"The Item That This Shortcut Refers to Has Been Changed or Moved” Error on Windows

Issues
#1

When you double-click the Exploratory Desktop shortcut icon, it does not start Exploratory and you see the below message.

 The item that this shortcut refers to has been changed or moved.

This was because Windows Defender removed the Exploratory.exe file based on a false alarm of virus detection.

If you encounter this, please re-install the Exploratory Desktop and exclude the Exploratory.exe in Windows Defender as follows:

  1. Go to Start > Settings > Update & Security > Windows Security > Virus & threat protection
  2. Select Manage settings under Virus & Threat Protection settings
  3. Scroll down to Exclusions and select Add or Remove Exclusions
  4. Select Add an Exclusion and choose between the options: File, Folder, or Process
  5. File Explorer will open so you can select an individual file to exclude
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