How to Create Keyboard Shortcuts in Windows 10

Shortcuts in Windows 10 can significantly boost our productivity around the workplace. You may have encountered basic keyboard shortcuts like [ctrl+C] for copying objects and text to the keyboard and [ctrl+P] for pasting copied objects. Shortcuts are not just meant for in-program operations but for launching this system software as well. So how do you create customized shortcuts in your windows PC?

Well, worry no more because you have landed at the right place where you will learn how to create and edit keyboard shortcuts in your computer.

Step 1

To get started, launch the run command dialogue box by double pressing the [Windows button + R]

On the search space that appears, key in, ‘explorer shell:appsFolder’ and then hit return key / Enter or click on the ‘ok’ button.

Step 2

You now need to find the application that you intend to create a shortcut for then right click on it. This should pop up a dialogue box with a list of commands starting with, ‘open’ all the way to ‘create shortcut’

Click on the ‘create shortcut’ button.

Once this is done, a shortcut icon will be created on your desktop.

Navigate to this new shortcut on your desktop and right click on it. This action pops up yet another dialogue box with the same structure as above only longer with ‘open’, ‘unpin from start’ all the way to ‘properties’

Step 3

Click on the properties button.

Step 4

Tweak the final dialogue box to assign your desired shortcut

By default, the text value at the, ‘shortcut key’ prompt window is set to None.

Clicking any letter on the keyboard will autoactivate the [ctrl+Alt+ …] shortcut with the last assignment being the desired key, say A, B, C …. Etc. The example below shows a keyboard shortcut assignment of B.

Click on the ‘ok’ button once you’ve selected the desired key and then give it a try by pressing the set combination of keys.

Conclusion

This procedure is meant to assign shortcuts that will help you launch applications faster. However, these assignments should be carefully done in such a way as to minimize confusion and contradictions. For instance, it is not advisable to assign similar commands to more than on functions. Yet another challenge in assigning shortcuts to applications is remembrance. By this we mean that not all applications should be assigned as it may prove impossible to remember all the assigned shortcuts. Only assign shortcuts to your most frequently used applications.