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How to paste text snippets with keyboard shortcuts on Windows 10

Copy/Paste works from both the context menu, and from keyboard shortcuts. With the new Clipboard History feature in Windows 10 1809, the basic function is now more useful. That said, it’s still a lot of clicks and taps. If you often have to enter the same text over and over again over the course of a day, it might be far more efficient to paste text snippets with keyboard shortcuts instead. You can assign different keys to a text snippet of their own. All you’ll have to do is tap one key and an entire phrase will be pasted. You won’t have to select the phrase, or copy it again from anywhere each time you need to paste it.

Text snippets with keyboard shortcuts

In order to paste text snippets with keyboard shortcuts, you need to download a free app called HotKeyP. Extract the zipped folder and run the HotkeyP.exe file in it.

Click the Add button to add the text snippet and associate a keyboard key with it. On the Add screen, the first thing you need to do is click the little arrow button next to the input field under Command. Go to Macro>Paste text. Next, under Parameters, enter the snippet you want to paste. Last, look at the very top and click in the empty input field. Tap the key that you want to use to paste the text.

It’s optional but you should also give it a description so that it’s easier to edit/manage later if you need to.

Click Ok, and return to the main app interface. Close the app and navigate to any app that lets you input text e.g., Notepad. Tap the key and it will paste the entire snippet.

Picking Keys

It goes without saying that you cannot assign any of the letter keys to a text snippet because it will prevent you from typing. You can however use the number pad on your keyboard. The number keys at the top will be more than enough to meet most input needs. You can also use the Escape, Tab, Caps, Insert, Delete, PageUp, PageDown, Home, and End keys. Collectively, the keys should be enough to cover the snippets you have to paste.

If you’re still falling short, you can use the function keys, and as a last resort, combine other keys with the Ctrl, Alt, Shift, and Win key. The reason we don’t recommend this is because it may not be a viable solution. During tests, the snippets wouldn’t paste when the key was coupled with one of the modifier keys. It is possible that this had to do with the key combo already being in use so try your luck with them.

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