What are some of the ways of adding new icons to the desktop?

To add a new icon to the computer desktop in Windows 8, right-click on an empty space on the desktop, select New, and click Shortcut. Click Browse to locate the file or application in File Explorer, and click the item to add it to the desktop.

Alternatively, open File Explorer, and locate the file or application. Right-click the file, select Send To, and click Desktop to create a shortcut for this file on the desktop. To add common icons to the desktop in Windows 10, click the Start button, and enter "desktop icon" in the search text box. In the search results, select Show or hide common icons on the desktop. In the Desktop Icon Settings window, select the desktop icons to add to the desktop.