How to Learn AutoHotkey [2021] - Beginners Tutorial

This video tutorial shows how to get started with AutoHotkey. You'll learn to install AutoHotkey and to build your own simple AHK scripts. After the tutorial is completed, you'll know about Hotkeys, Hotstrings, how to open Applications & websites, and to have your AutoHotkey scripts run, when Windows boots.

You could also watch:

0:00 Install AutoHotkey

0:31 Your first AutoHotkey script
It's very easy to create your first AutoHotkey script. Simply just right-click anywhere on your Windows desktop and chose New-AutoHotkey Script. You can rename the script, just as any other Windows file. We use Notepad to edit our scripts because it's easy and it let us focus on the code.

1:11 Hotstrings
A Hotstring in AutoHotkey is an auto-replace function, that can replace one word with another word. We apply the */asterisk option to activate the Hotstring, even when no space/enter/tab is pressed at the end of the word. The ?/questionmark option is used to have the Hotstring activated even if the initial word is inside another word. To close an AutoHotkey script simply find it in the Windows tray (lower right corner at your desktop, at the date/time).

4:29 Hotkeys
A Hotkey in AutoHotkey is simply a shortcut key, that triggers other actions, e.g. you press a key/or a combination of keys and then an action happens.

5:48 Message Box
We use a Message Box in AHK to pause our script and present the user for some text. In this part, we also see, how to combine actions in an AHK script.

6:55 Applications
We use the Run command to start applications. You can use the shortcut for Windows applications and for all others, you need to write the entire path.

7:36 Active Window
Use the WinActivate to activate a window and perform actions in it.

10:07 Open Websites/browsers
Again with the Run command we can open browsers and navigate to specific websites. We can also specify which browser, we want to open.

11:23 Start AutoHotkey scripts at Windows startup
We use the shell:startup command in Run to specify which scripts we want to have started at Windows boot.

Connect with me:

#autohotkey #ahk #scripting

[RyderSpearmann]

Great tutorial. Well paced. Cleanly presented. No time wasted.

[enzonenation]

very helpful! this got me interested in learning AutoHotKey. I have a 60% keyboard, and I found a more convenient way for me to access my arrow keys thru AHK, since the default software doesn't allow me to change the Function commands

[Panzerbjrn]

Thanks for the video. Can I ask what software you used for recording? Thanks :-D

[krissyai]

hi, I was wondering if you could make a video about controlclick and controlsend, I simply can't get my head around those two and those would be very useful to me, I've read the ahk help page several times now about those two but I can't understand it, so could you make a video please?

[banethor]

What are your thoughts on Power Automate as an alternative? The GUI seems pretty intuitive and you don't need to code that much

[BrianBellia]

Can you use AutoHotkey to run a program using just a single key - like the ctrl key?

[shoottokillaka]

i’m having a problem, when i open the new autohotkey it opens up as an empty text file. what do i do?

[gattumonika]

Hi Anders ..Can you please help me in scheduling Microsoft teams meeting in Uipath..

[chrissMLG]

I will try this in a game tomorrow lol, can u make it infinitely long? Like it will go for as long as u want it to so i could make a character in a game walk or does it do everything in an instance so instead of walking it will do everything at once and stop?

[coolgainz]

When I try to run auto hot key after I download it it won’t let me run it

[dams]

i have done a script who do a right click wen i press Alt, but it does it only when i release the key and i want it to right click as long as i hold Alt. Anyone know how to do it ?

[robertollorente]

Hello from spain Andears. Can I find in any of your wideos how to deal with contextual menus? like windows ones (like mouse right click on an icon{object} usually) this situation moved me away, and though I search for a solution, I only found people with the problem

[vinodreddy]

My query could be irrelevant here. how to post rest api from power automate to a private application through a token authentication

[nicowicked]

When i right click and hit new i do not see the scrift there can you please help

[nokolbaz]

Anders Jensen hi please make a video ;;how to use AHK on free fire
drug, and hed shoot.

[ninjawolfist]

it doesnt say edit script anywhere tho

[LukeKido]

Tried to follow you creating a script with hotkeys and got this when launching:

"Error: Funcion calls require a space or "(". Use comma only between parameters.
Text: Send, Is this video helping you? THen please give it a thumbs up
Line: 4
[...]

The program will exit."




Here's the content of the script:

"#Requires AutoHotkey v2.0

^q::
Send, Is this video helping you? THen please give it a thumbs up
Return"

[XenMode]

hi whenever I try to run my script it doesnt show up in my tool bar is there another way to run it?

[Suprblu]

Could you tell me how to reopen autohotkey bc I clicked exit inside of my hide on taskbar

[shadowtheelemental]

when i try to open it it instantly closes when i try to do the install