While typing faster, do you always hit the wrong buttons on your computer? Then you must consider remapping your keyboard buttons. Remapping is a technique of allotting a different function to a keyboard key. For example, you can use the ‘Tab Kay’ as ‘Backspace’ key or vice versa. Remapping can be done at your convenience, and it is useful too. I am organizing my Computer’s keyboard keys so that I can reach them easily and type faster than before.
Remap Keyboard Keys with SharpKeys
Remapping can be easily done with SharpKeys. Remapping involves registry editing, so it is recommended that you create a system restore point before you do it. SharpKeys is open-source software that lets you remap your keyboard functions as per your convenience. With its intuitive interface, it never makes you feel like you are doing some geeky stuff like registry editing. It is very simple to operate.
Once you are done creating the system restore point, you can use SharpKeys without any risk. In the main window, you will see an empty list. In this list, you can add your mappings. You can even delete or edit them afterward.
To add a new mapping, click on the ‘Add’ button and then choose a key that you want to map. Alternatively, you can hit the ‘Type Key’ button, press that key from the keyboard, and then choose the key with which you want to map. For example, I am mapping the ‘Tab’ key with the backspace key so that every time I press the ‘Tab’ key, the backspace function should be performed.
Similarly, you can press the ‘Edit’ button to edit the saved mappings. You can even click on the ‘Delete’ button to delete the mapping; moreover, there is an option for deleting all the mappings. Once you are done creating your mappings, click on the ‘Write to Registry’ button to save those mappings with your system. You need to log out or reboot so the changes can occur.
SharpKeys is a very useful application that lets you personalize your keyboard controls and personally I feel that it has helped me increase my typing speed by bringing some of the essential features near to my fingers. Excess of everything is bad, over personalization may cause difficulty while typing on different keyboards, so take care and do not forget to create a system restore point before using this software.
SharpKeys free download
SharpKeys can be downloaded from github.com. Works on all Windows.
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Would it be possible to make a Model M keyboard (without a windows key) change a key, (~`) for instance, into a “windows” key, which the Model M does not have?
I’m looking to do this also, for Omnikey/Plus keyboards. I’ve gone to randyrants.com, and it looks like SharpKeys won’t work in Win 8. Is that true?
it works for wins 8 to some extend. It is unable to detect Alt and Fn.