Windows 11 has many built-in keyboard shortcuts, but it does not include a general Settings page for creating your own hotkeys. To make custom shortcuts, install Microsoft PowerToys and use its Keyboard Manager utility.
Keyboard Manager can turn a key combination into another shortcut, insert text, open an application, or launch a URI such as a website. You can also restrict a shortcut to a specific program instead of applying it throughout Windows.
Check Windows 11’s built-in shortcuts first
Some useful hotkeys already work without PowerToys:
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
Win + I |
Open Settings |
Win + L |
Lock the PC |
Win + D |
Show or hide the desktop |
Alt + Tab |
Switch between open applications |
Alt + F4 |
Close the active window or application |
Applications can override or add to Windows shortcuts, so a key combination may behave differently in different programs. For custom system-wide hotkeys, use PowerToys Keyboard Manager.
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Install PowerToys for Windows 11
- Install Microsoft PowerToys from Microsoft’s official documentation or the Microsoft Store.
- Start PowerToys. It normally remains available in the notification area while it is running.
- Open PowerToys Settings and select Keyboard Manager in the left navigation.
- Make sure Keyboard Manager is enabled.
Keyboard Manager is a PowerToys feature, not a built-in Windows 11 Settings option. PowerToys must remain running in the background for your remappings to work.
Set a custom keyboard shortcut
The exact editor layout depends on your PowerToys version. In PowerToys 0.100 and later, new installations open the redesigned WinUI 3 editor by default. It combines key and shortcut remappings in one view. Existing installations can switch between the new and legacy interfaces with Use the new editor on the Keyboard Manager page.
- Open PowerToys Settings → Keyboard Manager.
- Select Remap a shortcut.
- Add a new shortcut-remapping row.
- Under the left Shortcut column, select Select.
- Press the hotkey you want to use, such as
Ctrl+Alt+N. The selection dialog accepts keyboard input. HoldEnterto confirm or holdEscto cancel. - Under To send, choose what the shortcut should produce. Depending on the action type, this can be a key, shortcut, text, application, or URI.
- Optionally enter a process name in Target app if the hotkey should work only in one application.
- Select OK to save the remapping.
The change should take effect immediately. You do not normally need to restart Windows or PowerToys.
Example: map a hotkey to another shortcut
To make Ctrl + Alt + N behave like Win + N:
- Open Keyboard Manager → Remap a shortcut.
- Set the left shortcut to
Ctrl+Alt+N. - Set To send to the replacement shortcut,
Win+N. - Apply the row with OK.
If you leave Target app empty, the mapping applies globally.
Limit a hotkey to one application
Enter the application’s process name in Target app. PowerToys does not use the friendly name shown in the Start menu or Task Manager.
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| Application | Process name |
|---|---|
| Microsoft Edge | msedge.exe |
| Google Chrome | chrome.exe |
| File Explorer | explorer.exe |
| Microsoft Word | winword.exe |
| Outlook | outlook.exe |
| Microsoft Teams | ms-teams.exe |
To find a process name, open PowerShell and run:
Get-Process
Alternatively, open Command Prompt and run:
tasklist
In tasklist, use the executable shown in the Image Name column. PowerShell usually omits the .exe extension, so add it when entering the name in PowerToys if required.
Use a hotkey to insert text
Keyboard Manager can send arbitrary Unicode text, which is useful for signatures, email replies, addresses, symbols, or frequently used snippets.
- Go to PowerToys Settings → Keyboard Manager → Remap a shortcut.
- Add a row and select Select in the Shortcut column.
- Press the hotkey, such as
Ctrl+Alt+S. - In To send, choose Text.
- Enter the text to insert.
- Select OK and test it in a text field.
PowerToys 0.98 and later supports multiline text input for text remappings, so a single hotkey can insert a block containing line breaks.
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Launch an app with a hotkey
Choose the Start App action in the To send selector. The action provides these options:
| Field | Purpose |
|---|---|
| App | Path to the executable. Environment variables are expanded. |
| Args | Command-line arguments passed to the application. |
| Start in | The application’s working directory. |
| Elevation | Choose Normal, Elevated, or Different User. |
| If running | Choose Show Window, Start another instance, Do nothing, Close, or End task. |
| Visibility | Controls whether the launched application is visible. |
For example, you could assign Ctrl + Alt + C to start Calculator, then specify the Calculator executable in the App field. If you want to open a website or another URI instead, choose the URI-opening action and enter the complete URI, such as https://www.itechguides.com.
