WinHotKey is a freely available app for setting up new keyboard shortcuts. That software is compatible with most Windows desktop platforms as well. It has a quick and easy setup and takes up very little drive storage space. You can download and install WinHotKey as follows.

1. Open WinHotKey’s Softpedia page in a web browser.
2. Select the Download Now option.
3. Click the Softpedia Secure Download (US) option.
4. After downloading, click the folder (File Explorer) taskbar icon.
5. Open up the folder that includes the WinHotKey setup wizard.
6. Double-click the WinHotKey setup wizard to open its window.
7. Select the Next option.
8. Click the I accept the agreement radio button, and press the Next button again.
9. Press the Browse button to choose an installation folder.
10. Select the Next option to install the software.
11. After installing, select the option to set up a WinHotKey desktop shortcut. Then you can click that shortcut to launch the software.
    

    How to Set Up Software Hotkeys

    The WinHotKey Configuration includes a list of default Windows hotkeys. However, you can’t edit those default keyboard shortcuts in any way. What you can do is add new custom hotkeys for opening software to that list. You can set up new custom keyboard shortcuts for launching software like this.

    1. Press the New Hotkey button at the top left of the WinHotKey Configuration window.
    2. Type an optional description for the hotkey in the text box on the General tab if you wish.
    3. Select the Launch an application option on the drop-down menu.
    4. Press the Browse button to bring up a new application window.
    5. Select an app for the hotkey to launch.
    6. Click the OK button.
    7. Now select a keyboard key for the shortcut on the Along with the key drop-down menu.
    8. You can also select additional keys for the hotkey by clicking the Alt, Shift, and Ctrl checkboxes. The Windows checkbox is selected by default, but you can deselect that option.
    9. To further configure the keyboard shortcut, click the Advanced button. You can enter additional parameters and change how the software window opens on the Launch: Advanced window.
    10. Click the OK button to exit the Launch: Advanced window.
    11. Then press the OK button on the New Hotkey window to add the keyboard shortcut.

    Thereafter, the WinHotKey Configuration window will include your custom hotkey.

    Now you can press your new hotkey to open whatever software you selected for it. You can change that keyboard shortcut by selecting it and clicking Edit Hotkey. To delete one, select it and click Remove Hotkey.

    You can set up hotkeys for launching Windows programs as well as third-party software. The C: > Windows > System32 folder path includes many of the built-in accessories. These are some of the Windows features you can set up hotkeys for with WinHotKey:

    • Control Panel: control.exe
    • Task Manager: Taskmgr.exe
    • Calculator: calc.exe
    • Command Prompt: cmd
    • Notepad: notepad.exe
    • Performance Monitor: perfmon.exe
    • Registry Editor: regedit.exe
    • Event Viewer: eventvwr
    • Services Windows: services.msc
    • Optimize Drives: dfrgui