Create keyboard shortcuts to open Windows apps

Keyboard shortcuts are a great way to speed up common Windows tasks. Although it can be a bit difficult to remember every shortcut at first, it will become easier with time. Windows 8 has its own list of unique shortcuts, and you can always use an app that lets you create and edit keyboard shortcuts. Although it’s a little hidden in Windows (XP, Vista, 7, 8),  you can also create your own keyboard shortcuts to open apps.

Go to the shortcut

First you will need to locate the app’s shortcut. This will likely be on the desktop, but might be within the Start Menu. Otherwise you may to do a search or create a new shortcut.

When you find the shortcut, right-click and select “Properties”.

Shortcut tab

Once in the Properties men, click on the “Shortcut” tab and place your cursor in the “Shortcut key” field.

Enter a CTRL + ALT shortcut

Now you can set a keyboard shortcut that uses CTRL + ALT + [key of your choice]. Simply press the number or letter you want to use for the shortcut. In our example you just need to press “M”, and the shortcut will become CTRL + ALT + M.

From now on, each time you press CTRL + ALT + M the corresponding app will open. You should try this quick trick with any app you use often, such as your web browser or favorite game.

Do you know of more Windows tricks like this? Tell us below!