Create custom shortcuts with PowerToys or scripts in Windows

Creating custom keyboard shortcuts in Windows is no longer just for experts: with PowerToys and a few tricks , you can adapt the system to your way of working, from launching apps in milliseconds to reassigning keys or combining system actions into a single press.

If you're looking for a complete and practical guide to PowerToys (Shortcut Guide, Run, Keyboard Manager, add-ons, configurations, and real-world examples), here you'll find an organized walkthrough with all the key details, shortcuts, tables, and possibilities offered by this free Microsoft suite.

What is PowerToys and why use it?

Microsoft PowerToys is a suite of open-source utilities for users who want to get the most out of Windows and customize it extensively. It originated in the Windows 95 era and now includes modern tools that streamline workflows, improve organization, and add options not found in the standard configuration.

Its modules cover everything from window and launcher management to key remapping, color selection, File Explorer add-ons, and mouse utilities. Everything is managed from a central panel, where you can enable/disable modules and adjust their behavior.

Installation is very simple : you can download it from the Microsoft Store by searching for “PowerToys” or get the latest version from its official GitHub repository, with detailed installation and usage instructions.

Windows Shortcuts in Sight: Shortcut Guide

Shortcut Guide shows at a glance the shortcuts that use the Windows key , such as common combinations, window management, taskbar navigation, and system commands . It's an overlay that appears when you invoke it and that you can consult without taking your keyboard out of your control.

How to open it : By default, it is activated by holding down the Windows key for the configured time (900 ms initially), but in the options you can define your own shortcut or continue using the Windows key as a trigger.

You can use the shortcuts while the guide is visible . You'll see the effect reflected (moving windows, arrow variations, etc.), and if you repeat the opening shortcut, the overlay will close. Note that simply pressing the Windows key will open the Start menu.

Featured options (from PowerToys Settings):

• Activation method: Defines whether you use the Windows key or a custom shortcut.
• Pulse duration: milliseconds required to invoke the guide with Windows.
• Activation key combination: : own shortcut to open the guide.
• Topic on: light, dark or adapted to the Windows theme.
• Background opacity: Adjusts the transparency of the overlay.
• Excluded applications: Ignore the guide in specific apps (you can add names or wildcards, for example “Notepad” matches Notepad.exe and Notepad++.exe; for accuracy, include .exe).

PowerToys Run: The Ultra-Fast, Modular Launcher

PowerToys Run is an instant launcher for Windows that opens apps, files, and folders, runs system commands, performs calculations, converts units, and much more thanks to its plugin system. It's lightweight, extensible, and designed to be unobtrusive.

Quick invocation : Press Alt + Space and start typing (the shortcut is configurable). This allows you to open applications, search for processes, launch commands, or use plugins with keywords.

Main capabilities :

• Search for apps, folders, and files, with support for running processes.
• Quick actions with keyboard-accessible buttons (Open as admin, Open containing folder…).
• Shell plugins, calculation, web, date and time, unit conversion, hashes, UUID, profiles Bus Terminal, etc.
• Open URLs or launch a web search in your default browser.

Useful general options in your configuration:

• Activation key to show/hide (by default Alt + Space).
• Centralized keyboard link to improve focus if there are high windows.
• Ignore shortcuts in full screen (F11) to avoid interrupting immersive sessions.
• Input smoothing and timeouts for immediate or background plugins.
• Number of results visible before having to move.
• Order of results and weight of the selected item to fine-tune relevance.
• Theme and text size from the search and results box.
• Thumbnail generation for files (may impact performance/stability).
• Preferred Monitor if you work with multiple screens (main, where the cursor is or centered).
• Add-on Suggestions when the box is empty, and Pinyin experimental.

Add-on Manager and Direct Activations

Run works with plugins , and from the admin panel you can enable them, exclude them from the overall results, and define their direct trigger keywords. By using a trigger, you force Run to query only that specific plugin.

