Windows Media Player is the default media player that comes installed with the Windows OS. Despite being the default media player it is not really a popular player amongst most users since it is bloated, slow and lacks the features offered by free alternatives like VLC player, GOM player or KMPlayer.

One of the features missing in Windows Media (WM) Player is support for global hot keys. Hot keys let you manipulate your player using only your keyboard buttons without having to use your mouse and bringing up the player interface. Check out WMP Keys. It is a free add-on for WM player that adds global hot keys support to Windows Media Player.

Below is a sample list of default hotkeys using the addon

  • Play/Pause         Ctrl+Alt+Home
  • Next                        Ctrl+Alt+Right
  • Previous              Ctrl+Alt+Left
  • Volume Up        Ctrl+Alt+Up
  • Volume Down   Ctrl+Alt+Down
add hotkeys to windows media player

To add this add-on to WM player, download it from the website and install it on your computer. Then launch WM Player and turn on the plugin from the WM Player menu. Go to Tools -> Plug-ins and enable the Wmpkeys Plugin. You can either use the default hotkeys or use your own hotkeys as you see fit.

To change hotkeys go to Options -> Plug-ins, select Wmpkeys Plugin and click Properties  to open the Settings for WMP Keys. There you can input any combination of keys for different functions.

wmpkeys

Features:

  • Enable global hot keys for Windows Media Player.
  • Free, open source plugin.
  • Use default hotkeys or use your own combination of keys (Ctrl, Alt, Shift, Win, letters, up/down/left/right).

Check out WMP keys @ http://wmpkeys.sourceforge.net