Windows Vista Tip #5: Assign a keyboard shortcut to a program

Tips, Windows Vista 1 Minute

Gerard has a Windows Vista question:

I can’t create Shortcut Keys for Start menu Shortcuts, UAC denies me permission to do so. I specifically tried to assign ctrl-alt-R to Remote Desktop Connection, is it just me? I disable UAC and it works.

This will happen if you try to assign a shortcut to any item on the Start menu that you didn’t personally create, because it exists in the All Users folder, where you’re not the owner of the shortcut. Two solutions:

Option 1: Open Windows Explorer using an administrator account (click Start, All Programs, Accessories; right-click on Windows Explorer and choose Run as Administrator). Now browse to %ProgramData%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Accessories and locate the shortcut for Remote Desktop Connection. Right-click and choose Properties. Click in the Shortcut Key box and press the keyboard sequence you want to use. Now you can save the shortcut.

Option 2: Create a new shortcut on the desktop and assign the shortcut key to it. Because you own this shortcut, you can edit it without any UAC prompts.

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Published by Ed Bott

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6 thoughts on “Windows Vista Tip #5: Assign a keyboard shortcut to a program”

  1. I miss the Windows XP tips. 🙂 I got the beta version of XP, but decided to take a pass on getting the beta for Vista.

  2. Oh, and Ed, is your current project the “Inside and Out” book for Vista? If so, I’m looking forward to it. Your “Inside and Out” book for XP is my computer bible.

  5. I have the same problem Borate describes: I define a shortcut key on Vista RC1 for a start menu item and as soon as I reboot or Logoff the shortcut key stop working. I check the start menu item’s properties and the key combination is still there… but doesn’t work. The only solution is to clear, apply and reenter it. Every time I boot. That’s very annoying 😦
    I hope Microsoft solve this one before the final release.

    Best regards

    Rui Teixeira
    Portugal

  6. I’m trying to connect online with my dial-up connection with one click from the desktop like I always did with W98 and XP. I have Vista Home Basic now. So I clickety click Start>Connect To>Earthlink>Dial …. gheesh! I used to click on dial up icon and hit enter DONE! Help please!

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