If you find yourself frequently accessing the same folder, you can consider setting up a keyboard shortcut to open the specific folder.
Of course, there are multiple ways out there to quickly access a folder in Windows 10. You can pin a folder to the taskbar, pin a folder to the Start menu, add a folder to the Quick Access section of the File Explorer or create a folder shortcut on the desktop. In addition to these methods, you can also create a keyboard shortcut for a folder so that you can open the folder, well, with a keyboard shortcut.
If you are a keyboard addict or like to get things done via keyboard shortcuts instead of the typical mouse or trackpad, you will be glad to know that creating a keyboard shortcut to open a folder is a lot easier than you might think.
Tip: How to open multiple folders at once in Windows 10
Set keyboard shortcut to open a folder in Windows 10
Creating a keyboard shortcut for a folder is amazingly easy, and we are going to show you one easy way to do this.
Step 1: First of all, open the File Explorer and navigate to the location containing the folder you want to create a keyboard shortcut for.
Step 2: Perform a right-click on the folder (for which you want to create a keyboard shortcut), click Send and then click the Desktop (create shortcut) option. This action will create a shortcut of the selected folder on your Windows 10 desktop.
Step 3: Now, right-click on the folder shortcut on the desktop and then click the Properties option.
Step 4: In the resulting dialog, you will see the Shortcut key field under the Shortcuts tab. Here, select the Shortcut key field and type a letter you would like to use as a keyboard shortcut.
Windows 10 will automatically add Ctrl + Alt to the typed letter. That is, for instance, if you typed the letter “A,” Windows 10 will automatically add Ctrl + Alt to the shortcut to make it Ctrl + Alt + A. In simple words, you cannot assign a keyboard shortcut of your own. Windows do this to avoid overlapping with an existing or original keyboard shortcut offered in Windows.
Finally, click on the Apply button. That is it! From now on, you can use this keyboard shortcut to open the folder. The only catch is that Windows 10 takes a good three to four seconds to open the folder once you press the dedicated keyboard shortcut. That is, the folder does not open instantaneously like other folders.
Note that the keyboard shortcut will not work if you delete the folder shortcut from the desktop. If you do not want to see the folder shortcut on the desktop, right-click on it, click Properties, and then select the Hidden option present under the General tab. Click Apply.
Our keyboard shortcut to shutdown or hibernate Windows 10 guide might also interest you.
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