Hotkeys are sometimes referred to as shortcut keys because of their ability to easily trigger an action (such as launching a program or keyboard macro). In the following example, the hotkey Win+N is configured to launch Notepad. The pound sign [#] stands for Win, which is known as a modifier key:
#n:: Run Notepad returnIn the final line above, return serves to finish the hotkey. However, if a hotkey needs to execute only a single line, that line can be listed to the right of the double-colon. In other words, the return is implicit:
#n::Run NotepadTo use more than one modifier with a hotkey, list them consecutively (the order does not matter). The following example uses ^!s to indicate Ctrl+Alt+S:
^!s:: Send Sincerely,{enter}John Smith ; This line sends keystrokes to the active (foremost) window. return Hotkey Modifier SymbolsYou can use the following modifier symbols to define hotkeys:
Symbol Description #Win (Windows logo key).
[v1.0.48.01+]: For Windows Vista and later, hotkeys that include Win (e.g. #a) will wait for Win to be released before sending any text containing an L keystroke. This prevents usages of Send within such a hotkey from locking the PC. This behior applies to all sending modes except SendPlay (which doesn't need it) and blind mode. [v1.1.29+]: Text mode is also excluded.
Note: Pressing a hotkey which includes Win may result in extra simulated keystrokes (Ctrl by default). See #MenuMaskKey.
!Alt
Note: Pressing a hotkey which includes Alt may result in extra simulated keystrokes (Ctrl by default). See #MenuMaskKey.
^ Ctrl + Shift & An ampersand may be used between any two keys or mouse buttons to combine them into a custom hotkey. See below for details. will trigger it. > Use the right key of the pair. !AltGr (alternate graph, or alternate graphic). If your keyboard layout has AltGr instead of a right Alt key, this series of symbols can usually be used to stand for AltGr. For example:
!m::MsgBox You pressed AltGr+m. Alternatively, to make AltGr itself into a hotkey, use the following hotkey (without any hotkeys like the above present): LControl & RAlt::MsgBox You pressed AltGr itself. *Wildcard: Fire the hotkey even if extra modifiers are being held down. This is often used in conjunction with remapping keys or buttons. For example:
*#c::Run Calc.exe ; Win+C, Shift+Win+C, Ctrl+Win+C, etc. will all trigger this hotkey. *ScrollLock::Run Notepad ; Pressing ScrollLock will trigger this hotkey even when modifier key(s) are down.Wildcard hotkeys always use the keyboard hook, as do any hotkeys eclipsed by a wildcard hotkey. For example, the presence of *a:: would cause ^a:: to always use the hook.
~When the hotkey fires, its key's native function will not be blocked (hidden from the system). In both of the below examples, the user's click of the mouse button will be sent to the active window:
~RButton::MsgBox You clicked the right mouse button. ~RButton & C::MsgBox You pressed C while holding down the right mouse button.Unlike the other prefix symbols, the tilde prefix is allowed to be present on some of a hotkey's variants but absent on others. However, if a tilde is applied to the prefix key of any custom combination which has not been turned off or suspended, it affects the behior of that prefix key for all combinations.
Special hotkeys that are substitutes for alt-tab always ignore the tilde prefix.
If the tilde prefix is applied to a hotkey consisting only of a named modifier key without an L or R prefix (Control/Ctrl, Alt, or Shift), that hotkey will fire when the key is pressed instead of being delayed until the key is released. For example, ~Alt::, ~LAlt::, and LAlt:: are fired as soon as the key is pressed, while Alt:: is fired upon release of the key. Hotkeys consisting of any other key are fired as soon as the key is pressed, regardless of whether the tilde prefix is used.
[v1.1.14+]: If the tilde prefix is applied to a custom modifier key (prefix key) which is also used as its own hotkey, that hotkey will fire when the key is pressed instead of being delayed until the key is released. For example, the ~RButton:: hotkey above is fired as soon as the button is pressed. Prior to v1.1.14 (or without the tilde prefix), it was fired when the button was released, but only if the ~RButton & C:: combination was not activated.
