diff --git a/gui/scripts/linux/create-shortcuts.sh b/gui/scripts/linux/create-shortcuts.sh
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..b7775ce6a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/gui/scripts/linux/create-shortcuts.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,122 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+# IDEasy GUI Shortcut Creator for Linux
+# Creates .desktop files for easy GUI launching from the Application Menu and Desktop
+# Supports: GNOME, KDE, XFCE, and other freedesktop-compatible environments
+
+SCRIPT_DIR="$( cd "$( dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}" )" && pwd )"
+LAUNCHER_SCRIPT="$SCRIPT_DIR/launch-gui.sh"
+ICON_PATH="$SCRIPT_DIR/../../src/main/resources/com/devonfw/ide/gui/assets/devonfw.png"
+
+# Set error handling - exit on error but allow catching specific errors
+set -o pipefail
+
+# Colors for output
+RED='\033[0;31m'
+GREEN='\033[0;32m'
+YELLOW='\033[1;33m'
+NC='\033[0m' # No Color
+
+function print_error() {
+    echo -e "${RED}Error: $1${NC}" >&2
+}
+
+function print_success() {
+    echo -e "${GREEN}✓ $1${NC}"
+}
+
+function print_info() {
+    echo -e "${YELLOW}ℹ $1${NC}"
+}
+
+# Verify launcher script exists and is executable
+if [ ! -f "$LAUNCHER_SCRIPT" ]; then
+    print_error "Launcher script not found: $LAUNCHER_SCRIPT"
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+chmod +x "$LAUNCHER_SCRIPT"
+
+# Resolve icon: use bundled devonfw.png if available, otherwise fall back to system theme
+if [ -f "$ICON_PATH" ]; then
+    ICON="$(cd "$(dirname "$ICON_PATH")" && pwd)/$(basename "$ICON_PATH")"
+else
+    ICON="application-x-executable"
+fi
+
+# Create Desktop Entry (.desktop file)
+function create_desktop_entry() {
+    local target_dir="$1"
+    local desktop_file="$target_dir/ideasy-gui.desktop"
+
+    if ! mkdir -p "$target_dir" 2>/dev/null; then
+        print_error "Failed to create directory: $target_dir"
+        return 1
+    fi
+
+    if ! cat > "$desktop_file" <<EOF
+[Desktop Entry]
+Version=1.0
+Type=Application
+Name=IDEasy GUI
+Comment=Launch IDEasy Integrated Development Environment GUI
+Exec=$LAUNCHER_SCRIPT
+Icon=$ICON
+Terminal=false
+Categories=Development;IDE;
+StartupNotify=true
+EOF
+    then
+        print_error "Failed to write: $desktop_file"
+        return 1
+    fi
+
+    # Make it executable (required for some desktop environments)
+    if ! chmod +x "$desktop_file" 2>/dev/null; then
+        print_error "Failed to make executable: $desktop_file"
+        return 1
+    fi
+
+    print_success "Created: $desktop_file"
+    return 0
+}
+
+# Create application menu entry
+APPLICATIONS_DIR="$HOME/.local/share/applications"
+if ! create_desktop_entry "$APPLICATIONS_DIR"; then
+    print_info "Note: Could not create application menu entry (may require additional permissions)"
+else
+    # Refresh the application menu database so the entry appears immediately
+    update-desktop-database "$APPLICATIONS_DIR" 2>/dev/null || true
+    print_info "Launch from: Application Menu or Launcher"
+fi
+
+# Determine desktop directory via XDG standard (respects custom Desktop locations).
+# On systems where xdg-user-dirs was never configured (e.g. minimal WM setups),
+# xdg-user-dir falls back to printing $HOME itself — guard against that so we
+# don't drop a loose .desktop file directly into the user's home directory.
+DESKTOP_DIR=$(xdg-user-dir DESKTOP 2>/dev/null || echo "$HOME/Desktop")
+DESKTOP_DIR="${DESKTOP_DIR%/}"
+if [ -z "$DESKTOP_DIR" ] || [ "$DESKTOP_DIR" = "$HOME" ]; then
+    DESKTOP_DIR="$HOME/Desktop"
+fi
+if [ -d "$DESKTOP_DIR" ]; then
+    if ! create_desktop_entry "$DESKTOP_DIR"; then
+        print_info "Note: Desktop entry creation requires write permissions"
+    else
+        # GNOME 3.28+: mark desktop file as trusted so it can be launched by double-click
+        gio set "$DESKTOP_DIR/ideasy-gui.desktop" "metadata::trusted" true 2>/dev/null || true
+        print_info "Launch from: Desktop"
+    fi
+else
+    print_info "Desktop directory not found (Desktop feature may not be available)"
+fi
+
+echo ""
+print_success "IDEasy GUI shortcuts ready!"
