diff --git a/interface/wx/window.h b/interface/wx/window.h
index 18f7b7b9af..ee69245147 100644
--- a/interface/wx/window.h
+++ b/interface/wx/window.h
@@ -3758,7 +3758,8 @@ public:
             or wxMOD_WIN specifying the modifier keys that have to be pressed along
             with the key.
         @param virtualKeyCode
-            The virtual key code of the hotkey.
+            The key code of the hotkey, e.g. an ASCII character such as @c 'K'
+            or one of elements of wxKeyCode enum.
 
         @return @true if the hotkey was registered successfully. @false if some
                  other application already registered a hotkey with this
diff --git a/samples/keyboard/keyboard.cpp b/samples/keyboard/keyboard.cpp
index 556fa66516..4d17903c2d 100644
--- a/samples/keyboard/keyboard.cpp
+++ b/samples/keyboard/keyboard.cpp
@@ -34,6 +34,11 @@ enum
     IDInputEntry,
     IDInputText,
 
+#if wxUSE_HOTKEY
+    HotKeyRegister,
+    HotKeyUnregister,
+#endif // wxUSE_HOTKEY
+
     TestAccelA,
     TestAccelCtrlA,
     TestAccelEsc
@@ -59,6 +64,33 @@ private:
     void OnTestAccelEsc(wxCommandEvent& WXUNUSED(event))
         { m_logText->AppendText("Test accelerator \"Esc\" used.\n"); }
 
+#if wxUSE_HOTKEY
+    void OnRegisterHotKey(wxCommandEvent& WXUNUSED(event))
+    {
+        if ( RegisterHotKey(0, wxMOD_ALT | wxMOD_SHIFT, WXK_HOME) )
+        {
+            m_logText->AppendText("Try pressing Alt-Shift-Home anywhere now.\n");
+        }
+        else
+        {
+            m_logText->AppendText("Failed to register hot key.\n");
+        }
+    }
+
+    void OnUnregisterHotKey(wxCommandEvent& WXUNUSED(event))
+    {
+        if ( !UnregisterHotKey(0) )
+        {
+            m_logText->AppendText("Failed to unregister hot key.\n");
+        }
+    }
+
+    void OnHotkey(wxKeyEvent& event)
+    {
+        LogEvent("Hot key", event);
+    }
+#endif // wxUSE_HOTKEY
+
     void OnClear(wxCommandEvent& WXUNUSED(event)) { m_logText->Clear(); }
     void OnSkipDown(wxCommandEvent& event) { m_skipDown = event.IsChecked(); }
     void OnSkipHook(wxCommandEvent& event) { m_skipHook = event.IsChecked(); }
@@ -186,6 +218,14 @@ MyFrame::MyFrame(const wxString& title)
     // now append the freshly created menu to the menu bar...
     wxMenuBar *menuBar = new wxMenuBar();
     menuBar->Append(menuFile, "&File");
+
+#if wxUSE_HOTKEY
+    wxMenu* menuHotkey = new wxMenu;
+    menuHotkey->Append(HotKeyRegister, "&Register hot key");
+    menuHotkey->Append(HotKeyUnregister, "&Unregister hot key");
+    menuBar->Append(menuHotkey, "Hot&key");
+#endif // wxUSE_HOTKEY
+
     menuBar->Append(menuHelp, "&Help");
 
     // ... and attach this menu bar to the frame
@@ -232,6 +272,11 @@ MyFrame::MyFrame(const wxString& title)
     Bind(wxEVT_MENU, &MyFrame::OnTestAccelA, this, TestAccelA);
     Bind(wxEVT_MENU, &MyFrame::OnTestAccelCtrlA, this, TestAccelCtrlA);
     Bind(wxEVT_MENU, &MyFrame::OnTestAccelEsc, this, TestAccelEsc);
+#if wxUSE_HOTKEY
+    Bind(wxEVT_MENU, &MyFrame::OnRegisterHotKey, this, HotKeyRegister);
+    Bind(wxEVT_MENU, &MyFrame::OnUnregisterHotKey, this, HotKeyUnregister);
+    Bind(wxEVT_HOTKEY, &MyFrame::OnHotkey, this);
+#endif // wxUSE_HOTKEY
 
     // notice that we don't connect OnCharHook() to the input window, unlike
     // the usual key events this one is propagated upwards
diff --git a/src/msw/window.cpp b/src/msw/window.cpp
index 56eef3d15c..0a380c0e8b 100644
--- a/src/msw/window.cpp
+++ b/src/msw/window.cpp
@@ -7510,6 +7510,21 @@ bool wxWindowMSW::RegisterHotKey(int hotkeyId, int modifiers, int keycode)
     if ( modifiers & wxMOD_WIN )
         win_modifiers |= MOD_WIN;
 
+    // Special compatibility hack: the initial version of this function didn't
+    // use wxMSWKeyboard::WXToVK() at all, which was wrong as the user code is
+    // expected to use WXK_XXX constants and not VK_XXX ones, but as people had
+    // no choice but to use the latter with the previous version of wxWidgets,
+    // now we have to continue accepting VK_XXX here too. So we assume that the
+    // argument is a VK constant and not a WXK one if it looks like this should
+    // be the case based on its value. It helps that all of WXK constants
+    // before WXK_START have the same value as the corresponding VK constants,
+    // with the only exception of WXK_DELETE which is equal to VK_F16 -- and we
+    // consider that the latter is unlikely to be used.
+    if ( keycode >= WXK_START || keycode == WXK_DELETE )
+        keycode = wxMSWKeyboard::WXToVK(keycode);
+    //else: leave it unchanged because it looks like it's a VK constant (which
+    //      includes ASCII digits and upper case letters)
+
     if ( !::RegisterHotKey(GetHwnd(), hotkeyId, win_modifiers, keycode) )
     {
         wxLogLastError(wxT("RegisterHotKey"));