How to disable/reassign the 'Windows' key?

Question

Between Ctrl and Alt, modern keyboards have an abominable key: the 'Windows' key :P

By default, when this key is pressed alone it opens the Start menu. Many applications and a great number of games work in fullscreen mode, and if you press this key accidentally, most of times because you wanted to press the Ctrl or Alt keys, the application usually freezes for a while and minimizes itself. If you are lucky, your videogame will pause, but sometimes it continues even when it is minimized.

Is it possible to disable the 'Windows' key? It would be possible to show the Start menu with another combination of keys? I would like to keep combinations that use the Windows key working, like Windows+L, which leaves current session.

Answer 1

See my answer for How to disable and reassign the caps lock key:

Map Any Key to Any Key on Windows XP / Vista is an awesome guide on how to remap the caps lock (or any other) button.

Answer 2

You can add a certain value to the Registry to disable it. Here is a good tutorial, and some .reg files you can download.

However, this will disable the key entirely, as in no WinKey shortcuts. However, what I do is that I disable only the left Windows key, and use the right one to enter shortcuts. It's a sacrifice, but it means that I don't minimize anything fullscreen by accident.

Answer 3

Pick yourself up a quality gaming keyboard (this one's great, but you can find much cheaper ones). They usually have a switch that disables the windows key and the context menu key.

Answer 4

You can download SharpKeys! It saved my life, especially when I want to press ESC and accidentally press F1.

SharpKeys is free. You can download it from here

• When installed, click on Add button,
• on Map this key (from key) section click on Type key button. Type F1.
• on the To this key (to key) section, select Turn Key off item.

Confirm with OK, reboot your Windows (because registry got changed). You're done!

Answer 5

Autohotkey?

That can do a lot more, too.

LWin::Return

disables it, but

#F::Run firefox.exe

would tell Win&F to run firefox. You could even set the winkey to only be disabled ingame, or require a double-press to fire, or have to hold it down before it triggers, and more!

Answer 6

Take a screwdriver, pry it off! If that's a bit extreme, you can edit the registry to disable it.

Now, since you want to maintain some functionality (Win+L), but not others (Win) try using AutoHotKey to intercept the functions you don't want and do nothing.

Its a bit involved, but I think it will work the best.

On an odd note, apparently its the game developer's fault!