Personal HotKey

Not everybody is aware that Windows allows you to assign a hotkey command to most program shortcuts to launch them regardless of your Explorer location. There are also third-party alternatives to make things a bit easier. Although not as flexible, Personal HotKey is here to let you reserve a button for a program of choice.

On the bright side of things, there’s no setup involved to take any time or effort, so launching the program right after download is done takes you directly to the set of features. You’re taken through a series of steps by the end of which you’re fully done, and can let the application quietly sit in the tray area.

Whenever the program is launched, it scans for the target button to check whether something is assigned, and asks to set something if not. You get the chance to make it run with Windows, but this can also be toggled later on from the configuration window.

Unfortunately, the application comes with a rather poor set of features, in the sense that you can only use a single button, namely the Pause function on the keyboard. On the one hand, it might come in handy, as it’s not regularly used by programs, or even Windows for something too important.

The application needs to be active for the assigned program to launch when pressing the Pause button. This is where the startup option comes in handy. It stays in the tray area during use, just in case you want to change the assigned program. It would have been useful to see a toggle function for activation status, in case you frequently use Pause for other tasks.

Taking everything into consideration, we can state that Personal HotKey is a little underprepared for what it wants to deliver. The assigned program isn’t permanent, and you need to keep the application active at all times. The biggest downside is the lack of option to use more buttons, or key combinations.