I turned Windows into a keyboard-first operating system with these 3 free tools

Published Aug 26, 2026, 6:30 AM EDT Zunaid Ali first became interested in technology after using a computer for the first time in 2006. He's been producing how-to content since 2018, reaching thousands of people in the process. As a kid, Zunaid used to read tech tutorials and troubleshooting guides on popular blogs. That made him want to start his own writing career. After the coronavirus pandemic, he finally decided to jump into the tech writing world. Before joining How-To Geek, he had written for HecticGeek, Distroid, and UbuntuPIT, among others. Zunaid first tried Linux when he wanted to learn Web Development in 2021. Due to his inexperience, he messed up his laptop trying to dual-boot Ubuntu with Windows. Frustrated, he went all-in with Linux and removed Windows completely. And that's when he fell in love with it. He's been actively experimenting with Linux since then. After finding his first writing gig on Linux in April 2022, he decided to specialize in it so he could share his knowledge and insights with fellow open-source enthusiasts. He joined How-To Geek in September 2023 and has been writing as a freelance contributor since then. Zunaid is currently pursuing his Bachelor's degree in Information & Communication Technology. When he's not writing, he's reading tech blogs, coding fun projects, or learning about new technologies. Other than Linux, he also has an interest in Android Development and Cybersecurity. He has experience in C/C++, Java, HTML/CSS/JavaScript, and Python. You can find some of his hobby projects on his GitHub. As a writer, programmer, and Linux enthusiast, I often tend to make my workflow use the mouse as rarely as possible. Windows being my primary workstation, I've been trying to use the keyboard more and more, so I don't have to reach for the mouse. After running these apps for some time, I could see some potential. Sure, I couldn't just convert Windows into a Linux terminal-based system. But I could incorporate some of its philosophies into it. So, how far could I push Windows to become a keyboard-first setup? PowerToys Command Palette replaced my Start menu search habit entirely Credit: Lucas Gouveia/How-To Geek | WR7/Shutterstock The first thing I touch after my computer starts up is the mouse. But why? To open an app, find a file, or maybe tweak some settings. After some pondering about how I could do this with my keyboard, I came across the Command Palette. It's a part of Microsoft PowerToys, and it's like the successor to PowerToys Run. You hit Win+Alt+Space to open the search menu and start typing. It finds what you're looking for. I use the Command Palette in VS Code a lot. On my Linux system, I love to use Ulauncher for opening apps. So, the PowerToys Command Palette was quite welcoming to me. That's not even the best part, though. The Command Palette isn't just a search and launch tool for your software. It can run commands you would otherwise have to run in the Run dialog. It can do math. It can search your PDF files or make web searches. Clipboard history? That's covered too. Overall, it's a must-have for keyboard-heavy and power users. The fun part is that you can use the full Command Palette using your keyboard, and there are some useful shortcuts too. The extension gallery is also worth mentioning. You can take it to the next level by installing more extensions than it already has via Winget. If you already use PowerToys, this fits right in with the other utilities Windows probably should have shipped with years ago. FancyWM tiles my windows before I even reach for the mouse Multitasking on a single monitor finally stopped feeling cramped FancyWM solved a problem I didn't even realize I had: inefficient window tiling. If you're a multitasker like me and work with five windows at a time, you know how painful it can get to make them fit your screen and switch between them. Constantly dragging the mouse and Windows Snap Layouts weren't cutting it for me. That's when FancyWM changed the game for me. It's a dynamic tiling window manager that allows new windows into a clean layout instead of stacking them. It's really lightweight on the system if that's something that worries you. For our keyboard-only workflow, this fits well. You can use the mouse as well as keyboard shortcuts to control the windows. Press Win+Shift to activate FancyWM. Then press any of the tiling keys, such as H, V, or F, to allocate a space for the focused window. As someone who hasn't used a window manager before, there was a bit of getting used to it before I got the hang of the tool. So, that's something you should keep in mind before jumping into it. AutoHotkey turned my most repeated clicks into single keystrokes From gaming to productive workflow, it works everywhere Not all of your workflows will have built-in keyboard shortcuts. But that doesn't mean you can't make them yourself. That's where AutoHotkey comes into play. I first downloaded this amazing tool because I wanted to create some hotkeys for a browser game. Turns out, it's much more capable than that. AutoHotkey is a free scripting tool for creating macros and automation. You can convert almost any key combo into an action. It lets you remap keys, build text expansions, automate actions across apps, and more. I'll be honest, though. While it can do simple tasks that don't even require any prior learning, for more advanced tasks, you'll have to go through a learning curve. Fortunately, there's a helpful community that has created many useful scripts that you can plug and play. If you can put some time into it, AutoHotkey can fix many annoyances you face on Windows. Keyboard first doesn't mean giving up your mouse for good Let me be clear, so as not to create any confusion. Going keyboard-first doesn't mean I'm throwing away my mouse or declaring war on it. I just want to adapt my workflow to the keyboard because I feel like it makes me more productive. If that's something you find interesting, you might find a keyboard-controlled browser to be a next step.