Here’s how to re-map the default Calculator keyboard “shortcut key” to instead send the Play/Pause media command under Windows 10; alot more useful!
This guide is aimed at the Amazonbasics Wired Keyboard but applies to any keyboard making use of the standard Windows media/shortcut key codes. A requirement is that you are using a supported media player including iTunes, Spotify, Windows Media Player or VLC.
- Download Command Line Media Controller (it’s free) and copy it to the Program Files (x86) directory
- Open up the Registry Editor (regedit64.exe) by clicking the Start button and typing regedit into the search bar
- Expand Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\AppKey\18
- Create a new String with the Value name: ShellExecute
- Set the String Value data to: “C:\Program Files (x86)\Command Line Media Controller\CLMControl.exe” Spotify -pp
- Click OK
That’s it! Hit the Calculator keyboard shortcut with Spotify open and it will toggle play/pause. Happy listening! 🙂
How can I find the mapping between the AppKey list and the physical keys on my keyboard?
As an example, the setting: [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\AppKey\18]
is supposed to be the calculator shortcut key. But what key is that? And why is number 18?
I have several shortcut keys on my keyboard, but I have no idea what numbers they are mapped to.
i.e I have spesial keys for brightness increase and decrease that I’d like to change the behaviour of. But I have no clue which number to use in the registry that correspond to these keys.
I tried to run Winaero Tweaker, but in their list, these brightness keys do not exist.
Does anyone have an app that I can use to reveal what AppKey number is associated to a keywhen I press a key?
This amazing however I swapped the -pp with -nt so I can skip track because I already have a play pause button. Thanks 🙂
Nice. Found this when I tried to find out how to change the calculator button to launch spotify. I did it by making a *.reg file with notepad this in it:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\AppKey\18]
“Association” = “Spotify”
Execute the file and you’r ready to go 🙂
With my last keyboard I changed the media player button to do this and that is button 16 if anyone else is looking for this information.