Instead of clicking numerous icons in the Network folder to access a network location, you can create a shortcut to the network location to provide easy access. A shortcut is a link that you can place in any location to gain instant access to a particular file, folder, or program on your hard disk or on a network just by double-clicking. The actual file, folder, or program remains stored in its original location, and you place an icon representing the shortcut in a convenient location, such as in a folder or on the desktop.