windows keyboard menu-key missing, alternatives?

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I am trying to use my HTPC with only a keyboard. Even though my keyboard is from Microsoft them selves, they failed basic windows certification and did not include a menu-key, the one that shows a mouse cursor and a menu, usually located on the right of the space bar, between alt and control.

without that i can't do many actions.

On windows XP (or maybe NT? not sure) right alt+enter used to emulate that key and i would get the context menu... but on windows 7 that ain't so.

Is there any other key combination that can act as an alternative for context menu on selected items on windows 7?

gcb

Posted 2013-12-31T20:39:07.070

Reputation: 3 392

Answers

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The alternative for the menu key - also known as the Apps Key - that brings up the context menu is Shift-F10.

Some other possible solutions can be found here: How can I open the context menu on start menu search results from the keyboard

E.g., if Shift-F10 is impractical, you could create a one line AutoHotkey script to change it to something more convenient, like Shift-F5.

+F5::AppsKey

user 99572 is fine

Posted 2013-12-31T20:39:07.070

Reputation: 3 173

thanks! and damn twice that microsoft keyboard... f10 requires fn+f5... – gcb – 2013-12-31T22:44:11.013

@gcb I've added an AutoHotkey script to change the key to something else like Shift-F5. – user 99572 is fine – 2014-01-02T08:20:32.950

Thanks @user-99572-is-fine! i tried using shift-f10 on that keyboard (shift-Fn-F4) but for some reason it does nothing... i will use autoHotkey... don't know why i wasn't using that before even for other things! excellent idea! – gcb – 2014-01-05T21:04:36.510

Asked: 2013-12-31T20:39:07.070

Viewed: 11 446 times

Active: 2015-03-13T19:59:00.397