If the tilde prefix is applied only to the custom combination and not the non-combination hotkey, the key's native function will still be blocked. For example, in the script below, holding AppsKey will show the tooltip and will not trigger a context menu:
AppsKey::ToolTip Press < or > to cycle through windows. AppsKey Up::ToolTip ~AppsKey & ::Send !{Esc}If at least one variant of a keyboard hotkey has the tilde modifier, that hotkey always uses the keyboard hook.
$This is usually only necessary if the script uses the Send command to send the keys that comprise the hotkey itself, which might otherwise cause it to trigger itself. The $ prefix forces the keyboard hook to be used to implement this hotkey, which as a side-effect prevents the Send command from triggering it. The $ prefix is equivalent to hing specified #UseHook somewhere above the definition of this hotkey.
The $ prefix has no effect for mouse hotkeys, since they always use the mouse hook. It also has no effect for hotkeys which already require the keyboard hook, including any keyboard hotkeys with the tilde (~) or wildcard (*) modifiers, key-up hotkeys and custom combinations. To determine whether a particular hotkey uses the keyboard hook, use ListHotkeys.
[v1.1.06+]: #InputLevel and SendLevel provide additional control over which hotkeys and hotstrings are triggered by the Send command.
UPThe word UP may follow the name of a hotkey to cause the hotkey to fire upon release of the key rather than when the key is pressed down. The following example remaps the left Win to become the left Ctrl:
*LWin::Send {LControl down} *LWin Up::Send {LControl up}"Up" can also be used with normal hotkeys as in this example: ^!r Up::MsgBox You pressed and released Ctrl+Alt+R. It also works with combination hotkeys (e.g. F1 & e Up::)
Limitations: 1) "Up" does not work with controller buttons; and 2) An "Up" hotkey without a normal/down counterpart hotkey will completely take over that key to prevent it from getting stuck down. One way to prevent this is to add a tilde prefix (e.g. ~LControl up::)
"Up" hotkeys and their key-down counterparts (if any) always use the keyboard hook.
On a related note, a technique similar to the above is to make a hotkey into a prefix key. The advantage is that although the hotkey will fire upon release, it will do so only if you did not press any other key while it was held down. For example:
LControl & F1::return ; Make left-control a prefix by using it in front of "&" at least once. LControl::MsgBox You released LControl without hing used it to modify any other key.Note: See the Key List for a complete list of keyboard keys and mouse/controller buttons.
Multiple hotkeys can be stacked vertically to he them perform the same action. For example:
^Numpad0:: ^Numpad1:: MsgBox Pressing either Control+Numpad0 or Control+Numpad1 will display this message. returnA key or key-combination can be disabled for the entire system by hing it do nothing. The following example disables the right-side Win:
RWin::return Context-sensitive HotkeysThe directives #IfWinActive/Exist and #If can be used to make a hotkey perform a different action (or none at all) depending on a specific condition. For example:
#IfWinActive ahk_class Notepad ^a::MsgBox You pressed Ctrl-A while Notepad is active. Pressing Ctrl-A in any other window will pass the Ctrl-A keystroke to that window. #c::MsgBox You pressed Win-C while Notepad is active. #IfWinActive #c::MsgBox You pressed Win-C while any window except Notepad is active. #If MouseIsOver("ahk_class Shell_TrayWnd") ; For MouseIsOver, see #If example 1. WheelUp::Send {Volume_Up} ; Wheel over taskbar: increase/decrease volume. WheelDown::Send {Volume_Down} ; Custom CombinationsNormally shortcut key combinations consist of optional prefix/modifier keys (Ctrl, Alt, Shift and LWin/RWin) and a single suffix key. The standard modifier keys are designed to be used in this manner, so normally he no immediate effect when pressed down.
A custom combination of two keys (including mouse but not controller buttons) can be defined by using " & " between them. Because they are intended for use with prefix keys that are not normally used as such, custom combinations he the following special behior:
The prefix key loses its native function, unless it is a standard modifier key or toggleable key such as CapsLock. If the prefix key is also used as a suffix in another hotkey, by default that hotkey is fired upon release, and is not fired at all if it was used to activate a custom combination. [v1.1.14+]: If there is both a key-down hotkey and a key-up hotkey, both hotkeys are fired at once. The fire-on-release effect is disabled if the tilde prefix is applied to the prefix key in at least one active custom combination or the suffix hotkey itself.Note: For combinations with standard modifier keys, it is usually better to use the standard syntax. For example, use