Pin Games folder to taskbar or Start menu in Windows 10

With Windows Vista, Microsoft introduced the Games folder which was a special location to manage your installed games. This folder also offers game updates, statistics, rating information, RSS feeds, and more. It acts like a central repository for all recognized games you have on your PC. In Windows 10, this folder still works, but it is hidden from the end user. Let's see how to bring it back and pin the Games icon to the taskbar or the Start menu of Windows 10.

When the Games folder is pinned to the taskbar or to the Start menu, it provides quick access to all installed games on your PC. It is also very useful when you have installed the good old Windows 7 Games in Windows 10:
Windows 10 run games from Windows 7
To pin Games to the taskbar or the Start menu in Windows 10, you need to follow these simple instructions below.

  1. Right click on the empty space of your Desktop and select New -> Shortcut from the context menu.
  2. Use the following command in the shortcut target:
    explorer shell:Games

  3. Name your shortcut as "Games".
  4. Open the shortcut's properties and set its icon from the following files:
    C:\Windows\system32\gameux.dll

  5. Now right click the Games shortcut you created on the taskbar and select Pin to taskbar from the context menu. Games will be pinned to the taskbar:
  6. To pin Games to the Start menu, right click the Games shortcut you created on the taskbar and select Pin to Start from the context menu. Games will be pinned to the Start menu:

That's it.

Update: The Games folder has been removed from Windows 10. Starting in Windows 10 version 1803 the OS doesn't include that folder any more.  See

Say goodbye to the Games folder with Windows 10 version 1803

Instead, you should use the following method:

Find Windows Experience Index in Windows 10 Spring Creators Update

You can of course use Winaero Tweaker or the standalone Winaero WEI Tool to see it too.

Support us

Winaero greatly relies on your support. You can help the site keep bringing you interesting and useful content and software by using these options:

If you like this article, please share it using the buttons below. It won't take a lot from you, but it will help us grow. Thanks for your support!

Author: Sergey Tkachenko

Sergey Tkachenko is a software developer who started Winaero back in 2011. On this blog, Sergey is writing about everything connected to Microsoft, Windows and popular software. Follow him on Telegram, Twitter, and YouTube.

7 thoughts on “Pin Games folder to taskbar or Start menu in Windows 10”

      1. in message there is a space, but I created well with explorer shell:Games
        thank you for your response.

          1. it is about windows 10 1803 build 17133.1
            anyway your procedure to replace “explorer.exe shell ::: {ED228FDF-9EA8-4870-83b1-96b02CFE0D52}” is fine.
            best regards

  1. shell:Games (removed in version 1803) Games
    replacement is: shell:GameTasks %LocalAppData%\Microsoft\Windows\GameExplorer

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

Exit mobile version
Using Telegram? Subscribe to the blog channel!
Hello. Add your message here.