Is it possible to make a desktop shortcut of a keyboard shortcut?


rezpower

Well-known member
Member
VIP
Local time
8:16 PM
Posts
184
OS
Windows 11 PRO
The title says it all! I want to make a shortcut icon on my desktop that executes Windows_Key+Shift+S and pin it to my taskbar.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 PRO
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Razer Blade 17
    CPU
    Intel i7-12800H
    Memory
    32 GB DDR5 4800 MHz dual-channel
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3080 Ti
    Sound Card
    Steinberg UR44
    Hard Drives
    1 TB SSD (M.2 NVMe PCIe 4.0 x4
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender + Malwarebytes
Snipping Tool is in the All apps menu by default. If you right-click it and choose More, you can pin it to the taskbar. If you then right-click the icon on the task bar, you'll get options as below. If you choose the Take a new snip option, a window will open briefly, and then the familiar little control panel at the top of the screen will appear. You're good to go.

Dan

Edit: forgot the shot

Clipboard02.jpg
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    11 Pro 23H2 22631.3296
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkCentre M920S SFF
    CPU
    i7-9700 @ 3.00GHz
    Motherboard
    Lenovo 3132
    Memory
    32GBDDR4 @ 2666MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD 630 Graphics onboard
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG E2442
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    1 x Samsung 970 EVO PLUS 500GB NVMe SSD, 1 x WD_BLACK SN770
    250GB NVMe SSD (OS and programs), 1 x WD_BLACK SN770
    500GB NVMe SSD (Data)
    Case
    Lenovo SFF
    Keyboard
    Cherry Stream TKL JK-8600US-2 Wired
    Mouse
    LogiTech M510 wireless
    Internet Speed
    Fast (for fixed wireless!)
    Browser
    Chrome, sometimes Firefox
    Antivirus
    Malwarebytes Premium & Defender (working together beautifully!)
  • Operating System
    11 Pro 23H2 22631.3374
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkCentre M920S SFF
    CPU
    i5-8400 @ 2.80GHz
    Motherboard
    Lenovo 3132
    Memory
    32GB DDR4 @ 2600MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel HD 630 Graphics onboard
    Sound Card
    Realtek High Definition Audio onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG FULL HD (1920x1080@59Hz)
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    1 x Samsung 970 EVO PLUS NVMe; 1 x Samsung 980 NVMe SSD
    Case
    Lenovo Think Centre SFF
    Mouse
    LogiTech M510 wireless
    Keyboard
    Cherry Stream TKL JK-8600US-2 Wired
    Internet Speed
    Fast (for fixed wireless!)
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Malwarebytes Premium and MS Defender, beautiful together
Thanks for your reply Wisewiz. I already have the snipping tool pined to my taskbar.
But is it possible to make a desktop shortcut of a keyboard shortcut somehow?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 PRO
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Razer Blade 17
    CPU
    Intel i7-12800H
    Memory
    32 GB DDR5 4800 MHz dual-channel
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3080 Ti
    Sound Card
    Steinberg UR44
    Hard Drives
    1 TB SSD (M.2 NVMe PCIe 4.0 x4
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender + Malwarebytes
I dont think so !
But you can take the shortcut from the Start Menu list . Just leftclick on it and draw it out of the field of start menu; as soon as you leave the start menu field the prohibition sign is gone and you can drop it on your desktop. if it's another app, you can first pin a shortcut to the start menu and then draw it to the desktop !

See screenshot

Capture d’écran (16).jpg
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    WIN 11 / WIN 10 dual boot
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    No clue (x64 based) from 2016
    CPU
    Intel Pentium G 4400 (Skylake)
    Motherboard
    MS 7971, Bios: American Megatrend C.E0 (2018)
    Memory
    DDR4 12 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    internal (Intel HD 510)
    Hard Drives
    2x Western Digital (no SSD)
Looks as though you're trying to convert a keyboard command into a desktop shortcut, and I'm pretty sure that's not doable. I thought my solution would eliminate the middleman. No desktop shortcut needed but the command pinned to the taskbar, which I thought was what you were seeking originally. "a shortcut icon on my desktop that executes Windows_Key+Shift+S and pin it to my taskbar." The taskbar icon for Snipping Tool executes the Win-Shift-S command when you click the Clip Now option.

What you need to do is locate the app that W-Shift-S launches, and make a desktop shortcut to that.
C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\WindowsApps\SnippingTool.exe
Right click it and Send to desktop as shortcut. Now you have it there, you can pin it to your taskbar, and when you click once, you'll get the window; then click Now, and you'll get the control panel at the top of the screen.

Or you could create a shortcut on the desktop, give it snippingtool.exe (that's all you need) as the target, call it Snipping Tool, and pin it to the taskbar. But that's the long way 'round.

