A Finder alias is a special kind of shortcut or link to a folder. You can place this alias anywhere, being the Desktop a common place. You can even create an alias from a shared folder on a server.

To create an alias:

• Open Finder and look for the folder you want to create an alias for.
• Press Option + Command while you click and drag the folder to the desktop. You should see a small arrow on the ghost folder meaning you are creating an alias.
• Double click on your alias to test it.