One-handed window management keyboard shortcuts for Windows 7+

Windows 7 (and newer) offers some great keyboard shortcuts for window management, which are especially useful in a multi-display desktop configuration.

However, many of these keyboard shortcuts require two hands to execute, and if you're using a mouse, this means a lot of disruptive jumping between the mouse and keyboard.

This simple AutoHotKey script remaps some of these two-handed shortcuts to left-hand-only shortcuts. Otherwise, the functionality of these shortcuts has not been modified.

Current Features

• Remaps Move active window to next left display shortcut (Shift+Win+Left Arrow) to Ctrl+Shift+Z.

• Remaps Move active window to next right display shortcut (Shift+Win+Right Arrow) to Ctrl+Shift+X.

How to install

As an executable

1. Download windows-one-hand-shortcuts.exe from this repo
2. Run the executable

As an AutoHotKey script

1. Download and install AutoHotKey
2. Download windows-one-hand-shortcuts.ahk from this repo
3. Open the script. AutoHotKey will automatically load the script.

FAQ

Can I disable the tray icon?

Yes. Edit the .ahk script and locate the "Hide Tray Icon" section under "OPTIONAL FEATURES". Uncomment the necessary lines to disable the tray icon.

How do I compile the script as an executable?

Use the "Ahk2Exe" tool which is included with the AutoHotKey installation.

Why were the Ctrl+Shift keys chosen for the new shortcuts?

The hand position required by these keys felt ergonomically natural to me, and because of their placement on the bottom edge of the keyboard, I can find this position easily and without looking. By using Ctrl+Shift in combination, the risk of shortcut conflicts with other applications is reduced.

When using these shortcuts, I use the following hand position: Left pinky finger on Ctrl, left ring finger on Shift, and then use the middle and index fingers to activate specific shortcuts.

How do I automatically run this script when Windows starts?

To start this script automatically with your computer, simply add it to the Startup folder in the Windows Start menu.

To locate this folder, open the Run prompts (shortcut Win+R) and enter %APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup\.

License

The MIT License (MIT)

Copyright © 2013 Evan Wondrasek

Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:

The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all copies or substantial portions of the Software.

THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.

Acknowledgments

Tray icon: Silk Icons by famfamfam