# Disable the "Windows" key? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 14, 2013, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disable-the-windows-key/647132 "2013-01-14T04:20:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2013, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disable-the-windows-key/647132/1 "2013-01-14T04:20:24Z")
Hopefully simple question: In Windows 7, is there any way to disable the “Windows Key”? I think that’s what it’s called - the one with the Windows logo that brings up the Start menu. I’m asking this as a Mac user who has switched to gaming on a PC. That “Windows” key is in exactly the same place as the Mac’s “Option” key, and it’s getting really annoying when I keep getting switched out of WoW into Windows Explorer every time I inadvertently hit that key while trying to perform an in-game command that, on the Mac, uses the Option key (these commands use the Alt key in Windows, which is in the spot occupied by the Command key on a Mac…) ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2013, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disable-the-windows-key/647132/2 "2013-01-14T04:42:58Z")
I physically removed the key from my keyboard. That seemed to work fine. I don’t know if there’s a way to disable the key through software. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2013, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disable-the-windows-key/647132/3 "2013-01-14T04:53:44Z")
The only way I’ve heard of doing this is to buy a keyboard that has another key on it that disables the key. No, really. ---
**Author:** ![ed\_anger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bbce88/32.png) [@ed\_anger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ed_anger)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2013, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disable-the-windows-key/647132/4 "2013-01-14T04:58:36Z")
> **[LMGTFY - Let Me Google That For You](https://lmgtfy.app/?q=disable%2Bwindows%2Bkey)** > > For all those people who find it more convenient to bother you with their question rather than to Google it for themselves. ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2013, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disable-the-windows-key/647132/5 "2013-01-14T04:59:39Z")
Can you plug a Mac keyboard in? I Googled “remap keys Windows 7” (no quotes) and found a bunch of articles discussing which programs were best for this. ---
**Author:** ![Sevencl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@Sevencl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sevencl)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2013, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disable-the-windows-key/647132/6 "2013-01-14T05:01:05Z")
There should be many autohotkey scripts to do this. You have to remember to activate the script whenever you restart the computer, but it works. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2013, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disable-the-windows-key/647132/7 "2013-01-14T06:06:50Z")
[quote=“Gary “Wombat” Robson, post:2, topic:647132”] I physically removed the key from my keyboard. That seemed to work fine. I don’t know if there’s a way to disable the key through software. [/QUOTE] This isn’t a bad idea. As a lifetime Windows user, I can’t say that there’s ever been a time where the Windows key was needed or at least irreplaceable. You can manage without it. ---
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2013, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disable-the-windows-key/647132/8 "2013-01-14T06:21:05Z")
I’m pretty sure that you can do without the windows key, and I almost never use it to activate the start menu, but I do use it as a shift key. {W}-m (also known as the “boss key”) minimizes all windows {W}-M maximizes them again {W}-F1 opens help {W}-F opens search (find) {W}-{TAB} gives you a cycling view of all open windows ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2013, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disable-the-windows-key/647132/9 "2013-01-14T06:34:21Z")
It certainly has [a convenient use](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_key#Use_with_Microsoft_Windows), but it’s not required. I use it for only two commands, though frequently: [Win]+E opens explorer and [Win]+D takes you to the Desktop. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2013, 8:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disable-the-windows-key/647132/10 "2013-01-14T08:42:55Z")
[quote=“Gary “Wombat” Robson, post:2, topic:647132”] I physically removed the key from my keyboard. That seemed to work fine. [/QUOTE] Even better still, if you had sufficient foresight a few years ago: After these keys first started appearing on keyboards, a time came when my company discarded a bunch of older keyboards when they bought new machines. I collected a lifetime supply of those old keyboards without the Windows keys. (ETA: Perhaps I should auction them on E-Bay and get rich! Except that I still want to keep them myself!) Those Windows keys are truly obnoxious. If they had been placed above the top row or off to the side, I’d have no problem with that. But their placement along the bottom row is a real PITA (and many earlier keyboards also had a longer space bar). They are very much in the way; they are waaaaaaaaay too easy to hit inadvertently, with disruptive results (as the OP rightly complains); and they aren’t keys you would use all that often. I mean, if you’re actually doing something useful with your machine, like entering text into a Word document or spread sheet or other actual data work, you are going to be doing LOTS of typing with only occasional need to pop up other windows. Having that happen accidentally, and frequently, is truly annoying. These keyboards are just another Microsoft-dictated in-your-face abomination. If only they had put those keys in some out-of-the way place on the keyboard! ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2013, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disable-the-windows-key/647132/11 "2013-01-14T15:36:05Z")
