You often open certain programs, files and folders to perform a task, like launching Chrome, a Pomodoro timer, Irfanview and Microsoft Word to start your work day. Wouldn't it be easier to do that with just one click?

If your programs and files often change, then you can look at an app like MadAppLauncher to assign hotkeys to different programs. It's quick, but you'll have to remember all those keyboard shortcuts, not to mention it'll take more time.

To launch programs in a batch, you have plenty of other options.

Create Your Own Shortcut To Launch Programs In A Batch

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You don't always need third-party programs to start multiple software in a single click. All you actually need is the humble, built-in Windows Notepad. You could also use the powerful NotePad++, but Notepad does the job just fine.

For example's sake, let's say you want to launch Chrome and a spreadsheet called Invoices in MS Excel.

Start a new Notepad file and type this:

@echo off

cd "C:\Program Files\Google\Chrome\Application\"

start chrome.exe

start - "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office14\EXCEL.EXE" "C:\Users\Home\Desktop\Invoices.xlsx"

exit

All you have to do is save this Notepad file as "launch.bat" (not .txt) and you're good to go. It's much simpler than it sounds. You'll need to know how to find the target location of any program or folder, and you can even add a custom icon. For details, check out our step-by-step guide to create a batch launcher in Windows.

To launch it with a keyboard stroke, pair it with AutoHotKey or others like HotKeyP to >make custom hotkeys for anything.

If you want to kill any program in the same BAT file, like Firefox, the command is:

taskkill /im firefox.exe

Use Jump Lists And Preview With 7APL

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If you can't be bothered to create your own notepad file, 7APL will do the heavy lifting for you. As a bonus, it throws in some neat features like hotkey launches and a smart use of jump lists, which does more than just pinning your favourite folders for quick launches.

7APL is a portable app, which makes your life easier and saves resources. Create a new profile and add programs or files by browsing to their icon. Set a hotkey for the profile (using modifiers like Ctrl, Alt and Shift) and save your changes. You can also add some programs as exceptions to any of these rules.

If 7APL is running, you can hover over its icon in the taskbar and interact with the thumbnail preview to launch a profile or browse between options. Unlike most batch launchers though, 7APL doesn't need to be open to start using it. Right-click the icon and in the jump list, you will see all your profiles. Click to execute!

Splat Starts Programs, Kills Programs, Delays Launches

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Of all the batch launchers, Splat is the most powerful tool. You'll need to keep it running in your system tray, but the sheer customization it offers is worth it.

Once you create a new profile, you can start adding what to do with programs when the profile is executed. For any program, file or folder, you can choose to:

  • Run (if not running)
  • Run (even if running)
  • Close Application
  • Kill Application
  • Start/Stop Service
  • Wait/Delay

The first four are self-explanatory. Closing an application is a great idea to manage your PC's performance, not to mention focusing on the task at hand to eliminate distractions.

Stopping non-essential Windows Services can be a good way to speed up Windows. But please know what a service does before you choose to stop it.

The Wait/Delay option can be used with regular time intervals or set by your CPU's load, choosing to wait till it's below a certain percentage before launching the program.

Again, you can assign hotkeys to any profile, and there are a lot more modifiers and keys you can use here than in 7APL.

What Else Do You Want To Do In One Click?

Programs and files are now taken care of, but what other actions do you want to perform with a hotkey or a single click?

Image Credits: Finger-Hand Via Shutterstock