In Windows I can create a shortcut to a file, such as a document (.doc or .rtf for example). Double-clicking the shortcut will then launch the executable that has been specified as the default for that file (e.g. MS Word or Libre Office Writer) and the document will be opened. How do I do this in Linux Mint 18? I know how to create a desktop shortcut to an executable, but not to a file so that its specified executable will be launched.

Which desktop environment are you using?

Cinnamon desktop with Mint 18.3

In your file manager, right-click on the document > Create Link
Then move the link to the Desktop.

Or you can create a link by dragging the document to the Desktop while holding down CTRL+SHIFT

To TxLonghorn:
Having tried your suggestions (for which many thanks), I realise that I had given an incomplete description of my requirement. The stumbling block appears to be that all my files are stored on a NAS drive (shared with Windows).
Right-clicking the document doesn't give me the option to create a link. Dragging to the desktop whilst holding CTRL+SHIFT did create a shortcut, but when double-clicked it gave an error: "The link ... Is broken" Its target does not exist.
When I copied the files into Documents in the Home directory, the first method still did not give a link option, but the second method worked. However, that is not where my files are stored. They will continue to be stored on the NAS drive, so I am still looking for a solution.

I've no experience with NAS. Can a NAS volume be mounted on the desktop? If so, doing so first before using TxLonghorn's CTRL+SHIFT+drag suggestion may work. I have to first mount my PC's secondary HDD's volume before any of the shortcuts I've created for it will work.

Maybe you need to expand the right-click options by clicking on the + at the top right?

To MIJ-VI: Yes, the NAS drive is mounted on the desktop.

To TxLonghorn: Clicking the + sign in the top right does give me the option to create a link, but when I select it I am given an error: "The target does not support symbolic links".

So I am back to square one.

Wow, that's pretty weird.. I'd have thought creating a link would work (I'm using xfce instead of cinnamon, but seems to be the same issue). I did figure out a way to do it but it seemed like a long way to do this, rather than just working directly from the NAS folder. Here's how I did it to an SMB share on my NAS.

Create a Launcher (I believe on cinnamon this is the same as xfce... right click the desktop/Create Launcher)

Name the launcher
Command: libreoffice --writer smb://path/to/filename (mine looks like this: libreoffice --writer smb://192.168.1.5/Disk_1/Data/data.ods). If you have spaces in the path, surrounding the path in quotes should fix that, but I didn't test it.

Save the launcher. When you click it, it will ask to mark it executable.. choose yes, and it should launch no problem.

If you need libre office apps other than --writer simply libreoffice --help to see their switches.

Hope that helps

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Brilliant. Long-winded as you remarked, but it worked perfectly.The only slight difference was that it didn't ask to be marked as executable.
Many thanks indeed for your help.

Hmm, I find that a little odd... Must be a difference in cinnamon and xfce.

Glad it helped.