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Create a two-key chord shortcut
A chord uses one or more modifier keys followed by two non-modifier keys. This is useful when you need more custom combinations than ordinary three- or four-key shortcuts provide.
- Open the shortcut remapping editor and add or edit a shortcut.
- Select Edit.
- Enable Allow chords.
- Enter the two non-modifier keys and configure the action under To send.
- Save the remapping.
Use Exact Match when necessary
When a shortcut is mapped to a single key, enable Exact Match if it should work only when no other keys are being pressed.
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Without Exact Match, the single-key output may still be sent when the configured shortcut is pressed together with additional keys. This can produce unexpected input in applications that use longer or overlapping shortcuts.
Disable or remove a hotkey
If a remapping causes a problem, you can stop all Keyboard Manager remappings immediately by either:
- Closing PowerToys; or
- Disabling Keyboard Manager in PowerToys Settings.
PowerToys 0.98 and later also provides enable/disable switches for individual remapping entries. Use the switch on the problematic row when you want to keep the configuration without deleting it.
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Important limitations and common failures
- PowerToys must be running: Closing PowerToys stops the remappings.
- No sign-in-screen support: Keyboard Manager does not work at the Windows sign-in screen, password screens, or while using Run as administrator.
- Reserved shortcuts:
Win+LandCtrl+Alt+Deletecannot be remapped. - The physical Fn key: The
Fnkey generally cannot be remapped. Function keys fromF1throughF24can be mapped. - Xbox Game Bar:
Win+Gmay continue opening Game Bar after reassignment. Disable Game Bar in Windows Settings if it conflicts with your mapping. - Pause: The
Pausekey sends only one key-down event. For example, mappingPauseto Backspace and holding it will generally delete only one character. - Games: Keyboard Manager may be unreliable in games. Some games use keyboard APIs that do not work with the utility, and remappings can affect game performance.
Why one remapping can break another
Keyboard Manager processes key remappings on key-down rather than key-up. The order in which keys are pressed can therefore matter. For example, remapping Ctrl to X can prevent a separate Ctrl + A mapping from being detected correctly because the Ctrl key has already been remapped when it is pressed.
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Some applications filter synthetic keyboard events. Windows Terminal is one example documented by Microsoft. Arrow keys, right-side Ctrl and Alt, Delete, Home, and Insert also use special extended-key handling, so their behavior can vary with certain applications or NumLock states.
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PowerToys Shortcut Guide helps you discover shortcuts, but it does not create or remap them. Its settings include Enable Shortcut Guide, Activation shortcut, App theme, Window position, and Exclude apps. The documented default activation shortcut is Win + Shift + ?.
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%LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\WinGet\KeyboardShortcuts
This adds shortcut information to the overlay only. It does not create the shortcut in Windows or PowerToys.
FAQ
Can I create custom hotkeys in Windows 11 without installing PowerToys?
Windows 11 includes many predefined shortcuts, but it does not provide a general built-in Settings tool for creating arbitrary system-wide hotkeys. Microsoft PowerToys Keyboard Manager is the supported Microsoft utility for this purpose.
Do PowerToys hotkeys work after restarting Windows?
Yes, provided PowerToys starts and Keyboard Manager is enabled. PowerToys must be running in the background; closing it disables the remappings.
Can a custom hotkey work only in Chrome or Word?
Yes. Enter the application process name in the Target app field. Use names such as chrome.exe for Chrome or winword.exe for Word, not the friendly application name.
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Why is my PowerToys shortcut not working in a game?
Some games use keyboard APIs that are incompatible with Keyboard Manager. Microsoft also warns that Keyboard Manager may affect game performance, so test the mapping outside the game and consider using the game’s own keybinding settings.
How do I undo a broken PowerToys remapping?
Close PowerToys or disable Keyboard Manager in PowerToys Settings. In PowerToys 0.98 and later, you can also disable the individual remapping entry without deleting it.
The Bottom Line
For custom Windows 11 hotkeys, install Microsoft PowerToys, open PowerToys Settings → Keyboard Manager, and use Remap a shortcut. Set the replacement action, optionally enter a process name to limit it to one application, and select OK. The mapping applies immediately, but it works only while PowerToys and Keyboard Manager are running and cannot override Windows-reserved combinations such as Win + L or Ctrl + Alt + Delete.
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