+echo ""
+echo "Usage:"
+echo "  • Open your Application Menu and search for 'IDEasy GUI'"
+echo "  • Or double-click the shortcut on your Desktop"
+echo "  • First launch may take longer as Maven downloads dependencies"
+echo ""
diff --git a/gui/scripts/linux/launch-gui.sh b/gui/scripts/linux/launch-gui.sh
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..84bf50894
--- /dev/null
+++ b/gui/scripts/linux/launch-gui.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+# IDEasy GUI Launcher for Linux
+# This script launches the IDEasy GUI using the native 'ide gui' command
+# The GUI runs in the background, the script exits immediately
+
+SCRIPT_DIR="$( cd "$( dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}" )" && pwd )"
+PROJECT_ROOT="$(cd "$SCRIPT_DIR/../.." && pwd)"
+LOG_FILE="$HOME/.ideasy-gui.log"
+
+# When launched from an application menu (Terminal=false), there is no console to
+# show errors on. Redirect everything to a log file from the start so failures
+# (e.g. 'ide' missing from the launcher's PATH) are diagnosable after the fact
+exec >> "$LOG_FILE" 2>&1
+echo "---- $(date) ----"
+
+function notify_error() {
+    command -v notify-send &> /dev/null && notify-send -i dialog-error "IDEasy GUI" "$1"
+}
+
+if [ ! -f "$PROJECT_ROOT/pom.xml" ]; then
+    echo "Error: IDEasy project root not found at $PROJECT_ROOT"
+    echo "Please ensure this script is located in: IDEasy/gui/scripts/linux/"
+    notify_error "Project root not found at $PROJECT_ROOT"
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+# 'ide' is a shell function defined in $IDE_ROOT/_ide/installation/functions and
+# sourced by ~/.bashrc / ~/.zshrc — those only get sourced in interactive shells.
+# Application launchers (Terminal=false) start a plain, non-interactive shell, so
+# 'ide' is invisible there even though it works fine from a terminal. Route through
+# an interactive bash so the function gets sourced regardless of launch context.
+if ! bash -ic "command -v ide" &> /dev/null; then
+    echo "Error: IDEasy is not installed or not in PATH"
+    echo "Please install IDEasy first: https://github.com/devonfw/IDEasy#setup"
+    notify_error "'ide' command not found (see $LOG_FILE)"
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+cd "$PROJECT_ROOT"
+
+# Launch IDE GUI in background and exit immediately
+bash -ic "ide gui" &
+
+exit 0
diff --git a/gui/scripts/macos/create-shortcuts.sh b/gui/scripts/macos/create-shortcuts.sh
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..4e262b948
--- /dev/null
+++ b/gui/scripts/macos/create-shortcuts.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,121 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+# IDEasy GUI Shortcut Creator for macOS
+# Creates shortcuts for easy GUI launching from Finder
+# Supports creating: Applications folder alias and Desktop alias
+
+SCRIPT_DIR="$( cd "$( dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}" )" && pwd )"
+LAUNCHER_SCRIPT="$SCRIPT_DIR/launch-gui.command"
+
+# Set error handling - exit on error but allow catching specific errors
+set -o pipefail
+
+# Colors for output
+RED='\033[0;31m'
+GREEN='\033[0;32m'
+YELLOW='\033[1;33m'
+NC='\033[0m' # No Color
+
+function print_error() {
+    echo -e "${RED}Error: $1${NC}" >&2
+}
+
+function print_success() {
+    echo -e "${GREEN}✓ $1${NC}"
+}
+
+function print_info() {
+    echo -e "${YELLOW}ℹ $1${NC}"
+}
+
+# Verify launcher script exists and is executable
+if [ ! -f "$LAUNCHER_SCRIPT" ]; then
+    print_error "Launcher script not found: $LAUNCHER_SCRIPT"
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+chmod +x "$LAUNCHER_SCRIPT"
+
+# Create an alias/shortcut using osascript (AppleScript)
+# Falls back to a symlink if Finder is not running or AppleScript fails
+function create_alias() {
+    local source="$1"
+    local target_dir="$2"
+    local target_name="$3"
+
+    if [ ! -f "$source" ]; then
+        print_error "Source file not found: $source"
+        return 1
+    fi
+
+    if ! mkdir -p "$target_dir" 2>/dev/null; then
+        print_error "Failed to create directory: $target_dir"
+        return 1
+    fi
+
+    # Properly escape paths for AppleScript
+    local escaped_source="$(printf '%s\n' "$source" | sed 's/\\/\\\\/g; s/"/\\"/g')"
+    local escaped_target_dir="$(printf '%s\n' "$target_dir" | sed 's/\\/\\\\/g; s/"/\\"/g')"
+    local escaped_target_name="$(printf '%s\n' "$target_name" | sed 's/\\/\\\\/g; s/"/\\"/g')"
+
+    local output
+    output=$(osascript 2>&1 <<EOF
+tell application "Finder"
+    try
+        make alias file to POSIX file "$escaped_source" at folder "$escaped_target_dir" with properties {name:"$escaped_target_name"}
+        return "success"
+    on error errMsg
+        error errMsg
+    end try
+end tell
+EOF
+    )
+
+    local exit_code=$?
