Frequently Asked Questions

Push Button Commander is a Windows application that lets you create custom dashboards with buttons to launch your apps, open websites, run scripts or shell commands. It's your personal command center to organize and automate your daily tasks.

Push Button Commander is for anyone who wants to save time: developers who regularly run scripts and commands, professionals juggling multiple applications, or simply anyone who wants to organize their shortcuts in a visual and efficient way.

Currently, Push Button Commander is available only on Windows. A MacOS version is planned, but we don't have a release date to share yet.

You can launch virtually anything Windows can execute: applications (.exe), scripts (.bat, .cmd, .ps1, .py, .js...), documents (PDF, Word, Excel...), folders, web URLs, and custom shell commands. If Windows can open it, Push Button Commander can launch it.

Workspaces let you organize your buttons by context. For example, create a "Work" space with your professional tools, a "Gaming" space with your games and launchers, and a "Dev" space with your scripts and terminals. Switch instantly between contexts.

You can configure your buttons to change color based on a status: green if a website responds (HTTP 200), red if a server is offline, or based on a JSON response value (e.g., status="ok"). Perfect for monitoring your services, APIs, or scripts at a glance.

The anchor is a small, discreet bar that stays visible on the edge of your screen. With a single click, it gives you access to your quick actions without opening the main application. You can customize its color, size, and place it on any screen edge.

Yes, in two ways: via the system tray icon with a right-click to access the quick menu, or via the screen edge anchor that stays always accessible. You can also configure the app to start automatically with Windows.

Yes, Push Button Commander uses a standard Windows installer. Installation is quick and doesn't require a restart. You can then configure automatic startup with Windows from the app settings.

No. Push Button Commander is a 100% local application. All your configurations, buttons, and workspaces are stored on your computer. No data is sent to our servers or third-party services. Your privacy is fully respected.

Yes, you can export your configurations to back them up or transfer them to another computer. Import/export is done via a configuration file that you can easily copy and share.

No, Push Button Commander is designed to be very lightweight. In the background, the app consumes very little RAM and CPU. You can leave it running all the time without any noticeable impact on your system performance.

Yes! During the early access period, all features are free with no limits on time, buttons, or workspaces. We will offer a paid Pro version in the future with advanced features, but the free version will remain generous and fully functional.

No, there are no technical limits: unlimited buttons, unlimited workspaces, and access to all features. We believe a productivity tool should be accessible to everyone without artificial restrictions.

If your Windows desktop is cluttered with dozens of icons, Push Button Commander offers a clean solution: group all your shortcuts into organized dashboards by category (Work, Personal, Games...). Your desktop stays clean while all your apps remain one click away via the system tray or screen edge anchor.

Push Button Commander lets you create buttons that launch any application, script, or file. While each button triggers one action, you can organize all your startup apps in one workspace and launch them quickly in sequence. For advanced users, you can also create a batch script (.bat) that launches multiple programs and assign it to a single button.

Simply create a new button and link it to your script file (.ps1, .bat, .cmd, .py, .js, or any other). You can also write shell commands directly in the button configuration. One click, and your script runs instantly. Perfect for developers and sysadmins who run repetitive commands.

Push Button Commander includes visual monitoring: create a button linked to a URL, enable status checking, and the button changes color based on the response (green = online, red = offline). You can also monitor JSON API responses or shell command outputs. Ideal for keeping an eye on your services without opening a browser.

Yes! Push Button Commander is a free software alternative to Stream Deck. While Stream Deck requires dedicated hardware, Push Button Commander runs entirely on your screen with customizable dashboards, quick access from system tray, and a screen edge anchor for instant actions. All features are free during early access.

Push Button Commander acts as a modern, customizable quick launch bar. Create buttons for your most-used apps, websites, folders, or scripts. Access them instantly via the system tray icon (right-click menu) or the screen edge anchor that stays visible at all times. Much more flexible than the old Windows quick launch toolbar.

The Windows taskbar gets crowded fast. Push Button Commander solves this by keeping all your shortcuts in organized dashboards accessible from the system tray (right-click the icon) or via a discreet screen edge anchor. Your taskbar stays clean, but your apps are always one click away.

Absolutely! Create buttons for each service you want to monitor (NAS, Plex, Home Assistant, Pi-hole, etc.) and enable status checking. Buttons will change color based on HTTP response or JSON values. You get a visual dashboard showing at a glance which services are up or down, without any complex monitoring setup.

Use workspaces! Create one workspace per project or client, and add all related shortcuts: project folders, documentation, URLs, deployment scripts, etc. Switch between workspaces with one click to instantly change context. Perfect for freelancers and professionals juggling multiple projects.