Keyboard shortcuts

Complete reference of keyboard shortcuts for all PowerToys utilities, customization options, and conflict resolution

Overview

Keyboard shortcuts (hotkeys) are a core feature of PowerToys, allowing quick activation of utilities without leaving your current task. All shortcuts are customizable and checked for conflicts.

Hotkey structure

Keyboards shortcuts in PowerToys use the HotkeySettings class defined in src/settings-ui/Settings.UI.Library/HotkeySettings.cs:

public record HotkeySettings
{
    public bool Win { get; set; }      // Windows key
    public bool Ctrl { get; set; }     // Control key
    public bool Alt { get; set; }      // Alt key
    public bool Shift { get; set; }    // Shift key
    public int Code { get; set; }      // Virtual key code
}

Virtual key codes follow the Windows Virtual-Key Codes specification.

Default keyboard shortcuts

Global shortcuts

Quick Access

Default: Win + Alt + P (code: 80)

Opens the Quick Access menu to quickly access any PowerToys module.

Defined in GeneralSettings.cs:111

Utility shortcuts

Productivity

Utility	Default Shortcut	Action	ViewModel Reference
PowerToys Run	Alt + Space	Open launcher	PowerLauncherViewModel.cs
Always On Top	Win + Ctrl + T	Pin window on top	AlwaysOnTopViewModel.cs
Color Picker	Win + Shift + C	Activate color picker	ColorPickerViewModel.cs
FancyZones Editor	Win + Shift + `	Open zone editor	FancyZonesViewModel.cs:95
FancyZones Next Tab	Win + PgDn	Switch to next zone tab	FancyZonesViewModel.cs:96
FancyZones Prev Tab	Win + PgUp	Switch to previous zone tab	FancyZonesViewModel.cs:97
Screen Ruler	Win + Shift + M	Activate screen ruler	MeasureToolViewModel.cs
Text Extractor	Win + Shift + T	Extract text from screen	PowerOcrViewModel.cs
Shortcut Guide	Win (hold)	Show Windows shortcuts	ShortcutGuideViewModel.cs

Clipboard & Paste

Utility	Default Shortcut	Action	ViewModel Reference
Advanced Paste	Win + Shift + V	Open paste menu	AdvancedPasteViewModel.cs
Advanced Paste (Direct)	Ctrl + Win + Alt + V	Paste as plain text	AdvancedPasteViewModel.cs
Advanced Paste (Markdown)	Ctrl + Win + Alt + Shift + V	Paste as markdown	AdvancedPasteViewModel.cs
Advanced Paste (JSON)	Ctrl + Win + Alt + J	Paste as JSON	AdvancedPasteViewModel.cs

Display & Mouse

Utility	Default Shortcut	Action	ViewModel Reference
Crop And Lock	Win + Ctrl + Shift + T	Crop window thumbnail	CropAndLockViewModel.cs
Light Switch	Custom	Toggle dark/light mode	LightSwitchViewModel.cs
Mouse Highlighter	Win + Shift + H	Toggle mouse highlighting	MouseUtilsViewModel.cs
Mouse Pointer Crosshairs	Win + Alt + P	Toggle crosshairs	MouseUtilsViewModel.cs
Mouse Jump	Win + Shift + D	Show mouse jump grid	MouseUtilsViewModel.cs
Find My Mouse	Ctrl + Ctrl (double tap)	Locate mouse pointer	MouseUtilsViewModel.cs
Peek	Ctrl + Space	Preview files	PeekViewModel.cs

Developer Tools

Utility	Default Shortcut	Action	ViewModel Reference
Command Palette	Win + Shift + :	Open command palette	CmdPalViewModel.cs
Environment Variables	None	Open in settings	EnvironmentVariablesViewModel.cs
Registry Preview	None	Opens with .reg files	RegistryPreviewViewModel.cs
Hosts File Editor	None	Open in settings	HostsViewModel.cs

ZoomIt

Feature	Default Shortcut	Action
Zoom	Ctrl + 1	Enter zoom mode
Live Zoom	Ctrl + 4	Enter live zoom mode
Draw	Ctrl + 2	Enter draw mode
Type	Ctrl + 3	Enter type mode
Record	Ctrl + 5	Start/stop recording
Snip	Ctrl + 6	Capture screen snip
Break Timer	None	Show break timer

Customizing shortcuts

Via Settings UI

1. Open utility settings

   Navigate to the specific utility’s settings page in PowerToys Settings

2. Click shortcut field

   Click on the keyboard shortcut input field

3. Press new combination

   Press your desired key combination (must include modifier keys)

4. Check for conflicts

   PowerToys automatically checks for conflicts and displays warnings

5. Save changes

   Changes are saved immediately and communicated via IPC to the Runner

Shortcut requirements

Valid shortcuts must meet these criteria (enforced in HotkeySettings.cs:226-234):