+    if [ $exit_code -eq 0 ] && [ "$output" = "success" ]; then
+        print_success "Created shortcut: $target_dir/$target_name"
+        return 0
+    fi
+
+    # Fallback: create a symlink if AppleScript failed (e.g. Finder not running in CI/server)
+    # Keep the .command extension so Finder recognises it as a runnable shell script
+    print_info "AppleScript unavailable, falling back to symlink..."
+    if ln -sf "$source" "$target_dir/$target_name.command" 2>/dev/null; then
+        print_success "Created symlink: $target_dir/$target_name.command"
+        return 0
+    fi
+
+    print_error "Failed to create shortcut: $target_dir/$target_name"
+    [ -n "$output" ] && print_error "Reason: $output"
+    return 1
+}
+
+# Create Applications alias
+APPS_DIR="$HOME/Applications"
+if ! create_alias "$LAUNCHER_SCRIPT" "$APPS_DIR" "IDEasy GUI"; then
+    print_info "Note: Could not create Applications shortcut (may require additional permissions)"
+else
+    print_info "Launch from: Applications > IDEasy GUI"
+fi
+
+# Create Desktop alias
+DESKTOP_DIR="$HOME/Desktop"
+if create_alias "$LAUNCHER_SCRIPT" "$DESKTOP_DIR" "IDEasy GUI"; then
+    print_info "Launch from: Desktop"
+else
+    print_info "Note: Desktop shortcut creation requires manual steps"
+    print_info "You can manually create a shortcut by:"
+    print_info "1. Open Finder"
+    print_info "2. Go to $SCRIPT_DIR"
+    print_info "3. Right-click 'launch-gui.command' → Make Alias"
+    print_info "4. Drag alias to Desktop or Applications"
+fi
+
+echo ""
+print_success "IDEasy GUI shortcuts ready!"
+echo ""
+echo "Usage:"
+echo "  • Open Finder and go to Applications"
+echo "  • Double-click 'IDEasy GUI' to launch"
+echo "  • Or double-click the Desktop shortcut"
+echo ""
diff --git a/gui/scripts/macos/launch-gui.command b/gui/scripts/macos/launch-gui.command
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..91618250f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/gui/scripts/macos/launch-gui.command
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+# IDEasy GUI Launcher for macOS
+# This script launches the IDEasy GUI using the native 'ide gui' command
+# The GUI runs in the background, the script exits immediately
+
+SCRIPT_DIR="$( cd "$( dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}" )" && pwd )"
+PROJECT_ROOT="$(cd "$SCRIPT_DIR/../.." && pwd)"
+
+if [ ! -f "$PROJECT_ROOT/pom.xml" ]; then
+    echo "Error: IDEasy project root not found at $PROJECT_ROOT"
+    echo "Please ensure this script is located in: IDEasy/gui/scripts/macos/"
+    read -p "Press Enter to close..."
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+if ! command -v ide &> /dev/null; then
+    echo ""
+    echo "Error: IDEasy is not installed"
+    echo ""
+    echo "Please install IDEasy first:"
+    echo "https://github.com/devonfw/IDEasy#setup"
+    echo ""
+    read -p "Press Enter to close..."
