HotkeyLauncher

A lightweight Windows application for launching apps, opening URLs, and folders using customizable global hotkeys.

Note: This project was 99% generated by Claude Opus 4.5 using Claude Code.

Features

• Global Hotkeys - Register system-wide keyboard shortcuts that work from any application
• Launch Applications - Open any executable with optional command-line arguments
• Open URLs - Launch websites in your default browser
• Open Folders - Quickly access frequently used directories
• Run as Administrator - Optionally launch applications with elevated privileges
• System Tray - Runs quietly in the background with minimal resource usage
• Dark/Light Theme - Choose your preferred appearance
• Auto-save - Changes are saved automatically
• Drag & Drop Reordering - Easily organize your hotkeys
• Startup Option - Optionally start with Windows
• F13-F24 Support - Use extended function keys for conflict-free hotkeys

Requirements

• Windows 10/11 (x64)

Installation

Option 1: Download Installer (Recommended)

Download the latest installer from the Releases page.

Note: Windows SmartScreen may show a warning for unsigned installers. Click "More info" → "Run anyway" to proceed.

Option 2: Build from Source

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/Hinaser/HotkeyLauncher.git
cd HotkeyLauncher

# Build
dotnet build

# Publish self-contained executable
dotnet publish -c Release

The published executable will be in HotkeyLauncher/bin/Release/net10.0-windows/win-x64/publish/.

Building the Installer

To create the installer, you need Inno Setup installed.

# First, publish the application
dotnet publish -c Release

# Then compile the installer (using Inno Setup CLI)
iscc installer/HotkeyLauncher.iss

The installer will be created in the dist/ folder.

Usage

1. Launch the app - It will appear in the system tray
2. Open settings - Double-click the tray icon or right-click and select "Settings"
3. Add a hotkey:
   • Enter a name for the shortcut
   • Click the Hotkey field and press your desired key combination
   • Enter the target (application path, URL, or folder path)
   • Click "Add New Hotkey"
4. Use your hotkeys - Press the registered key combination from anywhere

Target Examples

Type	Example
Application	C:\Program Files\Notepad++\notepad++.exe
Application (in PATH)	wt.exe (Windows Terminal)
URL	https://github.com
Folder	C:\Users\YourName\Documents

Recommended Hotkeys

To avoid conflicts with existing shortcuts, consider using:

• F13-F24 - Extended function keys (great for keyboards that support remapping like Nuphy)
• Ctrl + Shift + Alt + [Key] - Triple modifier combinations
• Win + [Uncommon Key] - Windows key with less common keys

Configuration

Settings are stored in:

%LOCALAPPDATA%\HotkeyLauncher\settings.json

Building

Prerequisites

• .NET 10.0 SDK
• Visual Studio 2022 or VS Code (optional)

Commands

# Debug build
dotnet build

# Release build
dotnet build -c Release

# Publish single-file executable
dotnet publish -c Release

# Run
dotnet run

License

MIT License - see LICENSE for details.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.