Complement	Trigger	Example
Calculator	=	= 2+2
History	!!	!! car Filter used items that contain "car"
Windows Search	?	? roadmap.txt
OneNote	o:	o: powertoys search local blogs
power toys	@	@ color picker open the color picker
Program	.	. code for Visual Studio Code
Register	:	: hkcu for HKEY_CURRENT_USER
Services	!	!status:running o !startup:auto
Shell	>	> ping localhost
Time and date	)	) calendar week::04/01/2022
Unit converter	%%	%% 10 ft to m
URI	//	// learn.microsoft.com
Value generator	#	# sha1 abc, # base64 abc
VS Code Workspaces	{	{ powertoys (remotes/containers)
Web search	??	?? pregunta in the browser
Windows Settings	$	$ control>system>admin
Windows Terminal Profiles	_	_ powershell
Window walker	<	< outlook

General shortcuts and system commands

Run global shortcuts :

Access	AGENDA
Alt + Studio	Show/Hide Run
I	Hide
Ctrl + Shift + Log in	Open app as admin
Ctrl + Shift + U	Open as another user
Ctrl + Shift + E	Open containing folder
Ctrl + C	Copy route
Tab	Browse results/buttons

system commands (dedicated plugin): You can shut down, restart, lock, hibernate, or check IP/MAC settings, among other things. Some examples: Shutdown, Restart, Lock, Sleep, Hibernate, Recycle Bin (open or empty), UEFI Firmware Settings (requires UEFI and admin permissions), IP address o MAC address (these queries may take time).

Program Plugin: Open apps and add parameters

The Program plugin detects executables and shortcuts in common locations (Start Menu, Desktop, etc.). If something is missing, it creates a manual shortcut in an indexed folder. You can pass arguments exactly as the app expects them.

Examples with Visual Studio Code :

• Open a folder: writes Visual Studio Code -- C:\\myFolder
• See differences: Visual Studio Code -d C:\\foo.txt C:\\bar.txt
• If you exclude the Program from the overall result, summon him with .: .Visual Studio Code -- C:\\myFolder

Calculator: supported operations

The Calculator add-in handles basic arithmetic, advanced functions, and constants. It supports addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, modulo, power, ceiling/floor, rounding, exponential, maximum/minimum, absolute, base 10 and natural number logs, square root, factorial, sign, random (fractional and integer), pi, trigonometric functions, and their hyperbolic and arctangent variants.

History: Recover what you've already used

The History plugin shows you results used before (from any enabled plugin). You can filter with !! and delete entries with the “Remove this from history” context menu.

• Long URLs: paste one and then that's it !! plus a few digits to get back to it.
• Calculations: if you did = 1245+6789, get it back with !! and part of the result.
• explore all: only !! to see the complete history.

Date and time: formats and customization

The Time and Date add-in returns the current time/date or a custom time/date in multiple formats. You can enter a format, the date/time to convert, or both.

• Examples: ) time, ) 3/27/2022, ) calendar week::3/27/2022, ) unix epoch::3/27/2022 10:30:45 AM
• Own formats: in Settings add lines type MiFormato=dd-MMMM-yyyy o MiUtc=UTC:hh:mm:ss
• Extra patterns: DOW (day of the week), DIM (day of the month), WOM (weeks of the month), WOY (week of the year), EAB (it was abbreviated), WFT (Windows file time), UXT/UMS (epoch), OAD (OLE), EXC/EXF (Excel dates).

Unit converter

Converts flight acceleration, angle, area, duration, energy, TI (data sizes), length, mass, power, pressure, speed, temperature, and volume. Write %% followed by the query (e.g. %% 10 ft to m).

Value generator: UUID, hashes, Base64 and more

This plugin generates GUID/UUID and calculates hashes , as well as encoding/decoding in Base64 and escaping strings or characters.

• UUID: v1 (time), v3 (MD5 by namespace), v4 (random), v5 (SHA1 by namespace), v7 (ordered by time). Examples: # uuid, # guidv1, # guidv3 ns:DNS www.microsoft.com, # uuid7.
• hashes: MD5, SHA1, SHA256, SHA384, SHA512 with # and the algorithm.
• Base64: # base64 texto y # base64d SGVsbG8gV29ybGQ=.
• URL : # url https://bing.com/?q=My Test query y # urld ....
• Escaped data: # esc:data C:\\Program Files\\PowerToys\\PowerToys.exe and its reverse with # uesc:data ....
• Hexadecimal character: # esc:hex z y # uesc:hex %7A.

