How to open Folder with Keyboard Shortcut in Windows 11/10

In this post we will show you how to open a folder with a keyboard shortcut on Windows 11/10 computer. There is a huge list of keyboard shortcuts in Windows 10 and Windows 11 OS for different actions, but there is no direct way to do the same for a folder. Therefore, for those who want to quickly open a folder using an assigned hotkey or shortcut, the options covered in this post will be helpful for sure.

You don’t have to go to the folder location, again and again, pin it to the Start menu, Quick access, etc., to open it. Just a keyboard shortcut will let you open your folder from any location. Whether you are using the Start menu, File Explorer, browser, or working with an application, when you need to access your folder, press the hotkey and it will open that folder.

Open Folder with Keyboard Shortcut in Windows 11/10

There are two different ways to help you open a folder using a keyboard shortcut. These are:

1. Using Folder Shortcut
2. Using the WinHotkey tool.

Let’s check both options one by one.

1] Open a Folder with Keyboard Shortcut using Folder Shortcut in Windows 11/10

This is an easier and built-in option in Windows 11/10 to open a folder with a keyboard shortcut. You can also use this option to create keyboard shortcuts to open programs or applications. The process is very much similar. Here are the steps:

1. Right-click on a folder of your choice
2. Access the Send to menu. If you are using Windows 11, first you need to click on Show more options, and then you can access the Send to menu
3. Click on the Desktop (create shortcut) option. This will add a folder shortcut to your desktop
4. Now right-click on the folder shortcut
5. Click on the Properties option
6. The Properties window will open with the Shortcut tab. If not, then you need to select the Shortcut tab
7. There is a Shortcut key field in that tab. Enter a hotkey combination in that field
8. Hit the OK button.

Now you can open that folder using the hotkey set by you. It will take 2-4 seconds to launch the folder once the hotkey is pressed.

Do note that this option will work as long as the desktop shortcut of that folder is available. Once you will delete that shortcut, the hotkey to open that folder won’t work. You can hide that folder shortcut from the desktop if you don’t want to see it there.

Related: How to open a File or Folder using Command Prompt or PowerShell

2] Open a Folder with Custom Hotkey using the WinHotKey tool

This option is better to use because it doesn’t require a desktop shortcut of a folder. In this option, we have used a free tool named WinHotKey that lets you open a folder using a custom key combination. You can use keys like Shift, Alt, Win, Ctrl, numeric keys, alphabets, etc., to set a hotkey of your choice.

Apart from opening a folder, this tool is also helpful to launch an application, open a document, etc., using a custom shortcut key. Moreover, you can also change the hotkey combination for a folder or application anytime you want.

Let’s check the steps to open a folder using a keyboard shortcut with the help of this tool:

1. Grab this tool from directedge.us
2. Install the tool and run it. A WinHotKey Configuration window will open
3. Click on the New Hotkey button in that window. It will open a separate box
4. In that box, enter a description for the hotkey in the given field. You can add a custom text of your choice for the description
5. Select key combinations using the available options to set a custom hotkey
6. Select the Open a Folder option from the drop-down menu available for I Want WinHotKey to section
7. Click on the Browse button to select a folder
8. Press the OK button.

That’s it. The hotkey for that particular folder will be added and visible in the configuration window of this tool along with the hotkey combination, target folder, and action.

In the same way, you can assign hotkeys for other folders using the above steps. After that, close the configuration window and the tool will start running in the system tray of your Windows 11/10 taskbar. When you will press the hotkey, the associated folder will open.

You can also double-click on its system tray icon to open the configuration window and add more hotkeys. If you want, you can also change the hotkey combination and remove a hotkey set by you using the Edit Hotkey and Remove Hotkey options.

How do I make a shortcut to open a folder?

Different types of shortcuts can be created or used to open a folder. For example, you can:

1. Create a desktop shortcut for a folder to open it. For this, right-click on a folder, use the Send to menu, and select the Desktop (create shortcut) option
2. Make File Explorer Taskbar shortcut to open your favorite folder
3. Assign a hotkey or keyboard shortcut to open a folder. For doing this, you can use the properties window of the folder shortcut. We have covered all the steps for this in this post.

How do I assign keyboard shortcuts in Windows 11?

There are tons of Windows 11 keyboard shortcuts (like File Explorer keyboard shortcuts, general keyboard shortcuts, taskbar keyboard shortcuts, etc.) already assigned for different tasks. But if you want to use a keyboard shortcut to open a folder and/or application, then you need to assign them manually. For that, you can either use the desktop shortcut of a folder or application or use a third-party tool. This post covers both the options with steps by step instructions.

Hope this is helpful.

Read next: Access and Launch Applications folder using a Desktop shortcut.