How to make a shortcut for the "All apps" overview in Windows 8

The "All apps" overview is easyway for looking up specific apps. However, you must first get there, and that involves first triggering the Charms bar to the right and then opening the search field. Instead, you can directly carry out the operation with a single link. You can create such a shortcut
in the Desktop view.

First, switch to Desktop view and right-click on an empty spot and select the context command "New | Link". Now enter in the special Shell call in the dialogue box: "%windir%\explorer.exe shell:::{2559a1f8-21d7-11d4-bdaf-00c04f60b9f0}".

 

Click on "Other" and enter "All apps" as the name, and then click on "Done". The new link will work immediately. If you want, you can also assign an icon to it. To do this, right-click on it and select the context command "Properties". Now click on the "Change icon" button and select a suitable one. You can even add icons from another file if you want to. Finally, rightclick on the link once more. Now select the context command "Attach to start". This option will let you position the symbol as a small tile in the Start screen. Now you can reach the overview and the quick start menu for the apps quickly by just clicking or touching on the new shortcut. Moreover, you can also use the context command "Attach to taskbar" to enable direct access to the All apps menu even from the Desktop view.