Built-in Quick Launch Hotkeys in Windows Vista
Windows Vista lets you use hotkeys for the first 10 items in the Quick Launch menu. These hotkeys are assigned automatically, so there's no need to do anything other than understand how they work.
For each icon in the Quick launch bar, the hotkey Win + number is assigned. These are assigned from left to right, 1-9 (and 0 for 10).
For instance, in the following screenshot, you'll see that the first 4 icons are:
- Show Desktop
- Flip3D
- Windows Media Player
- Internet Explorer
That would mean the automatic hotkeys are assigned like this:
- Win + 1 - Show Desktop:
- Win + 2 - Flip3D:
- Win + 3 - Windows Media Player
- Win + 4 - Internet Explorer
Seems kinda a waste to use Show Desktop and Flip3D when you can use Win+Tab and Win + D for those anyway. Maybe I'll move them…
The Geek is the founder of How-To Geek and a geek enthusiast. When he's not coming up with great how-to articles, he's probably writing at his personal blog. This article was written on 01/13/07 and tagged with: Windows Vista, Desktop Customization
I assume Show Desktop and Flip3D are mostly there for tablet PC, where it's not always easy to use the key combos.
Makes sense, for TabletPC users. Excellent point!
Great tip! Once I'm running Vista full-time, I'll be able to put these to use.
to use vista flip3d u can do:Win + Tab
you can arrange anything you want in there and the first thing in the list will work on Win+1 and so on.
I use Win + n for switching desktops. I need to know how to turn this off. Any ideas?
The image on my computer at work is sideways. What hotkey (a) got it to that point and (b) what hotkey will put it back and (c) can I disable that hotkey combination?
Marg Sue:
The shortcut is something like CTRL,ALT and UP/DOWN/LEFT/RIGHT arrow keys.
I work in a school where the kids find it hilarious to turn the screen upside down for the next user…
Peter.
The Win + only does one thing you mentioned (3d flip) the others open programs - how do I control which programs to open - some open programs I almost never use
Peter:
Thanks a million times for your post. My borther was playing a game on the laptop and suddenly the screen was turned upside down. The comination I have found useful is: CTRL+ALT+UP to restore my screen in the correct position. What means CTRL+ALT+DOWN made the whole mess!
Thanks again,
Justine.
@Marg / Justine:
I think that the problem is that those hotkeys to rotate the screen are assigned in your video card software (usually ATI on a laptop). You could disable those hotkeys by going into the ATI control panel, which would solve the problem.
Hi there,
I've just bought a new laptop with Vista and I'm slowly going through tweaking everything I can. Your site's been most helpful so far so I thought I'd quiz you about hotkeys…
Ever since I dabbled with Emerge desktop on WinXP I've been a total hotkey afficianado. However, due to some applications acting strangely I left it behind and went back to the Windows shell. However I missed my hotkey combinations. So I found a wonderful little app called "HotKeyBind" which worked perfectly on WinXP. It allowed you to unregister the standard windows hot key combinations (which were much fewer in WinXP) and define your own.
In Vista there are many new WIN + key combinations. HotKeyBind obviously hasn't moved on to Vista yet as it only lists the WinXP hotkeys.
So… my question is: is there any way to unregister or disable the standard windows hotkeys? I like having all my hot key combinations controlled in one place. The idea of having to go to various application shortcuts and go into properties and add a hotkey is somewhat infuriating.
My usual hotkeys have been:
WIN + X: Next workspace
WIN + 2: Assign active window to next workspace
WIN + Z: Previous workspace
WIN + 1: Assign active window to previous workspace
WIN + ALT + 1: Go to workspace 1
WIN + ALT + 2: Go to workspace 2
WIN + ALT + 3: Go to workspace 3
WIN + ALT + 4: Go to workspace 4
WIN + F: Firefox
WIN + ALT + F: Filezilla
WIN + T: Thunderbird (clashes now with cycle through taskbar)
WIN + G: Google Desktop Search
WIN + ALT + G: Photoshop
WIN + CTRL + G: Illustrator
WIN + E: Cubic Explorer
WIN + ALT+ E: Windows Explorer
WIN + CTRL + E: Internet Explorer
WIN + W: WInamp
WIN + Q: Shutdown
WIN + S: Stylemaster
WIN + R: Run
WIN + ALT + R: Reason
WIN + N: Notepad ++
WIN + M: MozBackup
WIN + V: ViceVersa
WIN + C: Cubase
That's all that I can think of off the top of my head, but I think there are probably more. Quite a few of them are clashing with the new Vista WIN hotkeys and I don't really want to try and work out alternatives as I am so accustomed to them now.
Any thoughts?
I've been using AutoHotkey to perform a lot of similar tasks.. you can usually override the built-in hotkeys with it.
Ah right.
I've looked at AutoHotKey before, and I must admit I found myself a little confused. I think HotKeyBind is built using AutoHotKey, as is my favourite text replacement software - Texter from Adam Pash at Lifehacker.
I've found with a small amount of adjustment I can get around the new windows hot keys without too much trouble - I'm just going to have to adjust my shortcuts on the desktop as well and get into some new habits!
Alex
I've been looking for those Hotkeys ever sense I got my new computer.
So how would I disable the ctrl-alt-up screen flip thing on a laptop which runs on windows vista? I figured out how to do it on my home PC (with windows xp) but can't figure it out with the new vista stuff.
i found great the hotkey alt ctrl + arrow because with my laptop i could lay on my side in my bed and just read an e-book with the screen rotated at 90° and sleep whenever i want
Hiya … my sister is having problems with her laptop …its advent windows vista … on keys lkjuiop its semi numerical ( u know ) shes pressed sum buttons together and cant type using those keys anymore due to them now being numbers ive looked in the manuals and tried the usual hotkeys but nothing seems to work please could anybody help? ta .
Hi. Love this site. Im new to computing; just got my laptop. What is WIN button everyone writes about for shortcuts?
@Richesin
There should be a key on the keyboard with the Windows logo on it. It's usually between the ctrl and alt keys on the left side of the keyboard.
My sister found the solution finaly thanks… the laptop had a blue functin key she pressed that along with alt n tab i think and it solved the number/letter semi-keys for anybody having the same problem its FN key.
BTW hello Alex Leonard its Sandra's sister.
@mandy: Sandra's sister? Right now I can only think of one Sandra that I know - from Germany, has dreadlocks?
Or am I being awful and forgetting huge chunks of my life?! (Entirely possible
Alex sorry what a small world…my sister has never had dreadlocks or lived in Germany but she did die her hair pillar box red and move to Glasgow once…still not the same person is it?
Lol…sorry my mistake i should have known better the Alex Leonard i know is a psychologist and not as clever as you at computers her and my sister are best friends and both as equally blonde (again) as each other.Thank you for your reply though peace!
One can use the PStart application to easely assign Hot Keys to an application:
http://pegtop.net/start/
@mandy Unfortunately I'm not unique by being Alex Leonard - there's a Jazz Pianist in New York that stole my name as well!
I'm definitely not a psychologist though, I can understand computers (sometimes) better than people.
hi,i got a problem, i have a laptop all my icon are gone,i don't delete them while am using internet Thanks