WinKey Remapper

A lightweight Windows utility that replaces the Windows key tap behavior. Instead of opening the default Start/Search menu, this app lets you trigger any custom keyboard shortcut (like PowerToys Command Palette, Clipboard History, custom launchers, etc.) when you tap the Win key.

It also preserves all your normal Win+Key combinations (Win+R, Win+L, Win+V, etc.) by passing them through unchanged.

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✨ Features

• Win tap → your shortcut
  Single tap of the Windows key sends a configurable shortcut (default: Win+Alt+Space for PowerToys Command Palette).

• Normal Win+Key combos still work
  Hold Win and press another key (e.g., Win+R, Win+L, Win+V) and the app passes the combo through to Windows.

• Blocks default Start/Search UI
  Prevents the stock Windows Start menu / search from popping up on a solo Win tap.

• Configurable shortcut via installer
  A bundled PowerShell installer lets you:

  • Install/uninstall the app
  • Choose the triggered shortcut (Win/Ctrl/Alt/Shift + any key)
  • Enable/disable run on startup (with or without UAC prompts)
  • Start/stop the app and view logs

• Admin-safe startup
  Uses a Scheduled Task option so the app runs on logon with highest privileges without showing a UAC prompt every boot.

• Panic hotkey
  Global Ctrl+Alt+F12 immediately quits the remapper if something goes wrong.

• Pure state-based input logic
  No timers. The low-level keyboard hook tracks Win state and decides whether to fire your shortcut or pass the original combo through.

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🧩 How it Works

• Installs a low-level keyboard hook (WH_KEYBOARD_LL).
• Tracks when LWIN or RWIN is pressed and whether any other key is pressed while Win is held.
  • Solo Win tap → blocks the real Win key and sends your configured shortcut using SendInput/keybd_event.
  • Win+Key combo → replays a real Win press + your other keys so Windows handles it normally.
• Ignores its own injected input using LLKHF_INJECTED and a custom dwExtraInfo tag so it doesn’t recurse.
• Also supports Ctrl+Esc → your shortcut, if you like the classic Start-menu combo.

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📦 Requirements

• Windows 10/11, x64.
• .NET 6/7/8 Desktop Runtime (if you’re running the EXE directly and it isn’t self-contained).
• For PowerToys Command Palette:
  • PowerToys installed
  • Command Palette enabled
• Best experience when the EXE runs as Administrator (so it works in elevated apps too).

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🚀 Installation (Recommended)

Quick Start:

1. Download the latest installer EXE from the Releases page.
2. Right-click → Run as administrator.
3. In the menu:
   • Choose Install.
   • Optionally enable startup (Scheduled Task is recommended).
   • Optionally create a desktop shortcut.
4. After install, choose Start Win Key Remapper from the menu (or use the shortcut).

The installer handles:

• Downloading and extracting the latest build
• Creating Start Menu / Desktop shortcuts
• Setting up startup (Task Scheduler or registry)
• Creating an intelligent startup script that waits for PowerToys to be running before launching the remapper

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🛠 Configuring the Triggered Shortcut

You can configure what happens on a Win tap in two ways:

1. Using the Installer (recommended)

1. Run the installer script/EXE.
2. Choose Configure triggered shortcut from the menu.
3. Answer the prompts:
   • Include Win in the combo? (Yes/No)
   • Include Ctrl / Alt / Shift?
   • Enter the main key (examples: Space, V, P, R, Esc, F12, etc.).
4. The installer writes shortcut.json next to the EXE and restarts the app so it picks up your new shortcut.

2. Editing shortcut.json manually

In the install folder (e.g. C:\Program Files\Win Key Remapper), there is a file:

{
  "Win": true,
  "Ctrl": false,
  "Alt": true,
  "Shift": false,
  "MainKey": "Space"
}

• Win, Ctrl, Alt, Shift are booleans.
• MainKey is a key name (case-insensitive), e.g. Space, V, P, R, Esc, F12.

On startup, the app reads this file once and maps it to virtual key codes. If the file is missing or invalid, it falls back to Win+Alt+Space.

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🔁 Updating

The installer includes a Check for updates option:

• Contacts GitHub Releases API to find the latest version.
• Compares with your installed version.
• If a newer version is available, it performs a fresh install in-place:
  • Stops the running remapper
  • Downloads the newest ZIP
  • Clears old EXEs/DLLs
  • Extracts the new build into the same install directory
  • Keeps your shortcut.json, startup script, and logs

You can also always manually download the latest release and re-run Install.

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▶️ Running Manually

If you bypass the installer and just have the EXE + shortcut.json:

1. Place them in a folder (e.g. C:\Tools\WinKeyRemapper).
2. Right-click the EXE → Run as administrator.
3. Win tap should now fire your configured shortcut.

To stop it, either:

• Use the Ctrl+Alt+F12 panic hotkey, or
• Kill the process from Task Manager.

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🧪 Building from Source

C# Remapper

• Project type: .NET 6/7/8, x64
• Output type: Windows Application (WinExe)
• Recommended: embed a manifest with

<requestedExecutionLevel level="requireAdministrator" uiAccess="false" />

Build in Release | x64 and ship the EXE (optionally self-contained).

PowerShell Installer

The installer is a .ps1 script that can be packaged into an EXE using tools like ps2exe. It provides:

• Menu-based UI in a console
• Install / uninstall
• Start / stop
• Startup configuration (Scheduled Task or registry)
• Shortcut configuration (shortcut.json)
• Log viewing and basic diagnostics

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🧯 Safety & Escape Hatch

• Ctrl+Alt+F12: global panic hotkey to immediately quit the remapper.
• If you ever get stuck:
  • Press Ctrl+Alt+F12
  • Or run the installer and choose Stop Win Key Remapper
  • Or reboot into Safe Mode and remove from startup / uninstall

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💡 Example Use Cases

• PowerToys Command Palette (Win tap → Win+Alt+Space)
• Clipboard history (Win tap → Win+V)
• Your own launcher (Win tap → Ctrl+Alt+P, etc.)
• Any workflow where you want the Win key tap to trigger a specific action instead of the Start menu.

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❗ Disclaimer

This tool hooks keyboard input at a low level and modifies how the Windows key behaves. While it has a panic hotkey and has been tested in normal environments, use it at your own risk. Keep a way to uninstall or disable it if something conflicts with your setup. You can always manage the installation and the background process inside of the installer.

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Donate

• This is NOT required, but is highly appreciated as it heavily supports me as a young independent software developer.
• Donate Here

📜 License

MIT License – feel free to fork, modify, and use in your own setups.

If you find it helpful, sharing the repo or sending feedback is more than enough support.