I understand that in order to hot-key something you go to items and press the 'favorite' key (default 'f'). I understand that you then hit 'q' to bring up the favorite menu and then assign a number to that item by hovering over it and pressing the corresponding number. Not having any problems with this.

The problem I'm having, though, is that one-handed weapons will only ready to the right hand of the character. So if I'm dual-wielding and want to cast a quick heal (which I favorited and bound) it's no problem, but if I want to switch back to dual wielding I need to manually open the 'q' favorites menu, scroll through the list and click on the left-handed weapon which is enormously annoying. Some have suggested that shift+(number key 1-8) will accomplish this but it does not, either in binding or in trying to ready.

This is pretty much screwing up dual-wield play for me.

Also, sometimes favorite number hot-keys will simply vanish, seemingly at random.

Bethesda has made a beautiful and enjoyable game but this interface should embarrass them greatly. It's professionally sloppy and it says that customers on my platform are not a concern. I understand their desire to prioritize consoles due to sales but the state of the PC interface makes me wonder if they even bothered to play it on this platform before ship date. That's a bit of hyperbole but you have to wonder when something as basic as weapon control is unfinished. I don't need an XBOX controller. If I wanted to use one of those I would own an XBOX. I do not and therefore do not.

Anyway I'm digressing a bit. Can anyone please offer a solution or confirm for me that the dual-wield system is just clunky or bugged so that I can stop trying to fix it and just resign myself to waiting for them to patch the game on my 'irrelevant' platform?

When you click it in the inventory, you can click either L or R mouse button indicating what hand you want it in. when you favorite it and hotkey it, you just press the hotkeys and there you go.

This does not work. It will ALWAYS draw to the right hand. If there is another weapon there it will replace it. Even if set to L or R when setting the favorite hot-key, the weapon always draws to the right hand.

In game before pressing the hotkey - press the Mouse button you want it to equip to and it will put it in that hand.

I have done this. The weapon always comes out in the right hand when the numerical hot-key is pressed.

? ? ?

EDIT: I appreciate the attempts at help guys. I think you're misunderstanding me, though. I understand how to hot-key the items. That isn't the problem. What's happening is that no matter how I set it up (clicking with corresponding mouse button when favoriting / hot-keying for example), the 1-h weapon always appears in the right hand. If something else is there it will just replace it and leave heal or whatever in the left.

If you open up the item menu or the favourites menu, and manually click on the weapon that you want to assign, it will work.

HOWEVER, if you assign hotkeys to two weapons, and try to press those two keys to dual-wield, it will not work. The two weapons will keep swapping in the same hand, but you'll never get one in your left and one in your right.

A lot of people are having this issue with dual wielding. Since Bethesda is planning on releasing another patch soon, I hope they look into this. Or at least release the Creation Kit so we can fix it ourselves.

Yes this describes my situation perfectly. If I want to switch back from a spell in one or both hands to a dual-wield setup I have to manually re-equip the left handed weapon from the favorites menu during combat. This doesn't sound like much to do as a workaround but in complex fights (like dragon encounters or multiple opponents) it gets REALLY tedious and basically just ruins the fun.

First you have to favorite them by pressing F in the items/spells menus. Then you press Q in game to bring up the favorites menu.
Now I love dual wielding so I'm going to L-click and R-click on the sword to put on in each hand, then while I still have the sword selected if I press 1 that assigns that combo to 1 key any time I press it I'm now dual wielding swords.
Now comes the tricky part the sword is labeled with a 1 so I can't assign another key to it, but if I put my shield (or any other weapon) in my left hand and press 2 (while that item is highlighted) it will give me a sword/shield combo when ever I press the 2.
I can continue this by equipping the heal and pressing 3 and then fire by pressing 4 (while keeping that item highlighted). Want to add a great sword or bow select it and press your desired key.

Thx to majorjunk0 from reddit for this info:)