Keyboard shortcuts are one of the fastest ways to speed up your workday. The more you can do without reaching for the mouse, the quicker everything gets done. Most people know the shortcuts inside their favorite apps, but far fewer know that Windows can launch an app with a keyboard shortcut too, no extra software required. Press your chosen combination from anywhere and the app opens.
This works in both Windows 10 and Windows 11, and it takes about a minute to set up.
Desktop Apps
For a traditional desktop program, you first need a shortcut to it on your desktop. If you do not have one, find the program in the Start menu, then drag it onto the desktop, or locate its EXE file, right-click it, and choose Send to, then Desktop (create shortcut).
Now right-click that desktop shortcut and select Properties. On the Shortcut tab you will see a field labeled Shortcut key. Click inside it, press the key combination you want, click Apply, and you are done.
Microsoft Store Apps
Apps installed from the Microsoft Store do not expose an EXE file you can browse to, so there is one extra step. Press the Windows key + R to open the Run box, type shell:AppsFolder and press Enter. A folder opens showing every app installed on your PC, Store apps included. Right-click the app you want and choose Create shortcut; Windows will offer to place the shortcut on your desktop.
From there the process is identical: right-click the new shortcut, open Properties, click in the Shortcut key field, record your combination, and click Apply.
The Fine Print on Shortcut Keys
There are a few limitations worth knowing. Letter and number combinations always include Ctrl+Alt as the modifier, so recording “E” gives you Ctrl+Alt+E. You cannot use the Windows key in these shortcuts. The shortcut itself must remain on your desktop (or in the Start Menu folder) for the key combination to keep working, so do not delete it afterward.
These shortcuts are global, meaning they work no matter which app you are currently using. The one exception is when something is running in full screen: if you are watching a video in full screen mode, the shortcut will not fire until you exit.
One more tip: choose combinations that no other app is using. Ctrl+Alt+letter combos are occasionally claimed by other software, and if two things want the same shortcut, results get unpredictable.
Want More Power? Try PowerToys
If you enjoy this kind of tweak, Microsoft’s free PowerToys is worth installing. Its launcher lets you tap a single shortcut and type a few letters of any app’s name to open it, which scales a lot better than memorizing a dozen Ctrl+Alt combinations. PowerToys also includes a Keyboard Manager for remapping keys, window layout tools, and a long list of other quality-of-life utilities. It is official Microsoft software and free.
Small time-savers like this add up across a whole staff. If you would like help making your team’s day-to-day computing faster and less frustrating, get in touch.