How to Make a Hot Key

A hot key, or shortcut key, enables you to start a program just by pressing buttons on your keyboard. The notion of hot keys should be somewhat familiar to you. Many exist for standard Windows operations. For instance, "Ctrl"-"C" copies anything you have highlighted. "Ctrl"-"V" pastes an item or text. This saves you from having to use menu commands. Microsoft makes shortcut keys easy to construct. The process of creating a hot key works in just a few seconds with a couple of mouse clicks.

Instructions

1. Locate the shortcut for the program on your desktop. A shortcut on a desktop is an iconic representation of the program.

2. Right-click on the shortcut to open an options menu. Select "Properties" from the menu.

3. Move to the "Shortcut" tab. Click the "Shortcut key" box.

4. Press the key on your keyboard that you want to use--for example, the "S" key.

5. Click the "OK" button.

6. Test your hot key. Shortcut keys work in combination with the "Ctrl" and "Alt" keys. In the example, you would press "Ctrl"-"Alt"-"S." The program should open.

Tips & Warnings

• You cannot use "Esc," "Enter," "Tab," "Print Screen," "Shift," "Backspace" or the space bar for hot keys.

References

• Microsoft Support: How to Create a Keyboard Shortcut for a Program in Windows XP
• Microsoft : Create Keyboard Shortcuts to Open Programs