Select the product you need help with

How to create a keyboard shortcut for a program in Windows XP

Article ID: 310417 - View products that this article applies to.

This article was previously published under Q310417

SUMMARY

This article describes how to create a keyboard shortcut for a program in Windows XP. Note that this feature works only with program shortcuts on the desktop or the Start menu. This feature does not work if the desktop shortcut is a shortcut to another shortcut.

Creating a keyboard shortcut

Right-click the desktop shortcut, and then click Properties.
On the Shortcut tab, click in the Shortcut Key box.
Press the keyboard combination that you want to use to start the program. The shortcut combination must consist of one character (a letter, number, or symbol) plus at least two of the following three keys: CTRL, ALT, and SHIFT.
Click OK.

Troubleshooting

The default combination is CTRL+ALT; if you press only a character key, Windows XP automatically adds CTRL+ALT. To use other combinations of the three required keys, press those keys before you press the character key.
A keyboard shortcut does not work if it conflicts with a keyboard combination that is used in the program that is currently active.