VB.NET : How to assign shortcut keys to the ToolStripButton?

ToolStripButton does not have a ShortcutKeys property the way a ToolStripMenuItem does. If you want a function key or any other keyboard shortcut to trigger a toolbar button, you need to intercept the keystroke at the form level yourself.

The most common scenario is a toolbar with an Execute or Refresh button that users expect to trigger with F5, matching the behaviour they know from Visual Studio, SQL Server Management Studio, and similar tools.

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The fix

Override ProcessCmdKey on the form and call PerformClick on the target ToolStripButton when the matching key is pressed. ProcessCmdKey intercepts keystrokes before any focused control gets a chance to handle them, which makes it the right place for form-wide shortcuts.

' Assigning Shortcut Keys to ToolStrip Buttons
Protected Overrides Function ProcessCmdKey(
    ByRef msg      As System.Windows.Forms.Message,
    ByVal keyData  As System.Windows.Forms.Keys) As Boolean

    Select Case keyData
        Case Keys.F5
            ExecuteToolStripButton.PerformClick()
        Case Else
            'Do Nothing
    End Select

    Return MyBase.ProcessCmdKey(msg, keyData)
End Function

Returning MyBase.ProcessCmdKey(msg, keyData) at the end is important. It passes any unhandled keys back up the chain so that standard shortcuts such as Ctrl+C, Ctrl+Z, and arrow key navigation continue to work normally throughout the form.

Tip: To assign modifier combinations such as Ctrl+F5 or Shift+F5, combine the key values with the bitwise Or operator: Case Keys.F5 Or Keys.Control. The keyData parameter includes modifier flags, so this comparison works exactly as expected.

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Handling multiple shortcuts

The Select Case block scales cleanly to as many shortcuts as you need. Add one Case per key combination and call PerformClick on the corresponding button:

Protected Overrides Function ProcessCmdKey(
    ByRef msg      As System.Windows.Forms.Message,
    ByVal keyData  As System.Windows.Forms.Keys) As Boolean

    Select Case keyData
        Case Keys.F5
            ExecuteToolStripButton.PerformClick()
        Case Keys.F5 Or Keys.Control
            CancelToolStripButton.PerformClick()
        Case Keys.F2
            EditToolStripButton.PerformClick()
        Case Else
            'Do Nothing
    End Select

    Return MyBase.ProcessCmdKey(msg, keyData)
End Function

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When to use this

• Any form with a ToolStrip where users expect keyboard shortcuts to match familiar tools such as SSMS, Visual Studio, or Excel.
• Data entry forms where a single Execute or Save button needs to be reachable from the keyboard without the user moving their hands to the mouse.
• Situations where adding a ToolStripMenuItem with a ShortcutKeys property is not appropriate because the menu item itself should not be visible to users.

Found this useful? Drop a comment below if you have a variation or ran into an edge case I did not cover.