Once you start using your laptop or desktop more, you will look for better ways.

One of the easiest ways to do this is to use keyboard shortcuts.

You probably already use some keyboard shortcuts like Ctrl + C to copy and Ctrl + V to paste, but there are many other keyboard shortcuts you can use and you can even create many more.

This means that you can learn how to create hotkeys in Windows 7 to perform custkm actions.

The tutorial below will show you how to create your own keyboard shortcut to open a file for which you will create a desktop shortcut.

How to create a shortcut key in Windows 7

  1. Open the file folder.
  2. Right-click the file and drag it to your desktop.
  3. Select Create Shortcuts Here.
  4. Right-click on the shortcut and select Properties.
  5. Click inside the “keyboard shortcut” field and press the key combination on your keyboard.
  6. Click the Apply button, then OK.

Our guide continues below with more information on how to create a keyboard shortcut in Windows 7, including images of those steps.

You can customize the opening of any program or file, such as a document, audio clip, or application, to a keyboard shortcut. It can help speed up any computer task and is perfect for those tasks that you need to do frequently.

Our guide on how to take screenshots on an Acer laptop can show you an easy way to take screenshots on Windows.

How to Use Hot Keys to Open Files in Windows 7 (Illustrated Guide)

The steps in this article were performed on Windows 7.

Step 1: Open the folder containing the file or program that you want to assign to a hotkey.

Open the folder containing the file you want to use with a hotkey.

Step 2: Right-click the file, drag it to the desktop, and click Create shortcuts here.

Right-click and drag the file to your desktop

Step 3: Right-click the shortcut you just created on your desktop, and then click Properties.

Step 4: Click inside the Keyboard Shortcut field, then tap on any number or letter on the keyboard.

Windows 7 automatically prefixes the pressed key with “Ctrl + Alt +”.

Set a hotkey for your shortcut

Step 5: Click Apply and then OK to save the shortcut.

Click Apply, click OK.

Step 6: Use the keyboard shortcuts you created to open the file.

Press the keyboard shortcuts assigned to play the file

Now that you know how to create a hotkey in Windows 7, you can apply it to many other files that you often open in Windows 7 and really boost your productivity.