Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

If your question is not in the list below, check the community-driven FAQ on autoHotkey.net.
Language Syntax
When are quotation marks used with commands and their parameters?
When exactly are variable names enclosed in percent signs?
When should percent signs and commas be escaped?
Common Tasks
Why do some lines in my script never execute?
Why does my script run fine in XP but not in Vista or Windows 7 or 8?
Why is the Run command unable to launch my game or program?
How can the output of a command line operation be retrieved?
How can a script close, pause, or suspend other script(s)?
How can a repeating action be stopped without exiting the script?
How can performance be improved for games or at other times when the CPU is under heavy
load?
How can context sensitive help for AutoHotkey commands be used in any editor?
How to detect when a web page is finished loading?
How can dates and times be compared or manipulated?
Why don't Hotstrings, Send, and MouseClick work in certain games?
How can Winamp be controlled even when it isn't active?
How can MsgBox's button names be changed?
Hotkeys, Hotstrings, and Remapping
How do I put my hotkeys and hotstrings into effect automatically every time I start my PC?
I'm having trouble getting my mouse buttons working as hotkeys. Any advice?
How can tab and space be defined as hotkeys?
How can keys or mouse buttons be remapped so that they become different keys?
How can a hotkey or hotstring be made exclusive to certain program(s)? In other words, I want a
certain key to act as it normally does except when a specific window is active.
How can a prefix key be made to perform its native function rather than doing nothing?
How can the built-in Windows shortcut keys, such as Win+U (Utility Manager) and Win+R (Run),
be changed or disabled?
My keypad has a special 000 key. Is it possible to turn it into a hotkey?
Language Syntax
When are quotation marks used with commands and their parameters?
Double quotes (") have special meaning only within expressions. In all other places, they are
treated literally as if they were normal characters. However, when a script launches a program or
document, the operating system usually requires quotes around any command-line parameter that
contains spaces, such as in this example: Run, Notepad.exe "C:\My Documents\Address
List.txt"
When exactly are variable names enclosed in percent signs?
Variable names are always enclosed in percent signs except in cases illustrated in bold below:
1) In parameters that are input or output variables: StringLen, OutputVar, InputVar
2) On the left side of an assignment: Var = 123abc
3) On the left side of traditional (non-expression) if-statements: If Var1 < %Var2%
4) Everywhere in expressions. For example:
If (Var1 <> Var2)
Var1 := Var2 + 100
When should percent signs and commas be escaped?
Literal percent signs must be escaped by preceding them with an accent/backtick. For example:
MsgBox The current percentage is 25`%. Literal commas must also be escaped (`,) except
when used in MsgBox or the last parameter of any command (in which case the accent is
permitted but not necessary).
When commas or percent signs are enclosed in quotes within an expression, the accent is
permitted but not necessary. For example: Var := "15%"
Common Tasks
Why do some lines in my script never execute?
Any lines you want to execute immediately when the script starts should appear at the top of the
script, prior to the first hotkey, hotstring, or Return. For details, see auto-execute section.
Also, a hotkey that executes more than one line must list its first line beneath the hotkey, not on
the same line. For example:
#space:: ; Win+Spacebar
Run Notepad
WinWaitActive Untitled - Notepad
WinMaximize
return
Why does my script run fine in XP but not in Vista or Windows 7 or 8?
A common problem when moving from XP to Vista or a later version of Windows is that
programs which are "elevated" (run as administrator) block hotkeys or refuse to be automated.
There are at least three workarounds:
Modify AutoHotkey.exe to enable interaction with administrative programs. This has some
drawbacks. For more information see http://www.autohotkey.com/board/topic/70449-enable-
interaction-with-administrative-programs/
Run the script as administrator. Note that this also causes any programs launched by the script
to run as administrator.
Disable User Account Control (not recommended).
SoundGet, SoundSet, SoundGetWaveVolume and SoundSetWaveVolume have limited
functionality on Windows Vista and later -- they typically affect only the script itself. See the
Remarks section of SoundGet and SoundSet for workarounds.
Why is the Run command unable to launch my game or program?
Some programs need to be started in their own directories (when in doubt, it is usually best to do
so). For example:
Run, %A_ProgramFiles%\Some Application\App.exe, %A_ProgramFiles%\Some
Application
How can the output of a command line operation be retrieved?
Testing shows that due to file caching, a temporary file can be very fast for relatively small
outputs. In fact, if the file is deleted immediately after use, it often does not actually get written
to disk. For example:
RunWait %comspec% /c dir > C:\My Temp File.txt
FileRead, VarToContainContents, C:\My Temp File.txt
FileDelete, C:\My Temp File.txt
To avoid using a temporary file (especially if the output is large), consider using CmdRet or
StdoutToVar.
