How To View Global Keyboard Shortcuts On Windows 10
For any app that you use a lot, you likely use keyboard shortcuts for common actions. Take the browser for example, it’s more likely that you use Ctrl+T to open a new tab than use the mouse to click the new tab button. Keyboard shortcuts let you work faster and you likely have a few global ones configured that you can execute from anywhere. Some apps enable global keyboard shortcuts too. If you need to view global keyboard shortcuts though, there’s no simple way of doing it. There is however a little script that you can run to get a complete list of these shortcuts.
SPOILER ALERT: Scroll down and watch the video tutorial at the end of this article.
View Global Keyboard Shortcuts
Open Notepad and paste the following in it. Save it with a meaningful name, and with the VBS extension. Make sure you change the file type from TXT to All Files in the Save dialog. This script was written by SuperUser user Jack White.
You will need to make one edit to this file. In the first line, replace the path with the path to your own user folder.
Const rootdir = "C:\Users\fatiw"
Set fso = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
Set wshell = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
logname="GlobalHotkeys.txt"
Set logfile = fso.CreateTextFile(logname,True)
logfile.Write "Searching for shortcuts with hotkeys" & vbCrLf
recursedirs( fso.GetFolder(rootdir) )
logfile.Write "Done searching" & vbCrLf
logfile.Close
Sub recursedirs(dir)
If trylistdir(dir) Then
For Each subdir In dir.SubFolders
recursedirs subdir
Next
For Each file In dir.Files
extn = fso.GetExtensionName(file.Path)
if LCase(extn) = "lnk" Then
check(file.Path)
end if
Next
End If
End Sub
Function trylistdir(dir)
On Error Resume Next
trylistdir = (dir.SubFolders.Count + dir.Files.Count >= 0)
End Function
Sub check(fname)
Set lnk = wshell.CreateShortcut(fname)
hk = lnk.Hotkey
if (hk<>"") then
logfile.Write fname & " : " & hk & vbCrLf
end if
End Sub
Save the file, and then run it. You won’t see any sort of GUI that signals the script is running however, a new TXT file named ‘GlobalHotkeys.txt’ will be created in the same directory that you saved this script to. Don’t open it right away. Wait a few minutes so that the script can scan for and write the configured keyboard shortcuts it finds.
Open the file to view global keyboard shortcuts configured for your user.
Windows Keyboard Shortcuts
This script will not list Windows global keyboard shortcuts. For example, the Win+A keyboard shortcut opens the Action Center. This keyboard shortcut, and other default ones that Windows 10 comes with will not be listed in the TXT file. Dedicated media keys, and controls for brightness, volume, Bluetooth, WiFi, etc will also not be listed.
While the script works for most apps, there may be some exceptions.