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+cd "$PROJECT_ROOT"
+
+# Launch IDE GUI in background and exit immediately
+LOG_FILE="$HOME/.ideasy-gui.log"
+ide gui >> "$LOG_FILE" 2>&1 &
+
+exit 0
diff --git a/gui/scripts/windows/create-shortcuts.ps1 b/gui/scripts/windows/create-shortcuts.ps1
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..f1c122689
--- /dev/null
+++ b/gui/scripts/windows/create-shortcuts.ps1
@@ -0,0 +1,140 @@
+#Requires -Version 5.0
+
+# IDEasy GUI Launcher - Create Windows Start Menu Shortcut and Desktop Link
+# This script creates shortcuts to launch the IDEasy GUI from Windows Start Menu and Desktop
+
+param (
+    [switch]$SkipDesktop,
+    [switch]$SkipStartMenu
+)
+
+$ErrorActionPreference = 'Stop'
+
+$scriptDir = Split-Path -Parent $MyInvocation.MyCommand.Path
+$guiDir = Split-Path -Parent (Split-Path -Parent $scriptDir)
+$projectRoot = Split-Path -Parent $guiDir
+
+$launcherBat = Join-Path $scriptDir "launch-gui.bat"
+$pomFile = Join-Path $projectRoot "pom.xml"
+
+if (-not (Test-Path $launcherBat)) {
+    Write-Host "Error: launch-gui.bat not found" -ForegroundColor Red
+    exit 1
+}
+
+if (-not (Test-Path $pomFile)) {
+    Write-Host "Error: pom.xml not found" -ForegroundColor Red
+    exit 1
+}
+
+Write-Host "IDEasy GUI Launcher Setup" -ForegroundColor Cyan
+Write-Host "Project: $projectRoot" -ForegroundColor Cyan
+Write-Host ""
+
+# Wrap the PNG bytes directly into an ICO container (Windows Vista+ supports PNG frames in ICO).
+# This preserves full color depth and alpha transparency without any image processing.
+# The ICO is written next to the scripts so the shortcut has a stable reference path.
+# Returns $true on success, $false on failure.
+function Convert-PngToIco {
+    param([string]$PngPath, [string]$IcoPath)
+    try {
+        $pngBytes = [System.IO.File]::ReadAllBytes($PngPath)
+
+        # PNG dimensions are stored big-endian in the IHDR chunk at bytes 16-23
+        $width  = ($pngBytes[16] -shl 24) -bor ($pngBytes[17] -shl 16) -bor ($pngBytes[18] -shl 8) -bor $pngBytes[19]
+        $height = ($pngBytes[20] -shl 24) -bor ($pngBytes[21] -shl 16) -bor ($pngBytes[22] -shl 8) -bor $pngBytes[23]
+
+        # ICO directory encodes 256 as 0
+        $icoW = if ($width  -ge 256) { [byte]0 } else { [byte]$width }
+        $icoH = if ($height -ge 256) { [byte]0 } else { [byte]$height }
+
+        $sizeBytes   = [System.BitConverter]::GetBytes([int32]$pngBytes.Length)
+        $offsetBytes = [System.BitConverter]::GetBytes([int32](6 + 16))  # header(6) + one dir entry(16)
+
+        # ICO header (6 bytes) + single directory entry (16 bytes)
+        $icoHeader = [byte[]](
+            0x00, 0x00,                                                          # reserved
+            0x01, 0x00,                                                          # type: icon
+            0x01, 0x00,                                                          # image count: 1
+            $icoW, $icoH, 0x00, 0x00,                                           # w, h, colorCount, reserved
+            0x01, 0x00,                                                          # color planes
+            0x20, 0x00,                                                          # bits per pixel (32)
+            $sizeBytes[0],   $sizeBytes[1],   $sizeBytes[2],   $sizeBytes[3],   # image data size
+            $offsetBytes[0], $offsetBytes[1], $offsetBytes[2], $offsetBytes[3]  # image data offset
+        )
+
+        $stream = [System.IO.FileStream]::new($IcoPath, [System.IO.FileMode]::Create)
+        $stream.Write($icoHeader, 0, $icoHeader.Length)
+        $stream.Write($pngBytes, 0, $pngBytes.Length)
+        $stream.Close()
+        return $true
+    }
+    catch {
+        return $false
+    }
+}
+
+# Resolve icon location: prefer devonfw.png converted to ICO, fall back to shell32
+$pngSource = Join-Path $guiDir "src\main\resources\com\devonfw\ide\gui\assets\devonfw.png"
