Open your favorite websites quickly with an Auto Hot Key shortcut

 

 

 

 

When you sit down at your computer do you always visit the same websites? If so then save yourself time with a Auto Hot Key shortcut (AHK) for short. If your not familiar with AHK it's a program that allows you to make keyboard short cut's and mouse gesture to save time on repetitive task. What I've done is made an AHK script that will open my default web browser to the same websites every time with just two key strokes.

(In-depth details of AHK scripts are located on their website)

#w::

Sleep, 1000

Run http://www.gmail.com

Sleep, 4000

Run http://msn.com

Sleep, 7000

Run http://yahoo.com

First you will need to download and install Auto Hot Key Installer. Next open notepad and copy and past the AHK script I have written (Above). Change the websites to whatever sites you would like opened. At the beginning of the script you see (#W) # represents the windows key on the bottom left of your keyboard. By pressing #W this will execute the script and open up your favorite websites. You may use whatever letter you choose #W is just the example. Also you see sleep 1000, 4000, 7000. 1000=1 second. Everyone's computer doesn't run at the same speed so depending how long it takes your web browser to open you will want to add a time delay just like the delay between opening web pages. Or it will open different multiple browser instead of browser tabs. So the first web page will begin to open after 3 seconds. Then the next page 2 seconds after that so on and so on until all your pages are open.

Once you have finished. Save the file to your desk top and make sure you end the extension in .ahk (ex: mywebsites.ahk). Next go to your desktop and click on your file. It should appear in your bottom right of your windows task bar. Next to test it out make sure you web browser is closed and hit #W or whatever you choose to use for your short cut key and your web pages should begin to open. If the time is off just tweak the amount of seconds you delay or if it doesn't work make you copied and added your web pages correctly. (Note, your default browser window will still open. Any time you make changes to your .ahk file make sure you reload the script by right clicking on the auto hot key icon in the bottom right of your desktop)

Now to make the process totally seamless go to the desktop and right click on the file you created and click create a shortcut file on your desktop. Then go to the Windows start menu on the bottom left of your screen. Then go to Start-All Programs and find the Startup folder and double click on it to open the Folder or right click and hit open folder. 

Now your AHK will run when you turn on your computer and all you have to do is use your shortcut. Auto Hot Key is not just limited to web pages of course. You can make all kinds of short cut keys for repetitive task. Enjoy!