How to Remap Any Key or Shortcut on Windows 11

Microsoft PowerToys is a handy utility for Windows that lets you customize all sorts of things about Windows – everything from the behavior of windows on your screen to your keyboard shortcuts. Here’s how you can use PowerToys to remap your favorite (or least favorite!) shortcuts.

Download and install PowerToys from Microsoft

PowerToys is not preinstalled on Windows; You have to download it manually. Microsoft recommends downloading PowerToys directly from GitHub. You should grab the latest version – it will always be the one closest to the top.

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Make sure you are using the correct version for your PC. Most Windows desktops and laptops out there use 64-bit Intel or AMD processors, so download the installer that has “x64” in its name somewhere. Once downloaded, click on the “.exe” file and follow the instructions.

ARM-based processors are starting to become more common in PCs, so it’s possible you have one. You can always see what CPU is in your PC and then look up the model number to be sure. Alternatively, you can just guess – trying to install the wrong one won’t damage your computer, you’ll just see an error message.

The other option is to install PowerToys from the Microsoft Store. Just click “Install” and everything will be handled automatically. The only small downside is that the version on the Microsoft Store updates a bit slower than the version on GitHub, so you’ll have to wait a bit longer for bug fixes.

Note: If you prefer, you can also install PowerToys from a command line. Open Terminal, make sure it’s a PowerShell tab, copy and paste it winget install Microsoft.PowerToys --source winget in the window and press Enter.

Use PowerToys to remap buttons or shortcuts

Launch PowerToys and click “Keyboard Manager” on the left side.

Make sure “Enable Keyboard Manager” is toggled to the “On” position – it should be by default. There are two options: Remap Button and Remap Shortcut.

The names mostly speak for themselves. Remap a button lets you assign a button to another button, a button to a shortcut, or a button to a function.

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As a silly example, you could use “Remap Key” to map the “T” key to “Ctrl+V” so that pressing “T” would trigger the paste function. You could use the “[” and “]”-buttons to “volume down” or “volume up”.

Tip: You can select a key, shortcut, or function from the drop-down menus or click Enter. When you click on “Type” you only have to press the desired key instead of scrolling through the list.

You’re mainly limited by the fact that there aren’t many keys on your keyboard that can reasonably be reassigned to other keys, shortcuts, or functions without affecting your ability to use your computer normally.

Remap Shortcut is more useful in this regard. Unlike Key Remapping, Hotkey Remapping lets you combine multiple keystrokes and remap them to a different hotkey or function, and you can even make the remapping application-specific. This gives you a lot of flexibility and lets you bypass almost any pre-existing shortcuts that might conflict.

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Choose your new keyboard shortcut, choose the shortcut or feature you want to map the new keyboard shortcut to, and then choose the application you want to use it with.

Leave Target App blank to remap system-wide. If you want a remapping to apply only to a specific program, you must enter the executable name of the program in the field.

Tip: You can open Terminal and type the command “tasklist” to get a list of currently running processes. It will display the name you need to type in the Target App field under the Image Name column.

Now instead of depicting”[” and “]’ to ‘Volume Down’ and ‘Volume Up’ you can use Ctrl+[” to “Volume Down” and “Ctrl+]” to “turn up the volume” and you don’t have to worry about interfering with your ability to insert parentheses or braces. If you want, you can map “Ctrl (Left) + Shift (Right) + T” to “Delete” and create it only Apply in GIMP.

Many applications allow you to remap shortcuts or functions within their settings, but some do not – they are ideal candidates for the PowerToys remapping utility. However, Microsoft specifically warns that it may not work well in games. Therefore, test it thoroughly before participating in a competitive game.