How to Create and Use Custom Keyboard Shortcuts

Keyboard shortcuts can significantly enhance your productivity and streamline your workflow by allowing you to perform tasks quickly and effortlessly. While many applications come with predefined shortcuts, you have the flexibility to create your own custom keyboard shortcuts for any action or command on your computer. In this tutorial, we will explore how to create and use custom keyboard shortcuts on both Windows and macOS platforms.

Creating Custom Keyboard Shortcuts on Windows

Step 1: Accessing the Keyboard Shortcuts Menu

1. On your Windows computer, open the Start menu and navigate to the "Settings" option.
2. In the Settings menu, click on "Devices."
3. Within the Devices menu, select "Keyboard" on the left-hand side.

Step 2: Customizing Keyboard Shortcuts

1. Under the Keyboard settings, scroll down to find the "Advanced keyboard settings" link and click on it.
2. Locate the "Input language hotkeys" section and click on "Change language bar hot keys."

Step 3: Assigning Keyboard Shortcuts

1. In the Text Services and Input Languages popup, click on the "Key Settings" button.
2. In the Key Settings tab, click on "Change Key Sequence."
3. Select the key combination you want to use for your custom keyboard shortcut.
4. Choose whether you want the shortcut to switch input languages or perform specific actions.
5. Click "OK" to save the settings.

Creating Custom Keyboard Shortcuts on macOS

Step 1: Accessing the Keyboard Preferences

1. On your macOS computer, click on the Apple menu in the top-left corner of the screen.
2. Select "System Preferences" from the dropdown.
3. In the System Preferences menu, click on "Keyboard."

Step 2: Creating App-Specific Keyboard Shortcuts

1. In the Keyboard preferences, navigate to the "Shortcuts" tab.
2. Select "App Shortcuts" from the left-hand side menu.
3. Click on the "+" button below the right-hand panel to add a new shortcut.
4. A new window will appear with three fields: "Application," "Menu Title," and "Keyboard Shortcut."
5. Choose the application for which you want to create a custom shortcut in the "Application" field.
6. Enter the exact menu title of the command you want to create a shortcut for in the "Menu Title" field.
   • Note: Menu titles are case-sensitive.

Step 3: Assigning Keyboard Shortcuts

1. Click on the "Keyboard Shortcut" field and press the keys you want to use for your custom shortcut simultaneously.
2. After entering the desired keys, click on the "Add" button to save the shortcut.

Using Custom Keyboard Shortcuts

Once you have created your custom keyboard shortcuts, it's time to use them:

• On Windows, use the assigned key combination to perform the desired action or command.
• On macOS, navigate to the application's menu and locate the command. The custom keyboard shortcut will be displayed next to the command in the menu.

Conclusion

Creating and using custom keyboard shortcuts provides an efficient way to complete tasks quickly by eliminating the need for repetitive mouse clicks or menu navigation. Take advantage of this feature to customize your computing experience and optimize your productivity. Remember to choose keyboard shortcuts that are intuitive and easy to remember. With practice, you'll master your personalized shortcuts and maximize your efficiency.