# Recording keystrokes in windows without third-party software

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recording-keystrokes-in-windows-without-third-party-software/317927>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 20, 2005, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recording-keystrokes-in-windows-without-third-party-software/317927 "2005-08-20T22:34:50Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\
**Post date:** [August 20, 2005, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recording-keystrokes-in-windows-without-third-party-software/317927/1 "2005-08-20T22:34:50Z")

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Is there a way to record a sequence of keystrokes and then assign it to a simpler keyboard shortcut (or even a single key) in windows 2000?

such as " Left Down Ctrl-R"

I know windows used to have a ‘record’ application which recorded mouse movements and keystokes but this doesn’t seem to have survived into modern versions of windows.

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**Author:** ![MannyL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@MannyL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MannyL)\
**Post date:** [August 20, 2005, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recording-keystrokes-in-windows-without-third-party-software/317927/2 "2005-08-20T23:43:30Z")

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So you want to make a maco then with no software other that what the OS provides?

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**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\
**Post date:** [August 21, 2005, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recording-keystrokes-in-windows-without-third-party-software/317927/3 "2005-08-21T11:35:09Z")

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See [Keyboard Macros with Windows Scripting Host](http://www.icpug.org.uk/national/features/030316fe.htm).

Basically, you create a VBscript script and then assign a shortcut key to it using Windows’s built-in shortcut key functionality (you can give any item in your start menu a shortcut key).

I know XP has Windows Scripting Host built-in, so I’m hoping 2K does too.