Create Custom App Shortcuts in Windows 11

Assigning custom keyboard shortcuts to your favorite applications in Windows 11 is an efficient way to streamline your workflow and launch software instantly without using a mouse. This built-in feature uses traditional desktop shortcuts to bind global hotkeys—typically starting with Ctrl + Alt—directly to any program’s executable file, requiring no third-party utilities.

Step 1: Create a Desktop Shortcut for the Application

Before you can assign a hotkey, the application must have a shortcut located on your desktop.

1. Open the Start Menu and search for the application you want to open with a shortcut.
2. Right-click the application from the search results and select Open file location. (If this option is not available, such as for Microsoft Store apps, drag the app icon directly from the Start menu’s “All apps” list onto your desktop).
3. In the File Explorer window, right-click the application executable or its existing shortcut.
4. Select Show more options (or press Shift + F10), navigate to Send to, and click Desktop (create shortcut).

Step 2: Assign the Keyboard Shortcut

Once the shortcut is on your desktop, you can assign your custom key combination.

1. Locate the newly created shortcut on your desktop.
2. Right-click the shortcut and select Properties.
3. In the Properties window, navigate to the Shortcut tab.
4. Click inside the Shortcut key field, which currently displays “None”.
5. Press the letter, number, or function key you want to assign. Windows will automatically format the combination as Ctrl + Alt + [Your Key].
6. Click Apply, then click OK to save the changes. If prompted for administrator permissions, click Continue.

How to Remove or Change the Shortcut

To change the key combination, return to the Shortcut tab in the file’s Properties, click inside the Shortcut key box, and press the new key combination. To disable the shortcut entirely, click inside the box and press the Backspace key to revert it to “None”, then click Apply and OK.