Make the numpad useful by remapping the keys

It's funny how much space is wasted on a full-size keyboard. The numpad takes up a lot of real estate, but for many of us, it's useless. Sure, it's essential for anyone who works in Excel or does math all day, but if you're not one of those people, it's pretty much useless.

For years, many people have completely forgotten about it. It's like an extra part of the keyboard that they never use. There are 17 keys sitting there, doing almost nothing, what a waste. So let's find a way to put them to good use.

Why and how to reuse numpad?

Turn "extra" keys into everyday essentials

For a long time, the numpad was essentially a cosmetic thing. Most people didn't work with spreadsheets or do calculations all day, so the numpad's original purpose never really fit. Sure, you'd use it occasionally—to enter a PIN, a random number, or some value—but that was it. In fact, if you switched to a smaller external keyboard without a numpad, you'd barely miss it.

The turning point came when some people bought a new laptop that had an unhelpful Copilot key. They used PowerToys to repurpose that Copilot key to open Slack . It was a small success, but it got us thinking: If you can make an underused key useful, why not do the same for the entire numpad?

There are a few different options for this. There are tools like SharpKeys and AutoHotkey that promise the freedom of key remapping. They're powerful, but also a little intimidating. No one wants to spend hours writing scripts just to make their keyboard work a little better. PowerToys, on the other hand, makes the process more fun.

PowerToys is Microsoft's collection of utilities designed for power users. One of its best features is Keyboard Manager, which lets you remap almost any key, including the numpad. If you don't have it yet, download PowerToys from the Microsoft Store . Once installed, go to Input / Output > Keyboard Manager > Remap a key . From there, reassigning that key is easy; just select the key you want to remap and assign it a new role.

Use the numpad as a control center for apps, shortcuts, and media

Small actions, big productivity gains

When you decide to reassign the numpad, the possibilities quickly grow. With PowerToys' Keyboard Manager, you're not limited to simple key swaps. You can assign individual keys to launch apps, trigger complex shortcuts, or even control music playback. This way, you can open File Explorer , Calculator, or any other app you use every day with a single tap.

Next, let's tackle your favorite but slightly awkward shortcuts, like restoring minimized windows ( Win + Shift + M ), creating new virtual desktops ( Win + Ctrl + D ), or pasting without formatting ( Ctrl + Shift + V ). With PowerToys, you can map any of these keys to a single number key—and it makes a huge difference.

You can also set up music controls. Now you can play, pause, skip songs, or adjust the volume without having to switch to apps like Spotify or YouTube. If your laptop doesn't have a dedicated number pad, this little tweak alone makes the numpad indispensable.

So, with just a little curiosity and PowerToys, you can turn something you once overlooked into one of the most useful parts of your setup.

Lesley Montoya

Update 23 October 2025