Two single left clicks. I suppose you could assign a hotkey to the icon's properties and change the icon to something you want, but that's about as close as you're going to get.

Does any of this strike you as helpful?
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    11 Pro 23H2 22631.3296
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkCentre M920S SFF
    CPU
    i7-9700 @ 3.00GHz
    Motherboard
    Lenovo 3132
    Memory
    32GBDDR4 @ 2666MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD 630 Graphics onboard
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG E2442
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    1 x Samsung 970 EVO PLUS 500GB NVMe SSD, 1 x WD_BLACK SN770
    250GB NVMe SSD (OS and programs), 1 x WD_BLACK SN770
    500GB NVMe SSD (Data)
    Case
    Lenovo SFF
    Keyboard
    Cherry Stream TKL JK-8600US-2 Wired
    Mouse
    LogiTech M510 wireless
    Internet Speed
    Fast (for fixed wireless!)
    Browser
    Chrome, sometimes Firefox
    Antivirus
    Malwarebytes Premium & Defender (working together beautifully!)
  • Operating System
    11 Pro 23H2 22631.3374
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkCentre M920S SFF
    CPU
    i5-8400 @ 2.80GHz
    Motherboard
    Lenovo 3132
    Memory
    32GB DDR4 @ 2600MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel HD 630 Graphics onboard
    Sound Card
    Realtek High Definition Audio onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG FULL HD (1920x1080@59Hz)
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    1 x Samsung 970 EVO PLUS NVMe; 1 x Samsung 980 NVMe SSD
    Case
    Lenovo Think Centre SFF
    Mouse
    LogiTech M510 wireless
    Keyboard
    Cherry Stream TKL JK-8600US-2 Wired
    Internet Speed
    Fast (for fixed wireless!)
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Malwarebytes Premium and MS Defender, beautiful together
Sorry hadn't correctly read your title ! What about: Autohotkey ?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    WIN 11 / WIN 10 dual boot
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    No clue (x64 based) from 2016
    CPU
    Intel Pentium G 4400 (Skylake)
    Motherboard
    MS 7971, Bios: American Megatrend C.E0 (2018)
    Memory
    DDR4 12 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    internal (Intel HD 510)
    Hard Drives
    2x Western Digital (no SSD)
Thanks a lot. I now understand that the keyboard shortcuts can't be replicated as normal desktop shortcuts :(
The best solution in this case is having it pinned to taskbar and remember to right click it. That's the nearest way to
a simple one click solution.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 PRO
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Razer Blade 17
    CPU
    Intel i7-12800H
    Memory
    32 GB DDR5 4800 MHz dual-channel
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3080 Ti
    Sound Card
    Steinberg UR44
    Hard Drives
    1 TB SSD (M.2 NVMe PCIe 4.0 x4
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender + Malwarebytes

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 PRO
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Razer Blade 17
    CPU
    Intel i7-12800H
    Memory
    32 GB DDR5 4800 MHz dual-channel
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3080 Ti
    Sound Card
    Steinberg UR44
    Hard Drives
    1 TB SSD (M.2 NVMe PCIe 4.0 x4
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender + Malwarebytes
You could experiment with Clavier +. Super simple program that assigns super-fast hotkeys to apps or whatever you want a hotkey for. But you'd still be in the click, click situation, not the Shift+Win+S situation that produces the conmtrol panel immediately.

 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    11 Pro 23H2 22631.3296
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkCentre M920S SFF
    CPU
    i7-9700 @ 3.00GHz
    Motherboard
    Lenovo 3132
    Memory
    32GBDDR4 @ 2666MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD 630 Graphics onboard
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG E2442
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    1 x Samsung 970 EVO PLUS 500GB NVMe SSD, 1 x WD_BLACK SN770
    250GB NVMe SSD (OS and programs), 1 x WD_BLACK SN770
    500GB NVMe SSD (Data)
    Case
    Lenovo SFF
    Keyboard
    Cherry Stream TKL JK-8600US-2 Wired
    Mouse
    LogiTech M510 wireless
    Internet Speed
    Fast (for fixed wireless!)
    Browser
    Chrome, sometimes Firefox
    Antivirus
    Malwarebytes Premium & Defender (working together beautifully!)
  • Operating System
    11 Pro 23H2 22631.3374
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkCentre M920S SFF
    CPU
    i5-8400 @ 2.80GHz
    Motherboard
    Lenovo 3132
    Memory
    32GB DDR4 @ 2600MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel HD 630 Graphics onboard
    Sound Card
    Realtek High Definition Audio onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG FULL HD (1920x1080@59Hz)
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    1 x Samsung 970 EVO PLUS NVMe; 1 x Samsung 980 NVMe SSD
    Case
    Lenovo Think Centre SFF
    Mouse
    LogiTech M510 wireless
    Keyboard
    Cherry Stream TKL JK-8600US-2 Wired
    Internet Speed
    Fast (for fixed wireless!)
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Malwarebytes Premium and MS Defender, beautiful together
There's gotta be a script you can make a shortcut out of...,
SendKeys VBS script perhaps...
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS ROG Strix
  • Operating System
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS VivoBook
Program a mouse button...
(not applicable if you only have a Trackpad)