How can a script close, pause, or suspend other script(s)?
First, here is an example that closes another script:
DetectHiddenWindows On ; Allows a script's hidden main window to be
detected.
SetTitleMatchMode 2 ; Avoids the need to specify the full path of the file
below.
WinClose Script's File Name.ahk - AutoHotkey ; Update this to reflect the
script's name (case sensitive).
To suspend or pause another script, replace the last line above with one of these:
PostMessage, 0x111, 65305,,, Script's File Name.ahk - AutoHotkey ; Suspend.
PostMessage, 0x111, 65306,,, Script's File Name.ahk - AutoHotkey ; Pause.
How can a repeating action be stopped without exiting the script?
To pause or resume the entire script at the press of a key, assign a hotkey to the Pause command
as in this example:
^!p::Pause ; Press Ctrl+Alt+P to pause. Press it again to resume.
To stop an action that is repeating inside a Loop, consider the following working example, which
is a hotkey that both starts and stops its own repeating action. In other words, pressing the hotkey
once will start the Loop. Pressing the same hotkey again will stop it.
#MaxThreadsPerHotkey 3
#z:: ; Win+Z hotkey (change this hotkey to suit your preferences).
#MaxThreadsPerHotkey 1
if KeepWinZRunning ; This means an underlying thread is already running the
loop below.
{
KeepWinZRunning := false ; Signal that thread's loop to stop.
return ; End this thread so that the one underneath will resume and see
the change made by the line above.
}
; Otherwise:
KeepWinZRunning := true
Loop
{
; The next four lines are the action you want to repeat (update them to
suit your preferences):
ToolTip, Press Win-Z again to stop this from flashing.
Sleep 1000
ToolTip
Sleep 1000
; But leave the rest below unchanged.
if not KeepWinZRunning ; The user signaled the loop to stop by pressing
Win-Z again.
break ; Break out of this loop.
}
KeepWinZRunning := false ; Reset in preparation for the next press of this
hotkey.
return
How can performance be improved for games or at other times when the CPU is under heavy
load?
If a script's Hotkeys, Clicks, or Sends are noticeably slower than normal while the CPU is under
heavy load, raising the script's process-priority may help. To do this, include the following line
near the top of the script:
Process, Priority, , High
How can context sensitive help for AutoHotkey commands be used in any editor?
Rajat created this script.
How to detect when a web page is finished loading?
With Internet Explorer, perhaps the most reliable method is to use DllCall and COM as
demonstrated at www.autohotkey.com/forum/topic19256.html. On a related note, the contents of
the address bar and status bar can be retrieved as demonstrated at
www.autohotkey.com/forum/topic19255.html.
Older, less reliable method: The technique in the following example will work with MS
Internet Explorer for most pages. A similar technique might work in other browsers:
Run, www.yahoo.com
MouseMove, 0, 0 ; Prevents the status bar from showing a mouse-hover link
instead of "Done".
WinWait, Yahoo! -
WinActivate
StatusBarWait, Done, 30
if ErrorLevel
MsgBox The wait timed out or the window was closed.
else
MsgBox The page is done loading.
How can dates and times be compared or manipulated?
The EnvAdd command can add or subtract a quantity of days, hours, minutes, or seconds to a
time-string that is in the YYYYMMDDHH24MISS format. The following example subtracts 7
days from the specified time: EnvAdd, VarContainingTimestamp, -7, days.
To determine the amount of time between two dates or times, see EnvSub, which gives an
example. Also, the built-in variable A_Now contains the current local time. Finally, there are
several built-in date/time variables, as well as the FormatTime command to create a custom
date/time string.
Why do Hotstrings, Send, and Click have no effect in certain games?
Some games use DirectInput exclusively. As a side-effect, they might ignore all simulated
keystrokes and mouse clicks. To work around this, try one of the following (or a combination):
Use SendPlay via: 1) the SendPlay command; 2) using SendMode Play; and/or 3) the hotstring
option SP.
Increase SetKeyDelay. For example:
SetKeyDelay, 0, 50
SetKeyDelay, 0, 50, Play
Try ControlSend, which might work in cases where the other Send modes fail.
How can Winamp be controlled even when it isn't active?
See Automating Winamp.
How can MsgBox's button names be changed?
Here is an example.
Hotkeys, Hotstrings, and Remapping
How do I put my hotkeys and hotstrings into effect automatically every time I start my PC?
There is a folder in the Start Menu called Startup. If you put a shortcut to your script in that
folder, the script will launch automatically every time you start your PC. To create a shortcut:
1. Find the script file, select it, and press Control-C.
2. Right-click the Start button (typically at the lower left corner of the screen) and choose "Explore
All Users".
