The "Send To" Menu Command
The Send To Menu
The [Send To] menu
seems to be one of those features that isn't very well known. Many
is the time I've watched a user go through any number of steps to
get a file or folder sent from Point A to Point B when the quickest
and simplest way would be Send To, available via a right click of
the mouse while pointing to the file or folder.
It's worth pointing out right here at the beginning that Send To is
not a substitute for the move command. The item is copied to the new
location, not moved. The item used to initiate the Send To command
remains in its original location without modification.
Right click on a file
and click Send To and you'll see the default locations that ship in
Windows XP. By default, Send To comes with the following commands
available:
- Compressed (zipped) Folder
- Desktop (create shortcut)
- Mail Recipient
- My Documents
- 3 1/2 Floppy (A:)
- CD Drive
According to
Microsoft, the Send To menu may include disk drives, printers, fax
printers, Windows-based programs, compressed folders, the desktop,
mail recipients, and the My Documents folder. Those choices cover a
lot of territory. The simplest advice is, if you have a location
that's not listed where you send files, try and add it to the Send
To menu. The worst that can happen is it won't be added. If it does
work, you're that much better off than with an undocumented
location.
This isn't a bad assortment of locations, but by adding other
locations you use on a regular basis it can be made far more useful.
Adding new locations is a simple process that I'll explain below.
However, before you go through the first process to add more Send To
commands, read the tip at the end of this article to save yourself a
lot of time.
Adding Locations to the Send To
Menu
There are different ways to add
locations to Send To, but in all cases what you are really doing is
adding shortcuts. Use whatever method you are most comfortable with.
In my opinion, the easiest method is via Windows Explorer as
explained below.
Adding Send To
Locations via Windows Explorer
Click [Start] [All
Programs] [Windows Explorer].
Navigate to the drive where Windows XP is installed.
Expand the Documents and Settings folder.
Expand the folder of the User whose Send To menu will be modified.
Expand the Send To folder.
(If the Send To folder isn't visible, click [Tools] [Folder
Options] [View] tab and check [Show Hidden Files and Folders])
Right click any item you want to add, drag and drop it on the Send
To folder and click [Create Shortcuts Here].
Remember; all you are
doing is creating shortcuts to be added to the Send To folder. If a
shortcut already exists, rather than create a new one simply copy
the existing shortcut to the Send To folder. Once you've set up all
the shortcuts you want, you can copy them from the Send To folder
and paste them into a different users Send To folder. It saves a lot
of time.
The Final Tip for
Adding Send To Locations
Earlier in this article I mentioned
that you might want to read this section before you added a lot of
Send To shortcuts. I had a good idea of what I wanted added to Send
To before I started digging around to do the additions, but as you
might expect I missed a few. No problem. I added a Send To shortcut
to Send To using the method described above. That's right, a
shortcut to Send To. Now, whenever I run across an item that would
be convenient to have on the Send To menu, it's a simple matter to
right click and get it on its way to the Send To folder. Give it a
try. I think you'll agree it's a real convenience.
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