0001514.png
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS ROG Strix
  • Operating System
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS VivoBook
Here is the autohotkeys script to do that:

Send, #+S

Install autohotkeys and make a file snip.ahk or whatever with the above content,
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro x64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    DIY Photoshop/Game/tinker build
    CPU
    Intel i9 1300KS
    Motherboard
    Asus ROG Maximus Z90 Dark Hero
    Memory
    64GB (2x32) G.skill Trident Z5 RGB 6400 MHZ 32-39-39
    Graphics Card(s)
    Asus ROG Strix 4070 Ti OC
    Sound Card
    Onboard Audio, Vanatoo Transparent One; Klipsch R-12SWi Sub; Creative Pebble Pro Minimilist
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Eizo CG2730, ViewSonic VP2768
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1440p x 2
    Hard Drives
    WDC SN850 1TB nvme, SK-Hynix 2 TB P41 nvme, Raid 0: 1TB 850 EVO + 1TB 860 EVO SSD. Sabrent USB-C DS-SC5B 5-bay docking station: 6TB WDC Black, 6TB Ironwolf Pro; 2x 2TB WDC Black
    PSU
    850W Seasonic Vertex PX-850
    Case
    Fractal Design North XL Mesh, Black Walnut
    Cooling
    EKWB 360 Nucleus Dark AIO w/Phanteks T30-120 fans, 1 Noctua NF-A14 Chromax case fan
    Keyboard
    Glorious GMMK TKL mechanical, lubed modded
    Mouse
    Logitech G305 wireless gaming
    Internet Speed
    380 Mb/s down, 12 Mb/s up
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender, Macrium Reflect 8 ;-)
  • Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Apple 13" Macbook Pro 2020 (m1)
    CPU
    Apple M1
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1600
    Browser
    Firefox
Windows 11 comes with .NET Framework by default, so you can use it to build your own .exe file and then create a shortcut to it.

Paste the following code in a Snipping.vb file (that's .vb, not .vbs).
Code:
Imports System.Runtime.InteropServices
Imports System.Windows.Forms
Public Module Snipping
   Const KEYEVENTF_KEYDOWN As Integer = &H0
   Const KEYEVENTF_KEYUP As Integer = &H2
   Const VK_Shift = &HA0
   Declare Sub keybd_event Lib "User32" (ByVal bVk As Byte, ByVal bScan As Byte, ByVal dwFlags As UInteger, ByVal dwExtraInfo As UInteger)
   Public Sub Main()
      keybd_event(CByte(Keys.LWin), 0, KEYEVENTF_KEYDOWN, 0) 'press the left Win key down
      keybd_event(VK_Shift, 0, KEYEVENTF_KEYDOWN, 0) 'press the Shift key down
      keybd_event(CByte(Keys.S), 0, KEYEVENTF_KEYDOWN, 0) 'press the S key down
      keybd_event(CByte(Keys.S), 0, KEYEVENTF_KEYUP, 0) 'release the S key
      keybd_event(CByte(Keys.LWin), 0, KEYEVENTF_KEYUP, 0) 'release the left Win key
      keybd_event(VK_Shift, 0, KEYEVENTF_KEYUP, 0) 'release the Shift key
   End Sub
End Module

In the same folder, paste the following code in a .bat file.
Code:
@ECHO OFF
FOR /F "tokens=* USEBACKQ" %%F IN ('REG QUERY "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\NET Framework Setup\NDP\v4\Full" /v InstallPath') DO SET InstallPath=%%F
SET InstallPath=%InstallPath:*REG_SZ =%
FOR /F "tokens=* Eol= " %%F IN ("%InstallPath%") DO SET "InstallPath=%%F"
IF EXIST "%InstallPath%vbc.exe" ("%InstallPath%vbc.exe" "%~dp0\Snipping.vb" /out:"%~dp0\Snipping.exe" /target:winexe) ELSE (ECHO ERROR - Missing vbc.exe)
PAUSE

Run the batchfile. Done!
 
