AutoHotkey (AHK) is a great way to increase your productivity.
AHK, quite simply, cuts down the number of keys you might have to press to make the computer perform a specific task, and also reduces the amount of time taken for that task to be performed.
AHK can be employed, to launch any of your favorite programs quickly, to switch between windows using a custom hot key, and many other related tasks are made fast and easier to be performed.
So, up till now it should become obvious that AutoHotkey are pretty awesome, to explain and educate you further, we have compiled a list of “10 Handy AutoHotkey Scripts to Make Your Life Easier”.
- Repurpose Function Keys: Most of the people do not use function keys that often, so their purpose of being there on your keyboard seems useless. But you can surely make them useful again by providing them a specific task to perform. For example, suppose you don’t want to use the combinations for cut, copy and paste, instead you want to use single keys for them. A great shortcut can be to assign F2 for cut, F3 for copy and F4 for paste, by using the following AHK script:
$F2::Send ^x ; cut $F3::Send ^c ; copy $F4::Send ^v ; paste
- Disable Lock Keys: Just as the function keys, the three lock keys, Num Lock, Caps Lock and Scroll Lock, are also useless for most people. Num Lock might be used if you have to deal with numbers, else Caps Lock and Scroll Lock might never be used in your line of work. So it might be a good idea to disable them both, so you never have to worry the next time you hit them by accident, this can be done by using this script:
Set Lock keys permanently SetNumLockState, AlwaysOn SetCapslockState, AlwaysOff SetScrolllockState, AlwaysOff Return
- Launch or Switch Browsers: Like many people, launching the web browser on your computer might be the first thing when you boot it up. And you might also feel the need of switching browsers if you are multi-tasking. Let’s take a look at the AHK scripts of both these functions:
F7 to launch or switch to Firefox
$F7::
IfWinExist Mozilla Firefox
{
WinActivateBottom, Mozilla Firefox
}
Else
{
Run “C:\Users\Public\Desktop\Mozilla Firefox.lnk”
}
Return
- Open Webpages in No Time: If you have favorite webpages which you always want to open quickly, right after your computer boots up, then you can create your own custom shortcut keys for them. Since my favorite webpage is JSZ App, this neat little AHK script will serve the mentioned purpose:
Launch JSZ App ^+t::Run www.jszapp.com Return
- Switch between Apps: With AutoHotkey you can also create a single useful button which will switch to the last window, meaning that it would help you switch between apps. Here’s the script:
set Left Windows Key for switching to previous window/app
$LWin::Send !{Tab}
- Adjust Volume: Adjusting volume is always a tedious task even if done by hovering over the mouse arrow to the taskbar. But with AutoHotkey now you can control the volume of your computer with the following script:
Custom Volume Buttons +NumpadAdd::Send (Volume_Up) +NumpadSub::Send (Volume_Down) Break::Send (Volume_Mute) Return
- Empty Recycle Bin: Want to empty your overly filled recycle bin? Empty it with a single button using this script:
Empty Trash #Del::FileRecycleEmpty Return
- A Window Always on Top: Sometimes you feel that there must always be a window on top while you work on something else. Suppose you are making a spreadsheet and want to access the calculator frequently, here is the handy script to do so:
Always on Top ^SPACE:: Winset, Alwaysontop, , A Return
- Toggle Window Size: It’s always great to have a key that maximizes the current window to full screen size and press again to do the opposite. Here is a cool script to do this:
make Insert Key to hide (minimize) current window $Insert::WinMinimize, A
- Disable AutoHotkey Temporarily: AutoHotkey shortcuts sometimes interfere with a few programs. In such cases disabling AutoHotkey’s is definitely possible, here is a script to suspend all your AutoHotkey scripts:
Suspend AutoHotkey #ScrollLock::Suspend Return
