How to Add Bluetooth File Transfer Shortcuts to Windows 10 and 11 (2024)

Many users use Bluetooth in Windows to attach wireless peripherals to their PCs. And once you set up a Bluetooth connection, you can use it to transfer files between paired tablets, smartphones, and other mobile devices with the Bluetooth File Transfer tool on Windows.

Clicking Send or receive files via Bluetooth in Settings will open Bluetooth File Transfer. However, setting up a Bluetooth File Transfer shortcut will make that tool more directly accessible. This is how you can establish desktop, taskbar, start menu, keyboard, and context menu shortcuts for opening the Bluetooth File Transfer tool in Windows 10 and 11.

How to Add a Bluetooth File Transfer Shortcut to the Desktop

The desktop is the most obvious place to add shortcuts in Windows. You can easily manually add a Bluetooth File Transfer icon there with the Create Shortcut wizard. Here is how to set up a desktop shortcut for Bluetooth File Transfer in Windows 11:

1. Right-click any part of the desktop wallpaper where there aren’t icons to select New.
2. Click the Shortcut submenu option to bring up the wizard.

   

3. Input %windir%\System32\fsquirt.exe in the Create Shortcut wizard’s item location box.
4. Press Next to continue to the second step.
5. Erase the current shortcut title in the name box, and input Bluetooth File Transfer there.
6. Select Finish to add the new Bluetooth File Transfer shortcut.
7. Now double-click the Bluetooth File Transfer icon to open that tool from the desktop.

The shortcut will already have a suitable Bluetooth icon. However, you can still download a different Bluetooth icon for it from the IconArchive website. Enter Bluetooth in that website’s search box, select an icon, and click the ICO button to download.

To add your downloaded icon, right-click the Bluetooth File Transfer shortcut and select Properties. Select the Change icon option; click Browse in the Change Icon window, choose the downloaded Bluetooth icon, and press OK. Select Apply on the Bluetooth File Transfer Properties window to add the icon.

How to Add a Bluetooth File Transfer Shortcut to the Taskbar and Start Menu

Adding a Bluetooth File Transfer shortcut to the desktop will let you set up taskbar and Start menu shortcuts, too.

To do this, right-click the Bluetooth File Transfer shortcut to select Show more options on Windows 11’s context menu. You’ll see Pin to taskbar and Pin to Start options on the classic context menu. Select either option to add the shortcut to the taskbar or Start menu.

The Bluetooth File Transfer shortcut’s icon will be clearly visible on the taskbar. You’ll find the Start menu’s shortcut for that tool in the Pinned section at the front of that menu. You can remove the desktop shortcut after adding Bluetooth File Transfer to the taskbar or Start menu by right-clicking the icon for it and selecting Delete.

How to Set up a Bluetooth File Transfer Keyboard Shortcut

You can also set up a Ctrl + Alt keyboard shortcut to open the Bluetooth File Transfer tool. You can easily apply a hotkey to the BFT desktop shortcut with the following steps:

1. Add Bluetooth File Transfer to the desktop as instructed for the first method in this guide.
2. Right-click the Bluetooth File Transfer icon on your desktop’s wallpaper and select the Properties option on the menu that opens.
3. Click in that window's Shortcut key box, and press the B key.

   

4. Select Apply to set the new Ctrl + Alt + B hotkey.
5. Exit the Bluetooth File Transfer Properties window by clicking OK.

Now you can open Bluetooth File Transfer by pressing Ctrl + Alt + B keys at the same time. Don’t forget the hotkey is for the desktop shortcut. Erasing the shortcut on the desktop will also break its hotkey.

How to Add a Bluetooth File Transfer Shortcut to the Context Menu

The context menu is one you can open by right-clicking the desktop. In Windows 11, that menu has a secondary classic context menu where you can add all kinds of shortcuts. That’s a perfect place to add an out-of-the-way Bluetooth File Transfer shortcut.

We can add such a shortcut to the context menu for the desktop either by manually setting up a registry script or with the freeware Winaero Tweaker software. It’s undoubtedly more straightforward to add a Bluetooth File Transfer context menu shortcut with Winaero Tweaker. By doing so, you’ll also discover one of the finest customization utilities for Windows! So, this is how you can set up a Bluetooth File Transfer context menu option with that software:

1. Bring up the software download page on Winaero Tweaker’s website.
2. Press Download on that webpage to get the ZIP archive for Winaero Tweaker.
3. Next, click your taskbar’s File Explorer button to navigate to the folder that includes the winaerotweaker.zip file.
4. To unzip the winaerotweaker.zip archive, right-click it and select Extract All.

   

5. Select the Show extracted files and Extract options in the ZIP archive extraction utility.

   

   See Also

   Swap Music and Files Between Phones Using Bluetooth File Transfer

6. Double-click WinaeroTweaker-1.33.0.0-setup.exe to start a setup wizard for Winaero Tweaker.
7. Select to accept Winaero Tweaker’s License Agreement and install the software within the setup wizard.
8. After installing, select a Run Winaero Tweaker option before exiting the setup wizard. Then you can click Finish to start the software immediately.
9. Double-click the Context Menu settings category in Winaero Tweaker’s left sidebar.
10. Click the Bluetooth option from there.

    

11. Select the Add Bluetooth submenu to Desktop context menu checkbox.

Now try out the new Bluetooth File Transfer shortcut on the context menu. Right-click an area of your desktop’s wallpaper that isn’t cluttered with icons to select Show more options (or press the Shift + F10 hotkey). Move the cursor over the new Bluetooth submenu on the classic context menu, and select the Bluetooth File Transfer option.

That submenu also includes other Bluetooth shortcuts. You can select Bluetooth Devices to open the pairing option in Settings. Or click Hardware, COM Ports, and Options to open those Bluetooth Settings window tabs.

The Bluetooth submenu can be easily removed from the context menu. You can remove it by deselecting the Add Bluetooth submenu checkbox in Winaero Tweaker. Or select Reset this page to defaults for that setting on Winaero Tweaker's toolbar.

You won’t have to rummage through Settings to access Bluetooth File Transfer when you’ve set up a shortcut for that tool. A desktop, Start menu, keyboard, taskbar, or context menu shortcut will enable you to open Bluetooth File Transfer almost immediately whenever you need to transfer files between devices. Set up whatever type of shortcut you prefer for opening that tool.