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On my Windows machine I press Winkey + C and a calculator pops up. I find this very useful - is there any way to achieve this in Ubuntu?

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Assuming you're using 11.10:

  1. Click the gear/power icon (top right)
  2. System Settings
  3. Keyboard (not Keyboard Layout)
  4. Shortcuts Tab
  5. Launchers

You can set a key for the calculator there by clicking the shortcut key in the row listing the shortcuts, and then pressing the desired shortcut keys on your keyboard. You can also set keys for any non-standard apps you like in the 'Custom Shortcuts' category. The only problem is finding a key that hasn't been used for something else.

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Thanks ams. I select the row with calculator in but it will not allow me to assign a shortcut key! No matter what I press it completely refuses to assign any shortcut key. I've tried Winkey+c, Ctrl+Alt+c and all sorts of others but it's almost as if it is completely ignoring my keyboard. – dunderhead Nov 30 '11 at 10:59
Yeah, the instructions are broken - you have to click the row several times, it seems. The key name will change to "New shortcut" when it's listening. – ams Nov 30 '11 at 11:16
Thanks ams! You're right: the instructions are broken. You don't just have to click the row - you have to click at the intersection of the row and the shortcut column – dunderhead Nov 30 '11 at 15:18
Another thing: I had to log out and back in again for the changes to take effect. I don't know if that will be the case for everyone. – dunderhead Nov 30 '11 at 16:20

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