“Gaming” keyboards frequently have a switch that disables the Windows key. There is also a keyboard mapping utility that lets you remap keys - for many years I had my caps lock remapped to the scroll lock and the Win key disabled. Haven’t had a version that worked since Vista but such tools are out there. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2013, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disable-the-windows-key/647132/12 "2013-01-14T16:12:01Z")
[quote=“Gary “Wombat” Robson, post:2, topic:647132”] I physically removed the key from my keyboard. That seemed to work fine. [/QUOTE] That’s what I did when a misplaced (IMO) Caps Lock key was driving me nuts. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2013, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disable-the-windows-key/647132/13 "2013-01-14T17:13:20Z")
Rather than removing the key, which might not help if you still end up pressing the little button under the key, try remapping your keyboard. [This](http://lifehacker.com/5883003/the-best-key-remapper-for-windows) is the one I use and it appears to be well-respected (and is free). You can then assign the windows key as “options” or something similar if you want to, and you can also assign other keys as handy gaming keys - I have a couple assigned as pause and play and rewind. That kind of personalisation is pretty handy for gaming. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2013, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disable-the-windows-key/647132/14 "2013-01-14T17:51:03Z")
Play wow in maximized windowed mode. Can also rip the windows key off your keyboard. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2013, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disable-the-windows-key/647132/15 "2013-01-14T18:11:32Z")
> [@ed\_anger](#): > > [http://lmgtfy.com/?q=disable+windows+key](http://lmgtfy.com/?q=disable+windows+key) Now see, if I had done that myself I wouldn’t get to hear from all my fine friends at the SDMB! Also, I’m obligated to ask the occasional stupid question about Windows in order to maintain my cover as a computer-illiterate Mac user 😃 That said, the first Google hit sent me to [http://support.microsoft.com/kb/216893](http://support.microsoft.com/kb/216893) which looks like it should fix me up. ---
**Author:** ![ed\_anger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bbce88/32.png) [@ed\_anger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ed_anger)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2013, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disable-the-windows-key/647132/16 "2013-01-14T18:35:34Z")
😉 ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2013, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disable-the-windows-key/647132/17 "2013-01-15T15:43:46Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > This isn’t a bad idea. As a lifetime Windows user, I can’t say that there’s ever been a time where the Windows key was needed or at least irreplaceable. You can manage without it. I’ve been using Macs since the original 128K box and Windows since the days of Windows 3.0. I can’t recall ever using the Windows key on purpose. ---
**Author:** ![AaronX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7bcc69/32.png) [@AaronX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AaronX)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2013, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disable-the-windows-key/647132/18 "2013-01-15T15:50:35Z")
I assume that’d be because you were used to keyboards long before the Win key came out (Win 95), so you’ve learnt to make do without. Like people complaining about car key fobs. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2013, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disable-the-windows-key/647132/19 "2013-01-15T19:44:54Z")
As a gamer it would be truly annoying to be pulled out of the action in a game and back to the desktop from one errant keypress. That and the feel are the reason I use old IBM Model M keyboards. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2013, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disable-the-windows-key/647132/20 "2013-01-15T20:55:29Z")
> [@Mister\_Rik](#): > > That said, the first Google hit sent me to [http://support.microsoft.com/kb/216893](http://support.microsoft.com/kb/216893) which looks like it should fix me up. Just wanted to come back and mention that the Microsoft Wizard available at that link performed the desired task easily and painlessly 🙂 The wording on that page gives the impression that the “Windows Key” wasn’t Microsoft’s idea… [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disable-the-windows-key/647132.md?page=2)