Navigating Windows 10: The Frustration of ‘Open Application Location’

As a long-time Windows user, there’s a feature that has consistently puzzled me and, frankly, added a layer of annoyance to my daily tasks: the option to ‘Open Application Location’ by right-clicking an application in the search menu. Each time I engage with this feature, I am greeted by a folder full of shortcuts rather than the actual program file I am in search of.

Curiously enough, I have yet to find a practical use for this functionality. In fact, I can’t recall a single occasion when I needed to locate a shortcut itself. Most of the time, my goal is to jump directly to the program’s installation directory, ideally without the extra steps of navigating through Windows Explorer. For instance, I often wish to reach

C:\Program Files\XYZ Developer\XYZ Application

directly, rather than sifting through a dozen shortcuts in a separate folder.

This leads me to wonder: why does Windows 10 include this feature, and is there any way to adjust it so that it directs us to the actual application files instead?

If you’ve encountered this common frustration, you’re not alone. Share your thoughts or potential workarounds in the comments below!