How to Assign Custom Keyboard Shortcuts to Windows Applications

Every program you install in your Windows computer can be configured with a custom shortcut key without using any external software. In case you are wondering, here is how you can easily do in simple terms.

Create Custom Shortcuts for Programs

Creating custom keyboard shortcuts for your installed Windows programs is easier than you think. For instance, I want to add a custom keyboard shortcut to launch the Firefox application.

To do that,

1. Right-click on any program that you want to assign the shortcut and select the option “Properties” from the right-click context menu. You can also right-click and open the properties window directly from the start menu or screen.
2. The above action will open the Properties window. Here, navigate to the “Shortcut” tab. As you can see from the below image, there is no shortcut that is currently assigned to this program.
3. Now, simply press the shortcut key you want to register as the shortcut in the “Shortcut Key” field. For instance, since I want my custom shortcut to be “CTRL + ALT + F,” I press the keyboard keys accordingly.
4. Once you are done adding the custom shortcut, click on the “Ok” button to save the changes. From this point forward, you can easily launch the target application by pressing the assigned shortcut. In my case, it will be “CTRL + ALT + F”

One thing to keep in mind while assigning the shortcut is that make sure that you are not overriding any default shortcuts.

That’s all there is to do and it is that simple to add or create custom shortcuts for any program in your Windows system. Sure, this method is not as powerful as using the third-party software like AutoHotkey, but it is easy to use and requires no additional software.

Hopefully, that helps and do comment below sharing your thoughts and experiences about using the above method to assign keyboard shortcuts.