If you are one of the people who have changed from Windows to MacYou can probably be somewhat confused. And more about how to create a shortcut to the application in macOS. Similarly, there are no references to shortcuts anywhere. And if you look for them in Spotlight or in System Preferences, the keyboard is mainly what appears.
Thus, shortcuts, whether for files or for applications, exist in macOS. They are called Alias and they are quite useful. And here we will explain how to create them.
Shortcut: context menu
First, you must navigate to the file or application for which you want to create a shortcut. Right-click and select the option "Create alias" in the context menu. Likewise, this will create a shortcut for the item in the same location. Then, you can move it wherever you want. Unlike Windows, there is no context menu option to create a shortcut on the desktop.
Also, when you use the context menu, the shortcut is always created in the original directory.
Keyboard shortcut
Another way to create an alias or shortcut in macOS is to use the keys: CTRL + COMMAND + a keyboard shortcut. This works in Catalina and should also be applied in previous versions. However, if it does not work on yours, you can search for the correct keyboard shortcut for your macOS version. To do this, you must open Finder, select an application and go to the "File" menu in the menu bar.
"Make an Alias" will appear with your shortcut next to it. Now, to run the shortcut, open Finder, select the items for which you want to create a shortcut and play the keyboard shortcut.
Drag and drop
Now, if you prefer to use the drag-and-drop function to move files in macOS, you'll be glad to know that you can also use the drag-and-drop function. To create a file or a shortcut to an application in macOS. To do this, you must open Finder and select the items for which you want to create a shortcut.
Now, you must press and hold the OPTION + COMMAND keys. And then, drag and drop the items to the folder in which you want to create the alias. This method is the only one in which you can create a shortcut in your preferred location in one step. The other two methods above require that you move it after creating it.
In turn, the shortcuts or aliases retain the thumbnail or icon that the original file or application has. However, they also have a black arrow to indicate that it is not the original file. Deleting an alias is generally harmless.
However, it is not a good idea to fill the Applications folder with aliases. So you must move your applications to another place. In macOS, applications belong to the "Applications" folder.