Hardcore gamers often customize their key bindings in order to increase performance via faster reaction times. Other systems, typically Unix and related, consider shortcuts to be a user's prerogative, and that they should be changeable to suit individual preference. These systems usually limit a user's ability to change shortcuts, typically requiring a separate, possibly third-party, utility to perform the task.
Some systems, typically end-user-oriented systems such as Windows or Macintosh consider standardized shortcuts essential to the environment's ease of use. This highlights a difference in philosophy regarding shortcuts. When shortcuts are referred to as key bindings it carries the connotation that the shortcuts are customizable to a user's preference and that program functions may be 'bound' to a different set of keystrokes instead of or in addition to the default.
Such keyboards are often used for editing video, audio, or graphics, as well as in software training courses. In certain cases, those keyboards can be created by applying shortcut stickers on a regular keyboard, which usually gives quicker access to software program features not visible otherwise. These keyboards can help the users learn the shortcuts and improve their speed of using the particular applications. There are keyboards, commonly called Specialty Keyboards that have the shortcuts for a particular application already marked on them. In most GUIs, a program's keyboard shortcuts are discoverable by browsing the program's menus - the shortcut is indicated in the menu choice. One difference between them is that the keyboard shortcuts are not localized on multi-language software but the mnemonics are generally localized to reflect the symbols and letters used in the specific locale. Mnemonics are distinguishable from keyboard shortcuts. One exception is shortcuts involving the Esc key, which almost always requires pressing and releasing the Esc key before pressing the next key. This distinction is important, as trying to press all the keys simultaneously will frequently either miss some of the modifier keys, or cause unwanted auto-repeat. For simultaneous keyboard shortcuts, one usually first holds down the modifier key(s), then quickly presses and releases the regular (non-modifier) key, and finally releases the modifier key(s). Other keyboard shortcuts require pressing and holding several keys simultaneously. Some keyboard shortcuts require the user to press a single key or a sequence of keys one after the other. Keyboard shortcuts generally expedite common operations by reducing input sequences to a few keystrokes, hence the term "shortcut". Keyboard shortcuts are typically an alternate means for invoking one or more commands that would otherwise be accessible only through a menu, a pointing device, different levels of a user interface, or via a command console.