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This Is How I Use AutoHotkey to Fix Windows 11’s Worst Flaws
Chifundo Kasiya
- AHK allows you to open apps, files, or folders using global shortcuts. No need for multiple clicks through menus or the Start menu to access what you need.
- Here is a script that opens Google Chrome using the Ctrl+Alt+G shortcut:
; Launch Chrome ^!g::Run "C:\\Program Files\\Google\\Chrome\\Application\\chrome.exe" - Keep in mind that AutoHotkey will ignore any line of code that starts with a semicolon (;), as these are considered comments in the world of programming. The next line of code is what it will execute. Here ^ is Ctrl, ! is Alt, and g is, well, the G key. The double colons (::) separate the hotkey definition from the action to perform
- If you want to open multiple apps, files, and folders with a single shortcut, you can insert the code to run them inside angled brackets, like in the example below:
^!g:: { ; Launch Chrome Run "C:\\Program Files\\Google\\Chrome\\Application\\chrome.exe" ; Wait a second before launching the next app Sleep 1000 ; Launch Notepad Run "notepad.exe" ; Launch File Explorer Run "explorer.exe" ; You can add more applications as needed return } - AutoHotkey is the solution, as it allows you to insert frequently used text snippets with just a few keystrokes.
- an example of a script that inserts by the way whenever you type btw followed by the Space key.
::btw::by the way - If you find more than one script useful, you don’t have to create a separate AHK file for it. You can combine all of them in one file, and it will execute them all (as long as the hotkeys don’t conflict with each other).