How do I remap Shift + Del on Windows to mean Delete instead of Cut?

Shift+Del on my Windows computer is interpreted as cut to the clipboard. How can I make it no different than just Delete alone?

Adam

Posted 2011-01-20T22:13:06.567

Reputation: 267

Odd, shift-del on normal windows computers is supposed to mean delete permanently (skip the recycle bin). – Joel Coehoorn – 2011-01-20T22:14:08.780

Not in Windows 7 (and similar versions). See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Table_of_keyboard_shortcuts#Desktop_shortcuts

– Adam – 2011-01-20T22:16:15.610

In Windows 7 Shift+Del is supposed to be permanent delete. I use it everyday to skip the recycle bin. http://support.microsoft.com/kb/126449

– Benjamin Anderson – 2011-01-20T22:21:33.950

Maybe just in Windows Server then? It is listed in other places ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cut,_copy,_and_paste#Common_keyboard_shortcuts ) as meaning cut and that's definitely what it's doing here

– Adam – 2011-01-20T22:25:04.100

7I suspect the OP is talking about in a text or word processor, not Windows Explorer/Desktop. – martineau – 2011-01-20T22:26:07.487

the Wikipedia article has the shortcut listed under Desktop Shortcuts though... Which after doing some searching in Google, is apparently the old legacy behavior. I have a feeling that it's maybe the result of a Culture/Language setting – Benjamin Anderson – 2011-01-20T22:28:50.680

And no, Server 2008 and 2008 R2 don't make a difference, it has to bee something else. I permanently delete things from Explorer and the desktop all the time using Shift+Del – Benjamin Anderson – 2011-01-20T22:30:17.993

It's not just Windows 7. Shift+Del = Cut, Shift+Ins = Paste, Ctrl+Ins = Copy has been a standard since the DOS days. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cut,_copy,_and_paste

– Mikel – 2011-01-20T22:43:57.643

In Windows XP SHIFT+DELETE on the Destop & in Windows Explorer windows means "Delete the selected item permanently without placing the item in the Recycle Bin" -- see List of the keyboard shortcuts that are available in Windows XP.

– martineau – 2011-01-20T22:49:06.333

Sure. Obviously it depends what program you are in. Shift+Del means Cut in most text editors and text editing fields. – Mikel – 2011-01-20T23:07:32.320

And as you already acknowledged, the OP wasn't talking about the Desktop or Windows Explorer. ;-) – Mikel – 2011-01-20T23:21:45.290

Answers

This AutoHotkey script works for me:

+Del::Send {Delete}

If it doesn't, try this:

+Del::
KeyWait Shift
Send {Delete}
return

According to AutoHotkey Tips and Remarks, you might need to use KeyWait so that the Shift doesn't get applied to the right hand side as well.

I suggest installing it like this:

Download and install AutoHotkey, allowing it to associate with .ahk files
Open Notepad and paste the script in
Save it anywhere and call it shortcuts.ahk
Open the folder where you saved it in Windows Explorer
Double click on shortcuts.ahk to open it and activate it immediately
Right click and drag shortcuts.ahk to Start->(All) Programs->Startup, then release the right button
Click on Create Shortcut

Mikel

Posted 2011-01-20T22:13:06.567

Reputation: 7 890

Regardless of what context you're referring to, and although I haven't done this exact thing, I'm fairly confident the free AutoHotKey utility could do it.

At a minimum, the AHK script would just need to be a single line containing this:

+Delete::Send {Delete}

This would be in effect globally (i.e. on the Desktop, in Explorer windows, and in all applications). If necessary, it could be made context-sensitive so that it only applied to specific situations (RTFM).

martineau

Posted 2011-01-20T22:13:06.567

Reputation: 3 849

I tried, but I don't really know AutoHotKey, what's the code for Shift + Del? I tried +{Delete} but it didn't work – Adam – 2011-01-20T22:26:23.430

+{Delete} or +{Del} represents shift+delete. You could create an AHK script for that combination which just maps it to Send {Delete}. – martineau – 2011-01-20T22:34:21.237

+{Del}::Send {Delete} gave me an error Invalid hotkey – Adam – 2011-01-20T22:35:53.743

Try +Del::Send {Delete} without the {} around the first Del. – Mikel – 2011-01-20T22:40:07.567

I've updated my answer with the syntactically correct AHK code -- thanks @Mikel. – martineau – 2011-01-20T23:12:27.870

AutoHotkey CAN`T do this. It is complicated to be explained but AutoHotkey send to focused window so you cant send command to desktop.

user688686

Posted 2011-01-20T22:13:06.567

Reputation: 1

1Please read the question again carefully. Your answer does not answer the original question. – DavidPostill – 2017-01-22T16:49:04.323