The Shortcut - Windows Live Messenger is a small-sized widget specially developed for Yahoo! Widget Engine, which facilitates a shortcut to Windows Live Messenger (WLM), as long as it is installed on the computer.

Both the Yahoo! Widget Engine and Windows Live Messenger projects have been discontinued for a considerable amount of time while WLM moved to Skype. However, they are still operational.

Integrating the tiny widget into the dock of the Yahoo! framework is a simple task. It has a small panel that contains the Windows Live Messenger logo and immediately launches it on click.

In case this action isn't performed, it's possible to access the configuration panel and change the default path of WLM if it was installed in a directory different than the one initially offered at setup.

The Shortcut - Windows Live Messenger identifies not only the executable file of Windows Live Messenger but also the .exe of any other program as well as files with any other extensions. Users may set the file path to a favorite document, photo or web browser for quick launch, for example. On the other hand, there are no customization options implemented by the developer, such as replacing the logo image.

Thanks to the configuration options provided by Yahoo! Widget Engine for all its widgets, it's possible to set the window level to normal, on top or below any other open windows, disable mouse interactions and prevent dragging, as well as adjust the widget's transparency.