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Microsoft Internet Explorer 8

Access a Favorite Website from Anywhere with a Keyboard Shortcut

SUMMARY: Create a keyboard shortcut that opens up a Favorite website, even if Internet Explorer is closed.

Sure your favorite websites in Internet Explorer 8 may be easy to access - just open up the "Favorites" menu or click the Favorites button. You may even have Favorites accessible via the Windows Start Menu. But how about making them easier to access from anywhere by creating a global keyboard shortcut that opens up your browser* and displays the website?

1. From Internet Explorer 8, click the "Favorites" button in the Command Bar.

2. Right-click a Favorite and choose "Properties" in the popup menu that appears.

Changing the properties of a Favorite website via Internet Explorer 8

3. A properties dialog for the Favorite appears. Make sure the "Web Document" tab is selected.

4. Next to "Shortcut key", enter a desired global shortcut key. Make sure to enter a shortcut key that is not used by other applications or Windows itself, so enter a key with multiple modifiers such as Alt, Ctrl, and Shift to reduce the chance.

For this example we'll use the shortcut Ctrl + Shift + Alt + M as a shortcut for MalekTips.

Creating a keyboard shortcut to MalekTips via Internet Explorer 8

5. Click "OK" to save your settings.

* Note that pressing this shortcut will open the Favorite in your default browser, whether it is Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Safari for Windows, or whatever.