Hotkey to create a new empty file in Windows Explorer {Ctrl+Alt+N} using AutoHotKey. When in Windows Explorer this allows you to press {Ctrl+Alt+N} then type a file name that will be created in the current directory. In a similar way you use {Ctrl+Shift+N} to create a new folder. Tested on Windows 8 x64 (2012); AutoHotKey 1.1.11 (2013)

create_new_empty_file.ahk

;------------------------------------------------------------------------------
;begin Create a new file with Ctrl+Alt+N keyboard shortcut in Windows Explorer
;------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SetTitleMatchMode RegEx
; Ctrl+Alt+N to create new empty file
#IfWinActive ahk_class CabinetWClass ;Windows Explorer
  ^!n::
    ExplorerFocusFilePane()
    Sleep 50
    Send {End}
    CreateNewEmptyFile()
    Sleep 50
    Send {F5}
    Sleep 40
    Send z
    Sleep 10
    Send {F2}
    return
#IfWinActive

ExplorerFocusFilePane()
{
  ControlFocus, DirectUIHWND3, A
  SendInput, {Space}
}

CreateNewEmptyFile()
{
  WinGetText, current_path, A
  StringSplit, w_ary, current_path, `n
  Loop, %w_ary0%
  {
    IfInString, w_ary%A_Index%, Address
    {
      current_path := w_ary%A_Index%
      break
    }
  }
  current_path := RegExReplace(current_path, "^Address: ", "")
  StringReplace, current_path, current_path, `r, , all
  IfInString current_path, \
  {
    NoFile = 0
    Loop
    {
      IfExist  %current_path%\zNewEmptyFile%NoFile%
        NoFile++
      else
        break
    }
    FileAppend, ,%current_path%\zNewEmptyFile%NoFile%
  }
  else
  {
    return
  }
}
;------------------------------------------------------------------------------
;end Create a new file with Ctrl+Alt+N keyboard shortcut in Windows Explorer
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