Knowledge Base (Frequently Asked Questions)
Introduction
Welcome to the Quick Access Popup Knowledge Base. For questions or comments, plead use the Quick Access Popup Forum.
Quick QAP Glossary
QAP Menu: your customized menu built using the Customize window.
Favorite: item (folder, document, URL, etc.) you add to your QAP menu.
Favorite settings: various parameters of a favorite set in the tabs of the Add/Edit Favorites dialog box.
Submenu: a section of your QAP menu expanded when you select its title, containing some of your favorites or maintained automatically by QAP.
QAP Feature: a specific type of favorite that execute a command or display a dynamic submenu.
Options: global options set in various sections of the Options dialog box.
Settings file: a Windows configuration (.ini) file named quickaccesspopup.ini containing QAP global options and the list of your favorites.
QAP database: an optional SQLite database file containing data allowing to build dynamic submenus with your most frequently used favorites and caching some info to speed-up menu refresh.
1) Installing
- What’s the simplest way to install Quick Access Popup?
- QAP 101: What should I know about Quick Access Popup before I start (and can’t stop) using it?
- How do I make sure that Quick Access Popup is launched when I start Windows?
- How can I use QAP if an anti-virus is blocking its download or its execution?
- How can I install Quick Access Popup to make it fully portable?
- How do I install a new version of Quick Access Popup?
- Are administrator rights required to install QAP?
- I’m upgrading from Folders Popup. Can I import my favorites and option settings?
- In what languages is Quick Access Popup available?
- What file managers are supported in addition to Windows Explorer?
- How do I enable Directory Opus support in Quick Access Popup?
- How do I enable Total Commander support in Quick Access Popup?
- How do I setup QAPconnect for another file manager?
- What hotkeys or shortcuts are set by default when QAP is installed and how can I change them?
- Can I install and update QAP silently with Chocolatey?
2) Showing menu
- How do I display the Quick Access Popup menu?
- What is the “In the Works” menu and its “Frequent”, “Recent” and “Current Windows” menus?
- What are these features in the “My QAP Essentials” menu?
- What are these special folders in the “My Special Folders” menu?
- When do I need to use the QAP icon in the Notifications Area?
- What are the Alternative menu features?
- Can I launch Alternative menu features keyboard shortcuts or directly from the regular popup menu?
- Can I speed up the QAP menu display by having dynamic menus detached from the main menu?
- Can I display the QAP menu or launch QAP favorites from the command-line or from a batch file?
3) Adding Favorites
- How can I stop showing the QAP Customize window at startup? How can I show it on demand?
- How do I add a favorite to my menu or edit an existing favorite?
- What are the different types of favorites?
- What are the advanced options for favorite folders?
- Can a submenu be updated live with the content of a folder?
- Can I add on the fly a favorite for the folder or the web page I am already in?
- How do I add Windows Special Folders to my menu?
- How do I add favorite document to my menu?
- How do I add an application or script to my menu?
- How do I add Windows Apps (also called “Windows Store”, “Universal” or “Metro” apps) to my menu?
- How do I add favorite link (URL) to my menu?
- How do I add a Text or Macro Snippet to my menu to automate my work?
- How do I add favorite FTP site to my menu?
- What are the QAP features and how do I add them to my menu?
- How can I gather numerous favorites in a clutter-free popup menu?
- Can I share a menu on a shared drive to collaborate with my colleagues?
- Can I add a folder or file from its context menu by right-clicking its icon in Windows Explorer?
- Which QAP commands are available using Explorer Context menus?
- What should I know about Explorer Context menus and QAP?
- Can I add favorites from the command-line or a batch?
- Can I copy a favorite with all its settings?
- Can I add multiple favorites in one click?
4) Customizing menu
- Could you give me a quick tour of the Customize window and the menu bar?
- Can I sort the favorites in my menu?
- Can I search inside my favorites?
- Can I find broken favorites or list all favorites in all submenus?
- How do I move a favorite or a submenu to another submenu?
- Can I embellish my popup menu with my preferred icons?
- Can I manage all my menu icons in one screen?
- Can I filter out items in Current Windows, Recent or Frequent menus?
- What is the “eye” icon on the left side of the Customize window?
- Can I create menu entry with a keyboard shortcut in its name? Why is the “&” hidden in my menu name?
- Can I change the font, size, color or behavior of the QAP popup menu items?
- Can I use the keyboard to manage favorites in the Customize window?
- What are favorites advanced settings?
- Can I create custom user variables and use them in file paths or snippets?
- Can I search and replace values in multiple favorites?
5) Launching favorites
- Can I change folders in file dialog boxes (Open, Save As, etc.)?
- Can I quickly search QAP to launch one of my favorites?