Last edited:

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Asus TUF Gaming (2024)
    CPU
    i7 13650HX
    Memory
    16GB DDR5
    Graphics Card(s)
    GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile
    Sound Card
    Eastern Electric MiniMax DAC Supreme; Emotiva UMC-200; Astell & Kern AK240
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Sony Bravia XR-55X90J
    Screen Resolution
    3840×2160
    Hard Drives
    512GB SSD internal
    37TB external
    PSU
    Li-ion
    Cooling
    2× Arc Flow Fans, 4× exhaust vents, 5× heatpipes
    Keyboard
    Logitech K800
    Mouse
    Logitech G402
    Internet Speed
    20Mbit/s up, 250Mbit/s down
    Browser
    FF
  • Operating System
    11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Medion S15450
    CPU
    i5 1135G7
    Memory
    16GB DDR4
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe
    Sound Card
    Eastern Electric MiniMax DAC Supreme; Emotiva UMC-200; Astell & Kern AK240
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Sony Bravia XR-55X90J
    Screen Resolution
    3840×2160
    Hard Drives
    2TB SSD internal
    37TB external
    PSU
    Li-ion
    Mouse
    Logitech G402
    Keyboard
    Logitech K800
    Internet Speed
    20Mbit/s up, 250Mbit/s down
    Browser
    FF
Thanks to all of you for your help and support. I am really grateful and proud of being part of this forum as well as the older ones ,ten and eight etc.. I have leaned a lot from you guys and received a lot of help .:clap::clap::thumbsup:
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 PRO
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Razer Blade 17
    CPU
    Intel i7-12800H
    Memory
    32 GB DDR5 4800 MHz dual-channel
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3080 Ti
    Sound Card
    Steinberg UR44
    Hard Drives
    1 TB SSD (M.2 NVMe PCIe 4.0 x4
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender + Malwarebytes
Wisewiz posted this about a free application called Clavier+.
I haven't yet tried it myself, but maybe it could be what you need.

 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Stigg's Build
    CPU
    Intel Core i9-10900X
    Motherboard
    GIGABYTE X299X DESIGNARE 10G
    Memory
    Corsair 64 GB (4 x 16 GB) CMW64GX4M4C3000C15 Vengeance RGB Pro 3000Mhz DDR4
    Graphics Card(s)
    GIGABYTE GeForce GTX 1660 Super Mini ITX 6 GB OC
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC1220
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung 27" FHD LED FreeSync Gaming Monitor (LS27F350FHEXXY)
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 970 Pro Series 1TB M.2 2280 NVMe SSD
    Western Digital Red Pro WD8003FFBX-68B9AN0 8 TB, 7200 RPM, SATA-III
    Western Digital Red Pro WD8003FFBX-68B9AN0 8 TB, 7200 RPM, SATA-III
    PSU
    Corsair HX1200 1200W 80 Plus Platinum
    Case
    Fractal Design Define 7 Black Solid Case
    Cooling
    Noctua NH-D15 Chromax Black
    Keyboard
    Razer Ornata V2
    Mouse
    Razer DeathAdder Essential
    Internet Speed
    FTTN 100Mbps / 40Mbps
    Browser
    Mozilla Firefox
    Antivirus
    N/A
    Other Info
    Logitech BRIO 4k Ultra HD USB-C Webcam
  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS ROG Zephyrus M GM501GS
    CPU
    Core i7-8750H
    Motherboard
    Zephyrus M GM501GS
    Memory
    SK Hynix 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) HMA82GS6CJR8N-VK 16 GB DDR4-2666 DDR4 SDRAM
    Graphics card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC294
    Monitor(s) Displays
    AU Optronics B156HAN07.1 [15.6" LCD]
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    Samsung MZVKW512HMJP-00000 512 GB, PCI-E 3.0 x4
    Samsung SSD 860 QVO 4TB 4 TB, SATA-III
    PSU
    N/A
    Case
    N/A
    Cooling
    N/A
    Mouse
    Razer DeathAdder Essential
    Keyboard
    PC/AT Enhanced PS2 Keyboard (101/102-Key)
    Internet Speed
    FTTN 100Mbps / 40Mbps
    Browser
    Mozilla Firefox
    Antivirus
    N/A
    Other Info
    USB2.0 HD UVC Webcam
You could use a URI command: ms-screenclip:

000171.png

If you want to pin it to the Taskbar, you'll have to use: %windir%\explorer.exe ms-screenclip:
and find your own icon.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS ROG Strix
  • Operating System
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS VivoBook
You could use a URI command: ms-screenclip:

View attachment 13746

If you want to pin it to the Taskbar, you'll have to use: %windir%\explorer.exe ms-screenclip:
and find your own icon.

By far the best, easiest and classy solution! :) Thanks Edwin :clap:
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 PRO
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Razer Blade 17
    CPU
    Intel i7-12800H
    Memory
    32 GB DDR5 4800 MHz dual-channel
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3080 Ti
    Sound Card
    Steinberg UR44
    Hard Drives
    1 TB SSD (M.2 NVMe PCIe 4.0 x4
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender + Malwarebytes

Latest Support Threads

Back
Top Bottom