What is AutoHotkey used for?

AutoHotkey is a free scripting language and utility for Windows that automates repetitive tasks and defines keyboard shortcuts and macros. It is a good fit for defining custom keyboard shortcuts, automating repetitive desktop tasks, and small Windows utilities and macros.

Is AutoHotkey open source?

Yes. AutoHotkey is open source under the GPL-2.0 licence. Its source code is on GitHub at AutoHotkey/AutoHotkey and is written mainly in C++.

Yes. AutoHotkey is open source, so the software itself is free to use.

Can I self-host AutoHotkey?

Yes. AutoHotkey can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.

What is AutoHotkey an alternative to?

AutoHotkey is an open-source alternative to Keyboard Maestro. Other open-source alternatives to Keyboard Maestro include Hammerspoon and AutoKey.

Is AutoHotkey actively maintained?

Yes. The most recent commit to AutoHotkey was on 28 September 2026, and the latest release is v2.0.28, published on 12 September 2026. The project has 13k stars on GitHub.

AutoHotkey: open-source alternative to Keyboard Maestro

About AutoHotkey

AutoHotkey is free, open-source software for Windows that creates macros and automates repeated tasks. It is driven by its own scripting language, which has built-in support for defining keyboard shortcuts, known as hotkeys, so repetitive tasks can be reduced to a keystroke or a short script.

The project is written in C++ and licensed under GPL-2.0. The current line is AutoHotkey v2, while v1 is no longer maintained and only receives community help. Support is handled mainly through the community forum, which has separate help boards for v1 and v2 scripts, a bug report board and a development board. The README also notes that official downloads are sometimes flagged as suspicious by antivirus programs and provides a page for reporting false positives.

The source builds with Visual Studio 2022, and version 2 can additionally be compiled and debugged from VS Code. As a desktop tool it is installed locally on Windows and has nothing to host. It suits power users, administrators and developers who want custom shortcuts, text expansion and small automations on their own machines.

Key features

Custom scripting language for automation
Keyboard shortcuts and hotkeys
Macro creation for repetitive tasks
Active community forum for support
Version 2 actively maintained
Buildable with Visual Studio or VS Code

Good fit for

→Defining custom keyboard shortcuts
→Automating repetitive desktop tasks
→Small Windows utilities and macros

Built with: C++
Tags: automation; windows; hotkeys; macros; scripting; scripting-language; desktop; cpp

AutoHotkey: questions and answers

What is AutoHotkey used for?: AutoHotkey is a free scripting language and utility for Windows that automates repetitive tasks and defines keyboard shortcuts and macros. It is a good fit for defining custom keyboard shortcuts, automating repetitive desktop tasks, and small Windows utilities and macros.
Is AutoHotkey open source?: Yes. AutoHotkey is open source under the GPL-2.0 licence. Its source code is on GitHub at AutoHotkey/AutoHotkey and is written mainly in C++.
Is AutoHotkey free?: Yes. AutoHotkey is open source, so the software itself is free to use.
Can I self-host AutoHotkey?: Yes. AutoHotkey can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.
What is AutoHotkey an alternative to?: AutoHotkey is an open-source alternative to Keyboard Maestro. Other open-source alternatives to Keyboard Maestro include Hammerspoon and AutoKey.
Is AutoHotkey actively maintained?: Yes. The most recent commit to AutoHotkey was on 28 September 2026, and the latest release is v2.0.28, published on 12 September 2026. The project has 13k stars on GitHub.