How to change keyboard key assignments in Windows?

There are many reasons why you might want to change your computer’s key assignments. This could be to reassign broken or missing keys, find a more comfortable keyboard layout, and much more.

Contrary to what one might think, this operation does not require modifying the computer registry or using third-party software. In reality, it’s easier than you think.

In the rest of this article, we’ll show you how to change keyboard key assignments on Windows computers and how to remap shortcuts to new key combinations.

What do you need ?

All you need is the official Microsoft PowerToys app.

Microsoft PowerToys is a collection of tools designed to help Windows 10 and 11 users personalize their experience. This suite of programs allows you to change the colors of several applications, pin program windows to the front of the screen, easily resize images, and above all, what we are going to talk about in this article, the image manager. keyboard that allows you to change the assignment of your keyboard keys.

How to install PowerToys?

The easiest way to find and install Microsoft PowerToys is to use the Microsoft Store, which comes with every copy of Windows 10 and 11:

• Open the Microsoft Store.
• Enter PowerToys in the search bar at the top.
• Select the first result.
• Click Install.

Wait for the program to finish downloading. You may need to click a pop-up window to complete the installation.

You can also find and install the PowerToys program via GitHub. Although it’s not as easy as the Microsoft Store, GitHub allows you to install older or beta versions of PowerToys if the latest official version isn’t to your liking.

How to use PowerToys to change keyboard key assignments in Windows?

Microsoft PowerToys offers a series of tools designed to improve your experience with Windows, including the ability to change the key assignments on your keyboard. Here are the steps to achieve this:

1. Open PowerToys.
2. Scroll down the PowerToys sidebar and select Keyboard Manager.
3. Make sure Enable Keyboard Manager is enabled. If not, click the button to activate the function.
4. Select Remap a key.
5. In the new window, select the + Add key remapping button.
6. Click the Select button in the left or right boxes.
7. Tap the key you want to reassign. Then repeat the process with the other Select button and key you want to use as the new target.
8. You can also click the left and right drop-down menus and choose the keys from their selections.
9. Click OK in the upper right corner of the window to save your changes.
10. Verify that your new key assignment has appeared in the main PowerToys Keyboard Manager window.

So ! Now you can close PowerToys and try your new key combination.

How to remap a keyboard shortcut in PowerToys?

Microsoft PowerToys also lets you remap an entire keyboard shortcut. Here’s how to do it:

1. Open PowerToys and select Keyboard Manager from the sidebar.
2. Make sure Enable Keyboard Manager is enabled. If not, click the button to activate the function.
3. Select Remap a shortcut.
4. In the new window, select the + Add a shortcut button.
5. Make sure the Action drop-down menu action is set to Send a key/shortcut.
6. Click the Select button in the left or right boxes.
7. Tap the keys you want to remap. You can (and should) hold down multiple keys at the same time, for example CTRL and C.
8. Repeat with the other Select button and other keys you want to use as a new shortcut or target.
9. You can also click the left and right drop-down menus and choose the keys from their selections. Please note that the shortcut to be remapped must begin with a modifier key (for example, CTRL or SHIFT), but the target of the remapping must not be.
10. If you want to limit the remapping to a specific application, enter its name in the Target Application field. If you don’t do this, the shortcut conversion will apply globally to all programs.
11. Click OK to save your selection and try it out!

You can also use the shortcut remapping feature to link different actions to unique shortcuts. For example, if you want to open a URL by holding CTRL + D (or any other shortcut), you can do so with Microsoft PowerToys. However, the most complicated actions require increasingly in-depth programming knowledge.

This article only scratches the surface of the possibilities offered by Microsoft PowerToys. Microsoft constantly updates the program, adding new features and improvements. Early versions of new Windows customization features are often developed and tested on PowerToys before being integrated into major versions of the Windows operating system. Stay tuned for the next big update or app.