3. Navigate to the Startup folder inside the Programs folder.
4. From the menu bar, choose Edit -> Paste Shortcut. The shortcut to the script should now be in
the Startup folder.
I'm having trouble getting my mouse buttons working as hotkeys. Any advice?
Note that mouse hotkeys are not currently possible on Windows 95/98/Me. On other operating
systems, the left and right mouse buttons should be assignable normally (for example,
#LButton:: is the Win+LeftButton hotkey). Similarly, the middle button and the turning of the
mouse wheel should be assignable normally except on mice whose drivers directly control those
buttons.
The fourth button (XButton1) and the fifth button (XButton2) might be assignable if your mouse
driver allows their clicks to be seen by the system. If they cannot be seen -- or if your mouse has
more than five buttons that you want to use -- you can try configuring the software that came
with the mouse (sometimes accessible in the Control Panel or Start Menu) to send a keystroke
whenever you press one of these buttons. Such a keystroke can then be defined as a hotkey in a
script. For example, if you configure the fourth button to send Control+F1, you can then
indirectly configure that button as a hotkey by using ^F1:: in a script.
If you have a five-button mouse whose fourth and fifth buttons cannot be seen, you can try
changing your mouse driver to the default driver included with the OS. This assumes there is
such a driver for your particular mouse and that you can live without the features provided by
your mouse's custom software.
How can Tab and Space be defined as hotkeys?
Use the names of the keys (Tab and Space) rather than their characters. For example, #Space is
Win+Space and ^!Tab is Control+Alt+Tab.
How can keys or mouse buttons be remapped so that they become different keys?
This is described on the remapping page.
How can a hotkey or hotstring be made exclusive to certain program(s)? In other words, I
want a certain key to act as it normally does except when a specific window is active.
The preferred method is #IfWinActive. For example:
#IfWinActive, ahk_class Notepad
^a::MsgBox You pressed Control-A while Notepad is active.
Windows 95/98/Me: Although the above method works, pressing Control-A in a window other
than Notepad will do nothing at all (not even its native function). To work around this, use:
$^a::Send ^a ; This hotkey must be listed first on Windows 9x. The $ prefix
allows it to "send itself".
#IfWinActive, ahk_class Notepad
^a::MsgBox You pressed Control-A while Notepad is active.
How can a prefix key be made to perform its native function rather than doing nothing?
Consider the following example, which makes Numpad0 into a prefix key:
Numpad0 & Numpad1::MsgBox, You pressed Numpad1 while holding down Numpad0.
Now, to make Numpad0 send a real Numpad0 keystroke whenever it wasn't used to launch a
hotkey such as the above, add the following hotkey:
$Numpad0::Send, {Numpad0}
The $ prefix is needed to prevent a warning dialog about an infinite loop (since the hotkey "sends
itself"). In addition, the above action occurs at the time the key is released.
How can the built-in Windows shortcut keys, such as Win+U (Utility Manager) and Win+R
(Run), be changed or disabled?
Here are some examples.
My keypad has a special 000 key. Is it possible to turn it into a hotkey?
You can, but only if you're running Windows NT, 2000, XP, or beyond. This example script
makes the 000 key into an equals key. You can change the action by replacing the "Send, =" line
with line(s) of your choice.
Important Note
Due to some fundamental differences between AutoHotkey 1.0 and AutoHotkey 1.1 (particularly
Unicode and x64 executables), scripts written for AutoHotkey 1.0 may not work as expected on
AutoHotkey 1.1. For details of known compatibility problems and solutions, refer to the
following:
Script compatibility - Unicode vs ANSI, DllCall, NumPut/Get, other changes
Script file code page - save your scripts as UTF-8!
Quick Reference
Fundamentals:
Tutorial for beginners
Text editors with AutoHotkey support
Frequently asked questions
Scripts
o Commands
o Variables and expressions
o Functions
o Objects
o Interactive debugging
Keyboard and mouse:
Hotkeys (mouse, joystick and keyboard shortcuts)
Hotstrings and auto-replace
Remapping keys and buttons
List of keys, mouse buttons and joystick controls
Other:
DllCall
RegEx quick reference
AutoHotkey_L (AutoHotkey 1.1) features
Acknowledgements
A special thanks to Jonathan Bennett, whose generosity in releasing AutoIt v2 as free software in
1999 served as an inspiration and time-saver for myself and many others worldwide. In addition,
many of AutoHotkey's enhancements to the AutoIt v2 command set, as well as the Window Spy
and the old script compiler, were adapted directly from the AutoIt v3 source code. So thanks to
Jon and the other AutoIt authors for those as well.

Finally, AutoHotkey would not be what it is today without these other individuals.