AutoHotkey — The Complete Guide: Automating Repetitive Work in CAD, Excel and Windows
AutoHotkey is an open-source scripting language for automating Windows. You define hotkeys, remap keys, expand abbreviations into full text and replay sequences of keystrokes and mouse clicks. Engineers use it to shorten repetitive actions in AutoCAD, Excel and analysis programs that have no built-in macros.
AutoHotkey
AutoHotkey
Automate repetitive tasks in Windows — hotkeys, macros for CAD and office programs, and text expansion.
Get it from the vendorWhat you get
- Hotkeys — one key that runs a whole sequence of commands.
- Key remapping — adapt the keyboard to your working habits.
- Text expansion — a short abbreviation that becomes a standard sentence or heading.
- Small windows — a form with fields and buttons for an in-house tool.
- File processing — search and replace with regular expressions.
How to start
Start with a short script for one action you repeat dozens of times a day — for example, a fixed typing sequence in the command line of a drafting program. A script is a plain text file, so it is easy to share with the team. Some basic learning of the language is needed, but the payoff comes quickly.
Related tools
For text expansion only, also on macOS and Linux — Espanso. For ready-made Windows utilities — PowerToys. For automating files and calculations — Python.
Espanso
Federico Terzi
Text expander — type a short trigger and get a standard paragraph, a date, a formula or an email template.
Get it from the vendorMicrosoft PowerToys
Microsoft
A set of Windows utilities — on-screen OCR, screen ruler, bulk rename, window layouts and colour picker.
Get it from the vendor
Python
Python Software Foundation
The language behind most modern engineering computation, and its full ecosystem.
Get it from the vendorDitto
Ditto project
Clipboard history for Windows — everything you copy is saved, so earlier values and text can be found and pasted again.
Get it from the vendorThe bottom line
AutoHotkey is the tool for automating programs that were never built to be automated. Open source, free for commercial use too, Windows only.