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The "Send To" Menu Command

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 Windows files and the "Send To: folder are not visible, click [Tools] [Folder Options] [View] tab and check [Show Hidden Files and Folders] )

To set the view hidden files thing for all folders, all the time see this additional Tip Page concerning a similar topic.

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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