- What is the “Current Windows” menu and how is it built?
- Can I launch my favorites with keyboard or mouse shortcuts?
- What are hotstrings?
- When should I use the Reopen a Folder menu?
- What is in the Clipboard menu?
- How can I use placeholders in favorites location, parameters, snippet text, etc.?
- Can I insert values in favorites path, parameters or snippets using LOCATION placeholders?
- Can I insert values in favorites properties using DYNAMIC or INTERACTIVE placeholders?
- How can I debug placeholders and user variables?
- How can I enter multiple parameters for an application favorite?
- Can I launch a favorite from the Customize window? Can I preview the current content of the Customize window?
- Can I launch a group of favorites in one click?
- Can I open a folder a on specific monitor of a multiple-display system?
- Can I repeat or reopen one of the last favorites I selected recently?
- Can I play a sound when I launch a favorite?
- Can I create a favorite for an internal command (also called DOS commands) like DIR or XCOPY?
- Can I launch a favorite or group of favorites at QAP startup?
6) Automating your work
- What are snippets? How can I use them to paste frequently used pieces of text?
- How do I create a Text Snippet and paste it when I need it?
- Can I create a Snippet using the Clipboard and define its Hotstring in one step?
- How do I create a macro Snippet to send special keys to applications or insert pauses when pasting?
- What keys can be sent using Macro Snippets?
- Can I call the Quick Access Popup menu from an AutoHotkey macro?
7) Sharing and Collaboration
- Can a submenu be shared on different PCs or by different users?
- Can a submenu be used by the same user on different system using a personal shared folder?
- Can a submenu be shared as a team or workgroup collaborative tool?
- Can a submenu be managed by a menu administrator for the benefit of read-only users?
- What is the content of a shared menus settings file (for advanced users)?
- Can I create a catalogue of shared menus for my team or workgroup?
8) Customizing QAP
- What are the QAP global options?
- Can I set the QAP temporary folder location?
- How can I make the QAP icon always stay in the Notification Area?
- Can I customize the QAP icon in the Notification zone?
- Can I use my own documents icons instead of those configured in Windows?
- Can I replace the QAP standard menu icons with my own custom icons?
- Can I schedule automatic menu refresh for Live folders and Shared menus?
- Where is the QAP settings folder (also known as “working directory”)?
- Can I change the location of my QAP settings folder?
- Can I block the QAP menu trigger (Middle Mouse Button) if it interfere with one of my other apps?
- Can I block the QAP keyboard shortcuts if they interfere with one of my apps?
- Does QAP support Windows dark mode?
- Can I change the colors of the Customize window or the popup menu?
- How can I control how the Frequent Items database works?
- What command-line parameters are available for the QAP executable file?
- How does QAP work on multi-monitor systems?
9) Settings File (.ini)
- Can I backup, import or export my favorites and options?
- On two PCs with a cloud drive (like Dropbox), can I save my QAP settings on this cloud drive?
- Can I move my configuration from one PC to another?
- Can I change from/to “easy setup” and “portable installation” without loosing my favorites?
- Can I set the QAP settings file location from the command line or a file shortcut?
- Can I load QAP with an alternative settings file?
- How can I edit the file QuickAccessPopup.ini?
- What is the structure of QAP settings (ini) file?
- What are the values in the QAP settings (ini) file?
- Why converting the settings file to Unicode?
A) Harnessing Windows
- Can I change folder in Windows command line CMD or PowerShell?
- Can I control how my computer is closed with QAP?
- Can I close all running applications and windows in one click?
- Can I make the active window always on top?
- Can I sync menu icons with custom Windows folder icons?
- From where comes the content of the Recent folders and Recent files menus?
- How can I delete the content of the Frequent and Recent items menus?
- Can I create favorites on network drives?
- Can I use system environment variables in favorite settings?
- Can I use relative paths in favorite settings?
- Can QAP launch an application with administrator privileges?
- Can I launch QAP with administrator privileges?
B) Issues
- Why does QAP sometimes look frozen or takes time to show its popup menu?
- QAP is running but my Customize window is not visible. What happened?
- The Manage Icons window is too large. How can I resize it or scroll the list?
- QAP does not save its configuration. How is it possible?
- Why are the middle mouse button or keyboard shortcuts not working over some windows?
- Why are QAP context menus not working in some windows?
- What is the “close menu issue”?
- QAP stops loading with an error message. What happened?
- Why does dialog boxes sometimes refuse to change folder?
- Why some buttons or icons are not displayed correctly in the Customize window?
- I upgraded from a pre-v8 QAP version, why don’t I see the icons in my menu?
- Can QAP run if I’m using a Russian keyboards?