• Must include at least one modifier key (Win, Ctrl, Alt, or Shift)
• Must include a main key (letter, number, or function key)
• Cannot use Tab alone (reserved for accessibility)
• Cannot conflict with system shortcuts

// From HotkeySettings.cs:226-234
public bool IsValid()
{
    if (IsAccessibleShortcut())
    {
        return false;
    }
    
    return (Alt || Ctrl || Win || Shift) && Code != 0;
}

Shortcut format

Shortcuts are stored in JSON with virtual key codes:

{
  "win": true,
  "ctrl": false,
  "alt": true,
  "shift": false,
  "code": 80
}

This represents: Win + Alt + P (P has virtual key code 80)

Command-line format

Shortcuts can be specified via command line using the TryParseFromCmd method (HotkeySettings.cs:253-288):

# Format: Modifier+Modifier+Key
Win+Alt+P
Ctrl+Shift+F5
Win+Ctrl+Alt+0x43  # Using hex virtual key code

Supported modifiers: Win, Ctrl, Alt, Shift

Keys can be:

• Single letters/digits: A, 5
• Virtual key codes: 0x70 (F1)
• Key names: F5, Home, End

Conflict detection

PowerToys includes sophisticated conflict detection to prevent shortcut collisions.

Conflict types

System conflicts

Conflicts with Windows built-in shortcuts (Win+L, Alt+Tab, etc.)

Cannot be ignored

PowerToys conflicts

Conflicts between different PowerToys utilities

Can be ignored if desired

Conflict properties

The HotkeySettings class tracks conflict state (HotkeySettings.cs:62-115):

public bool HasConflict { get; set; }          // Is there a conflict?
public string ConflictDescription { get; set; } // What conflicts?
public bool IsSystemConflict { get; set; }     // System vs. app conflict?
public bool IgnoreConflict { get; set; }       // User chose to ignore?

Conflict resolution workflow

1. Detect conflict

   When you set a shortcut, PowerToys checks all registered shortcuts

2. Show warning

   If a conflict exists, a warning appears with details about the conflicting shortcut

   Implementation: HotkeySettingsControlHook.cs

3. Choose action

   You can:

   • Change your shortcut
   • Change the conflicting shortcut
   • Ignore the conflict (if not a system conflict)
4. Save preference

   Ignored conflicts are saved in GeneralSettings.IgnoredConflictProperties

Accessing conflict information

Conflicts are surfaced through the GetAllHotkeySettings() method implemented by each ViewModel:

// From ColorPickerViewModel.cs:92-99
public override Dictionary<string, HotkeySettings[]> GetAllHotkeySettings()
{
    var hotkeysDict = new Dictionary<string, HotkeySettings[]>
    {
        [ModuleName] = [ActivationShortcut],
    };
    
    return hotkeysDict;
}

Advanced customization

Per-application shortcuts

Keyboard Manager allows remapping shortcuts differently for specific applications:

This is managed separately through Keyboard Manager’s UI and stored in default.json in the Keyboard Manager folder.

See the Keyboard Manager documentation for details.

Disabling shortcuts

To disable a utility’s shortcut without disabling the utility:

1. Clear the shortcut field in Settings UI
2. The shortcut will be set to an empty state (Code = 0)
3. The utility remains enabled but has no activation shortcut

{
  "win": false,
  "ctrl": false,
  "alt": false,
  "shift": false,
  "code": 0
}

Group Policy override

Shortcuts can be controlled via GPO for enterprise deployments. See Group Policy for details.

Shortcut best practices

Use Win key

Windows key combinations are less likely to conflict with applications

Avoid common combos

Stay away from Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V, Alt+F4, and other standard shortcuts

Be consistent

Use similar patterns across utilities (e.g., Win+Shift for activation)

Test thoroughly

Verify shortcuts work in your most-used applications

Troubleshooting

Shortcut not working

PowerToys not running elevated

Some shortcuts don’t work with elevated applications unless PowerToys runs elevated

Solution: Enable “Run as administrator” in General settings

Conflicting application

Another application may be capturing the shortcut first

Solution: Use a different shortcut or check the other application’s settings

Utility disabled

The utility must be enabled for its shortcut to work

Solution: Check the utility’s enabled state in Settings or Dashboard

GPO restriction

Group Policy may be preventing shortcut customization

Solution: Contact your system administrator

Shortcut conflict detection not working

If conflicts aren’t being detected:

1. Restart PowerToys to refresh the shortcut registry
2. Check logs at %LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\PowerToys\Logs
3. Manually review settings.json for duplicate shortcuts

Related documentation

Settings overview

Learn about PowerToys configuration architecture

Group Policy

Control shortcuts via enterprise policy