Folder plugin: browse with filters

You can navigate through directories and filter results with simple operators:

Sequence	That makes	Example
>	Search within a folder	C:\\Users\\tu\\Documents>
*	File mask	C:\\Users\\tu\\Documents\\*.doc
>*	Search by mask within	C:\\Users\\tu\\Documents>*.doc

Windows Configuration and Services

Search for settings by name or path with the Settings plugin: $ device: list configurations with “device” in the area, and $ control>system>admin go to Control Panel > System > Administrative Tools.

The Services plugin allows you to list, start, stop and restart services with queries such as !startup:automatic o !status:running, all without leaving the launcher.

Window Walker and Windows Search

Window Walker lets you switch, close, or kill window processes. searching by title or executable name with <If Explorer doesn't use separate processes, you may see a warning; you can enable "Start folder windows in a separate process" in Folder Options to improve this behavior.

The Windows Search plugin uses the system indexer . If it doesn't index all drives, you'll see a warning. Go to "Search Windows" and enable Enhanced mode, adjust exclusions, and open the indexer's advanced settings if needed (paths, encryption, etc.).

Keyboard Manager: Remap keys and shortcuts as you wish

If your keyboard is limiting you, Keyboard Manager is your ally . Activate it in the PowerToys panel and go to its section. From "Remap a key" you can map any key to another or to a complete combination, and from "Remap a shortcut" you can replace system or app shortcuts.

• How to create a basic mapping: Press “+,” choose the source key, and then define the destination in “To send.” For example, map B to C. If you make a mistake, delete the line with the trash can icon. The changes are applied instantly, without restarting.
• Function keys at full capacity: You can give them new life by assigning frequent actions. Real ideas: F1 for Settings (Win + I), F2 for Run (Win + R), F5 for Maximize (Win + Up Arrow), or F6 for Lock (Win + L). Less contortion, more speed.
• Turn a key into a complex shortcut: When defining the destination, select “Key Combination” and press the sequence (e.g., Windows + L). This way, you can activate multiple keystrokes with just one.
• Remaps by application: Create the shortcut and specify the process in “Target Application” (e.g. winword.exe) so it only works within an app. Useful if you want F3 to be “Copy” in Word without affecting the rest of the system.
• Disable annoying keys: Create the assignment and leave "To Send" blank. PowerToys will notify you; confirm and you're done. Perfect for undoing keys you accidentally press.
• Practical case with foreign keyboards- If you are using a US layout, you can map the “;” key to type Ñ. You don’t need to change the regional settings or install drivers rare, just a mapping.
• Access and speedOpening PowerToys is as simple as clicking Windows, typing "PowerToys," and Enter. From there, Keyboard Manager is just two clicks away. No complicated steps.
• Note on Shortcut Guide and combinations: In addition to holding down Windows to invoke the guide, there are settings where a specific shortcut (e.g., Win + Shift + ç) is used to display it; this can be configured from the PowerToys panel.

FancyZones and other utilities that add productivity

FancyZones organizes your desktop into zones for placing windows in custom tile layouts. Open the layout editor and choose templates (columns, rows, corners) or create your own. Hold down the Shift key and drag a window to snap it into the zone.

• You can adjust colors and margins of the areas, save different grids and switch between them depending on your activity (programming, analysis, design…). It is especially useful in panoramic monitors or multi-monitor configurations.
• Color picker: With Win + Shift + C, you can capture the color of any point on the screen and copy its value in hex, RGB, or HSL. Ideal for design and the web.
• File Explorer with Superpowers: adds previews of formats such as Markdown, SVG or PDF without opening external apps, and resize images from the context menu in batches and with predefined profiles.
• Mouse Utilities: “Find my mouse” helps you locate your cursor on large or multi-screen desktops, displaying a quick and unobtrusive visual effect.

Having control of your shortcuts, zones, and launchers makes all the difference: Shortcut Guide gives you a visual memory of key combinations, Run lets you access everything without taking your hands off the keyboard, Keyboard Manager redefines ergonomics, and FancyZones brings order to the chaos of windows. Add the add-ons (history, calculator, converter, date and time, services, registry, web, URI, value generator, folders, settings, Windows Search, Window Walker) and the result is a Windows tailored to your habits—faster, more comfortable, and ready to work at your pace.