AutoHotkey

Version documented: 2.0.11 Installer type: .exe (NSIS) Hives written: HKCU, HKLM, HKCR

📁 Registry Paths

Path	Hive	Purpose
`SOFTWARE\AutoHotkey`	HKLM	Installation metadata
`SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\AutoHotkey`	HKLM	Uninstall entry
`HKCR\.ahk`	HKCR	.ahk script file association
`HKCR\AutoHotkeyScript`	HKCR	ProgID — run scripts
`HKCR\AutoHotkeyScript\Shell\Run`	HKCR	Default "Run" verb
`HKCR\AutoHotkeyScript\Shell\Edit`	HKCR	"Edit" verb (opens editor)

🔑 Keys

HKLM\SOFTWARE\AutoHotkey

Value Name	Type	Example Data	Description
`InstallDir`	REG_SZ	`C:\Program Files\AutoHotkey`	Installation directory
`Version`	REG_SZ	`2.0.11`	Installed version

HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\AutoHotkey

Value Name	Type	Example Data	Description
`DisplayName`	REG_SZ	`AutoHotkey v2.0.11`	Display name
`DisplayVersion`	REG_SZ	`2.0.11`	Version
`Publisher`	REG_SZ	`AutoHotkey Foundation LLC`	Publisher
`InstallLocation`	REG_SZ	`C:\Program Files\AutoHotkey`	Install path
`UninstallString`	REG_SZ	`"...\UX\AutoHotkeyUX.exe" /uninstall`	Uninstaller

HKCR.ahk

Value Name	Type	Example Data	Description
`(Default)`	REG_SZ	`AutoHotkeyScript`	ProgID reference

HKCR\AutoHotkeyScript\Shell\Run\Command

Value Name	Type	Example Data	Description
`(Default)`	REG_SZ	`"AutoHotkey64.exe" "%1" %*`	Run script verb

HKCR\AutoHotkeyScript\Shell\Edit\Command

Value Name	Type	Example Data	Description
`(Default)`	REG_SZ	`"notepad.exe" "%1"`	Edit script verb (default editor)

📝 Notes

AHK v2 and v1 can coexist — v1 uses AutoHotkey ProgID, v2 uses AutoHotkeyScript.
The edit verb defaults to Notepad; sysadmins often redirect it to a dedicated AHK-aware editor.
.ahk scripts do not auto-start with Windows — users must place shortcuts in shell:startup manually.

# Redirect the Edit verb to VS Code
$cmd = '"C:\Program Files\Microsoft VS Code\Code.exe" "%1"'
Set-ItemProperty -Path "HKCR:\AutoHotkeyScript\Shell\Edit\Command" -Name "(Default)" -Value $cmd

# Check installed version
(Get-ItemProperty "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\AutoHotkey" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue).Version

🗑️ Cleanup

# Remove AutoHotkey installation keys
Remove-Item -Path "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\AutoHotkey" -Recurse -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

# Remove .ahk file association
Remove-Item -Path "HKCR:\AutoHotkeyScript" -Recurse -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
Remove-ItemProperty -Path "HKCR:\.ahk" -Name "(Default)" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

📦 Package Managers

Manager	ID / Command
winget	`winget install AutoHotkey.AutoHotkey`
Chocolatey	`choco install autohotkey`
Scoop	`scoop install extras/autohotkey`