HotKey79

While Windows does offer a series of predefined hotkey combinations for certain functions, other applications can require manual activation. Users with keyboard-focused workflows seeking to avoid the act of dragging their cursor to the taskbar, start menu or desktop shortcut may find good use in hotkey79.

When it comes to adding extra functionality to your input devices, AutoHotKey’s unparalleled customization capabilities are oftentimes the right choice for seasoned Windows users. However, those who find its learning curve rather steep and usage guide slightly convoluted can go for less flexible utilities that are pre-configured for specific use cases.

Many GUI-equipped programs can end up taking a sizable chunk of the available computing power, leading to performance hits in the case of low-end devices. Instead, a more simplistic approach similar to the one adopted by the app at hand may be a more sensible choice.

Once downloaded, the portable utility lets you assign custom hotkey combinations to specific programs, allowing you to instantly open them at the press of a series of buttons that can be prevented from clashing with other running utilities’ default shortcuts.

One disadvantage is that, while the program runs silently in the background, the lack of a dedicated system tray icon and its adjacent sub-menu of functions means that users have to manually terminate its process from the Task Manager whenever new shortcuts are introduced in the configuration file, making for a slightly inconvenient usage pattern.

If you are looking for a lightweight app that lets you decide what hotkey combinations you wish to assign to your most frequently used apps in lieu of incorporating the Start Menu in your workflow, hotkey79 may be a good solution, given its ease of use.