A SHS -- or shell scrap object -- file contains fragments of a document that a user previously created using either Word or Excel. You can import the contents of a SHS file into a Word document or Excel spreadsheet by dragging it to the program that generated it.
SHS File Description
Shell scrap objects files contain text, graphics or objects that a user dragged from Excel or Word to her Windows desktop. After a user drags data from Word or Excel to her desktop, Windows creates both a desktop shortcut icon on the desktop and the actual SHS file -- which contains the original data from the Office program -- in the user's C:\Windows\Desktop folder.
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Supported Operating Systems
When Microsoft released the Windows Vista operating system, the Redmond company opted to remove the dedicated handler file that allowed users to drag-and-drop SHS files to the desktop or to Word and Excel.
Consequently, the following Windows versions are unable to handle SHS files:
- Windows Vista
- Windows Server 2008
- Windows 7
- Windows 8
- Windows Server 2012
The following versions of Windows, on the other hand, support the handling of SHS files:
- Windows 95
- Windows NT
- Windows 98
- Windows ME
- Windows 2000
- Windows Server 2003
Opening a SHS File
Accessing the contents of a SHS file requires you to drag that file from the desktop to the application that created it. For example, if the SHS file contains a fragment of a Word document, drag the file to Word.
Step 1
Launch either Excel or Word and resize the window so that both the Office program and the SHS shortcut on your desktop are visible at the same time.
Step 2
Drag the SHS file to a Word document or Excel spreadsheet. The program then automatically imports the contents of the file.
