Introduction
A .url file is a Windows
shortcut to a web page. Dragging an address from a browser onto the desktop or into a
folder makes one, and opening it starts the default browser at that address. Internet
Explorer kept its Favorites as .url files too.
Unlike a LNK shortcut to a file, an Internet shortcut is plain text. Windows hides the extension, so the file shows only its name and the browser’s icon.
Structure
The file is text in the style of an INI file. The section
[InternetShortcut] holds the key URL with the address. Optional
keys give an icon, with IconFile and IconIndex, and a keyboard
shortcut with HotKey. Some files also carry other sections written by the
browser that made them.
[InternetShortcut]
URL=https://fileformats.org/Links
Software
- Windows File Explorer, which opens Internet shortcuts in the default browser
- Web browsers on Windows, such as Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome and Firefox, which make them when a link is dragged out
- Any text editor, such as Notepad