Hotkeys - ShareX Feature for Windows

Hotkey System

ShareX provides a comprehensive hotkey system that lets you trigger any capture, recording, or tool with a keyboard shortcut. Efficient hotkey management is what turns ShareX from a feature-rich application into a daily productivity powerhouse.

Global Hotkeys

All ShareX hotkeys are global, meaning they work even when ShareX is minimized to the system tray or when another application is in focus. This allows you to capture anything on your screen instantly without switching windows.

Default Hotkeys

ShareX comes with sensible default hotkeys that you can customize:

Action	Default Shortcut
Fullscreen Capture	Print Screen
Region Capture	Ctrl + Print Screen
Active Window Capture	Alt + Print Screen
Screen Recording	Shift + Print Screen
GIF Recording	Ctrl + Shift + Print Screen
Scrolling Capture	Ctrl + Alt + Print Screen
Color Picker	Ctrl + Shift + C
Open Main Window	Ctrl + Shift + X

Customizing Hotkeys

Every action in ShareX can be assigned custom hotkeys:

1. Go to Hotkey settings in the main menu
2. Browse the complete list of available actions
3. Click on any action and press your desired key combination
4. Hotkeys can include modifiers: Ctrl, Alt, Shift, and Win
5. Conflicts are detected automatically — ShareX warns you if a hotkey is already in use

Hotkey Task Settings

Each hotkey can have its own independent task configuration:

• Different after capture tasks per hotkey
• Different upload destinations per hotkey
• Different image effects per hotkey
• Different file naming patterns per hotkey

For example:

• Print Screen → Fullscreen capture → Upload to Imgur → Copy URL
• Ctrl + Print Screen → Region capture → Open editor → Save locally

Advanced Hotkey Features

• Multi-action hotkeys — Bind multiple actions to a single hotkey (hold modifier to choose)
• Disabled hotkeys — Temporarily disable hotkeys without deleting them
• Hotkey profiles — Switch between different hotkey sets for different tasks
• Application-specific hotkeys — Hotkeys that only work when certain applications are active
• Media keys — Bind captures to media buttons on keyboards

Hotkey Tips

• Use modifier combinations that don't conflict with other applications
• Print Screen and its variants are natural choices for capture-related actions
• Create separate hotkey sets for different workflows (coding, design, gaming)
• Use the task override feature to make a single hotkey do different things in different contexts

Productivity Boost

With well-configured hotkeys, you can:

• Capture and upload a screenshot in under a second
• Start recording a GIF without touching the mouse
• Run OCR on a region with two keystrokes
• Switch between workflows instantly with different hotkey combinations