros of the Free Shortcut Remover
This tool is easy on your system’s processors and features a state-of-the-art interface that is straightforward and user-friendly interface. It is also much faster than most of the similar tools on the market.
We really like that you can view all shortcuts in a list, displayed in an easy to understand way. More specifically, they are displayed in a list under four columns in the main window, and you can view the information of each shortcut very clearly. You check or uncheck the small squares to delete or keep shortcuts. You can access the information and properties of the selected shortcut in the pop-up property window.
This tool is safe and easy to use. It resolves your shortcut issues and does not contain any viruses, spyware, Trojans or any other kind of malware. Its UI is clean and it can locate and eliminate any shortcut you want with few clicks, as it has been developed as an easy-to-use free shortcut fixer. Even laymen will have no issues working with it.
What is Special about this Software?
First and foremost, it’s free! Moreover, it will do exactly as promised – find and remove all unwanted shortcuts, helping you better manage the ones you do need. It can eliminate your invalid or unneeded shortcuts to save your space and protect your privacy without any charges, official or hidden. If you download this free software, you will have access to life-long free updates and 24/7 technical support.
Shortcut Remover Step-by-Step Guide
The Free Shortcut Remover is the quickest and most secure option of deleting shortcut viruses permanently. Here is a step-by-step guide to using it to remove malware.
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Step 1: Download and Install Free Shortcut Remover
The software is 100% free, as we mentioned. All you need to do is download it from the official product website. The process is simple and straightforward. After installing, the Remover will create a desktop shortcut for fast launching whenever you need to shortcut viruses eliminated.
Below is an overview of the software’s functions:
Step 2: Scan and Select the Invalid Shortcuts
To choose the drive you want to scan, click on ‘Shortcuts’ and then on ‘OK’. The scan will start right away. The software will display all the shortcuts found with the relevant information including, name, location, and target. It will then label all the invalid shortcuts with a red cross.
Click on ‘Select all broken shortcuts’ to mark all the broken shortcuts. If you want to unmark them, click on ‘Select None’ if you want to deselect the shortcuts.
Step 3: Remove the Broken Shortcuts
To remove the invalid and broken shortcuts from your computer and external storage devices, click on ‘Delete’.
Why Should I Choose the Free Shortcut Remover?
So why should you choose this very software considering all the similar ones on the market? Many of them are free too, after all! Shouldn’t you do a bit of ‘shopping around’ first?
No, and we’ll tell you why – all other shortcut removers have very complicated user interfaces, do not differentiate between valid and invalid shortcuts, do not display the shortcuts and take too long to remove them.
Tips and Tricks of Using the Software
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Use the Advanced Filter Function to find shortcuts quickly.
Enter part of or the whole name of the shortcut to find specific shortcuts fast. Then click on ‘Show’. It will display all valid or invalid shortcuts.
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View Shortcut Properties Options
There are two options for viewing shortcut properties. After completing the shortcut scan, click ‘Properties’ or double-click each shortcut to list the properties dialog box for each one.
Our Final Verdict
The Free Shortcut Remover is the top software on the market to help you delete shortcut viruses. Make sure you have the latest version. As soon as you connect the software to your PC or laptop, scan all external storage devices as well.
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