Unless you own a high-end keyboard or a custom mechanical keyboard, chances are you might not be able to configure your current keyboard’s layout to your liking. Of course, for the most part, we imagine that many people are already satisfied with the way their keyboard has been laid out.
However, if you think that certain keys would be better placed elsewhere, or if you want to disable certain keys, you can actually do that. Unfortunately, there is no native way to remap or reassign keys in Windows, but our guide below will show you several different apps that might be worth checking out if you want to remap your keyboard or reassign several keys.
SharpKeys (Download)
One of the popular options when it comes to remapping your keyboard or reassigning keys is SharpKeys. The application itself is pretty simple and straightforward to use, where you can select keys and functions from a list that you want to remap. For example, if you want to launch an application like the calculator using a key, you select it from the list, assign the key, and you’re good to go.
Also, another thing to take note is that it will write to your computer’s registry, so if you’re not familiar or comfortable with that, you might want to seek out an alternative.
Keytweak (Download)
While SharpKeys is already pretty easy to use, Keytweak makes it even simpler by providing users with a virtual keyboard in which they can click on the key and then choose what they want to assign it to. There are several modes that users can choose from, such as a Full Teach Mode where you click the button and press the key and it will reassign it for you.
For example, some users might not have a need for a Caps Lock key, so they might want to reassign it to something else, such as Ctrl or Alt.
MapKeyboard (Download)
Similar to Keytweak, MapKeyboard is also another key remapper/key reassigner that comes with a very clean and simple interface to work with. It shows you a virtual keyboard on your screen, and all you need to do is click on the virtual keys, assign them to whatever else you want, and you’re good to go.
The UI will also highlight keys in green to indicate that they have been edited, and once you’re done editing, you’ll need to logoff your computer and relogin and you will be all set and the changes will take effect.
AutoHotKey (Download)
The software we listed above does a very good job of remapping or reassigning keys. However, if you need something a bit more complex and powerful, that’s where AutoHotKeys comes in handy. This is because with AutoHotKeys, with a little bit of time and learning, you can create scripts to run more complex actions.
For example, you can create macros with AutoHotKeys where with by pressing certain keys or shortcuts, you can type certain lines of text, run programs, batch files, and so on. You can even make shortcuts even shorter, where instead of pressing three keys, you can reduce it to two, and so on.
However, like we said, AutoHotKeys is a bit more complex and you will need to learn how to script it, but it can be a very powerful tool once you get the basics down.
Filed in . Read more about Keyboards, Microsoft, Windows and Windows 10.