+$generatedIco = Join-Path $scriptDir "ideasy-gui.ico"
+$iconLocation = "$env:SystemRoot\system32\shell32.dll,1"
+
+if (Test-Path $pngSource) {
+    if (-not (Test-Path $generatedIco)) {
+        if (Convert-PngToIco -PngPath $pngSource -IcoPath $generatedIco) {
+            Write-Host "Icon generated from devonfw.png" -ForegroundColor Cyan
+        } else {
+            Write-Host "Note: Icon conversion failed, using default icon" -ForegroundColor Yellow
+        }
+    }
+    if (Test-Path $generatedIco) {
+        $iconLocation = "$generatedIco,0"
+    }
+} elseif (Test-Path (Join-Path $scriptDir "icon.ico")) {
+    $iconLocation = "$(Join-Path $scriptDir 'icon.ico'),0"
+}
+
+function Create-Shortcut {
+    param(
+        [string]$Path,
+        [string]$Target,
+        [string]$Description
+    )
+
+    $wshShell = $null
+    try {
+        Write-Host "Creating shortcut: $Path"
+
+        $wshShell = New-Object -ComObject WScript.Shell
+        $shortcut = $wshShell.CreateShortcut($Path)
+        $shortcut.TargetPath = $Target
+        $shortcut.WorkingDirectory = $projectRoot
+        $shortcut.Description = $Description
+        $shortcut.IconLocation = $iconLocation
+
+        $shortcut.Save()
+        Write-Host "Created: $Path" -ForegroundColor Green
+    }
+    catch {
+        Write-Host "Error creating shortcut: $($_.Exception.Message)" -ForegroundColor Red
+    }
+    finally {
+        if ($wshShell) {
+            [System.Runtime.Interopservices.Marshal]::ReleaseComObject($wshShell) | Out-Null
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+if (-not $SkipDesktop) {
+    # Use Shell32 to resolve the Desktop folder — works correctly with OneDrive-redirected Desktops
+    $desktopShortcut = Join-Path ([Environment]::GetFolderPath('Desktop')) "IDEasy GUI.lnk"
+    Create-Shortcut -Path $desktopShortcut -Target $launcherBat -Description "Launch IDEasy GUI"
+}
+
+if (-not $SkipStartMenu) {
+    $startMenuShortcut = Join-Path "$env:APPDATA\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs" "IDEasy GUI.lnk"
+    Create-Shortcut -Path $startMenuShortcut -Target $launcherBat -Description "Launch IDEasy GUI"
+}
+
+Write-Host ""
+Write-Host "Setup complete!" -ForegroundColor Green
diff --git a/gui/scripts/windows/launch-gui.bat b/gui/scripts/windows/launch-gui.bat
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..753ed321a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/gui/scripts/windows/launch-gui.bat
@@ -0,0 +1,50 @@
+@echo off
+setlocal
+
+REM IDEasy GUI Launcher for Windows
+
+set "SCRIPT_DIR=%~dp0"
+
+REM Desktop/Start-Menu shortcuts are spawned by explorer.exe, which caches its
+REM environment from login and does not pick up registry PATH/IDE_ROOT changes
+REM made by the IDEasy installer until the user logs off or restarts explorer.
+REM Re-read IDE_ROOT directly from the registry and extend PATH with it here,
+REM so the shortcut works even with explorer's stale inherited environment.
+if not defined IDE_ROOT (
+    for /f "tokens=2,*" %%A in ('reg query "HKCU\Environment" /v IDE_ROOT 2^>nul') do set "IDE_ROOT=%%B"
+)
+if defined IDE_ROOT (
+    set "PATH=%IDE_ROOT%\_ide\installation\bin;%PATH%"
+)
+
+REM Check if ide command exists
+where ide >nul 2>&1 || (
+    echo.
+    echo Error: IDEasy is not installed or not in PATH
+    echo If you just installed IDEasy, log off/on once or restart Explorer so
+    echo the desktop shortcut picks up the updated environment.
+    echo https://github.com/devonfw/IDEasy#setup
+    echo.
+    pause
+    exit /b 1
+)
+
+REM Determine project root safely
+pushd "%SCRIPT_DIR%..\..\.."
+set "PROJECT_ROOT=%CD%"
+popd
+
+REM Check project structure
+if not exist "%PROJECT_ROOT%\pom.xml" (
+    echo Error: IDEasy project root not found at %PROJECT_ROOT%
+    echo.
+    pause
+    exit /b 1
+)
+
+REM Launch GUI
+cd /d "%PROJECT_ROOT%"
+echo Starting IDEasy GUI...
+START "" /B ide gui >> "%USERPROFILE%\.ideasy-gui.log" 2>&1
+
+exit /b 0