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aarons16248723
aarons16248723
Participant
January 1, 2024
Answered

After Effects 24, Keyboard shortcut for split layer (Shift+cmd+D) doesn't work

  • January 1, 2024
  • 3 replies
  • 3153 views

I recently upgraded to 24 and there are some bugs, but most go away by closing and reopening.  One just popped up that despite closing and opening and restarting, it won't go away.   The keyboard shortcut for split layer (Shift+cmd+D) doesn't work.  I went into keyboard shortcuts and it said that was the shortcut.  When I got rid of it and tried to reassign it to that, it turns out that it AE won't even accept that as a keyboard shortcut.  Can anyone think of a solve for this, short of uninstalling and reinstalling AE?

 

Title edited by Mod.

    Correct answer A3user

    Defiinelty something is stealing that Control+Shift+D combo even if I don't see anything happening because I just tried the same combination on Premiere Pro where it's supposed to apply the default audio transition and it also does not work.

     

    I googled other programs that use that combination and for example the windows calculator should erase the history when using that combo but it doesn't do anything. Supposedly Notepad should delete a line with that combo but also does nothing. Microsoft workd should double underline the text, also does nothing. 

     

    I even found this keyboard tester ( https://defkey.com/keyboard-tester )and it shows all the combinations of keyboards I do and a list of the programs that use it. And I can get it to show other keyboard combos but if I press control+shift+d  it only recognizes like I typed control+shift  . It's not that the D key is damaged since I can type it everywhere.  I have no idea what can be causing that the combination control+shift+d is not recognized anywhere. 


    I FINALLY solved it!!!!! I downloadd a tool called Hotkey Detective ( https://github.com/ITachiLab/hotkey-detective/releases ) and with that I found out that the screen recording app iTop Screen Recording uses that shortcut to activate the Magnifier option. I'm not sure what it does since nothing happens but I just deleted that shorcut from there and now the Control+Shift+D combo works everywhere!! 

    3 replies

    D
    Dave_BSM
    Participating Frequently
    March 21, 2024

    I am having the exact same problem, extreemly frustrating!

    The shortcut appears in the Keyboard Shortcuts

    I additionally added it into custom shortcuts, didn't fix the issue.

    I reset all preferences as per @Warren Heaton10841144 suggestion, still didn't fix it.

    I can assign a totally different key to Split Layer and it works fine but Shift+Ctrl+D is just not working.

    @aarons16248723 did you end upfinding a fix for this?

    A3user
    A3user
    Inspiring
    September 12, 2025

    Hi! I have the exact same issue even having the correct shortcut configured

    Did you solve it @Dave_BSM @aarons16248723 ?

    Warren Heaton10841144
    Community Expert
    Warren Heaton10841144Community Expert
    Community Expert
    September 12, 2025

    @A3user 

    Sorry to hear that the keyboard shortcut for Split Layer isn't working as expected.

    Most likely, an add-on or extension is preventing control shift d from working as expected.

     

    What do you see if you go to the Edit pull down menu while the Layer is selected?

     

    Do you see the keyboard shortcut in the Edit pull down menu and does the action work as expected if you choose it there?

    Which version of After Effects are you running?

    While you're troubleshooting this issue, you can try switching to control d (Duplicate Layer), alt right bracket (Trim Layer In to Current Time Indicator), control down arrow (Select Layer Below), control left arrow (Preview Frame), and then alt left bracket (Trim Layer to Out to Current Time Indicator).  And yes, that's too many keys to press when control shift d should just work.


    - Warren

     

     

     

    A
    AWAIS288663960ehc
    Participating Frequently
    January 3, 2024

    Try resetting Adobe After Effects preferences by holding down Ctrl+Alt+Shift (Windows) or Command+Option+Shift (Mac) when launching the software.

    aarons16248723
    aarons16248723Author
    Participant
    January 17, 2024

    Should there be some indication of this working?  I tried it and AE went through the natural boot up through the list of recent projects, and nothing had changed.  It reacted as if I didn't do anything.

    Warren Heaton10841144
    Community Expert
    Warren Heaton10841144Community Expert
    Community Expert
    January 18, 2024

    While After Effects is open, you can go to After Effects > Settings... > Setup and Repair > Preference Management > Reset All Preferences to Defaults; however, you may not need to do this.

    Go to Edit > Keyboard Shortcuts and check if you are using "After Effects Default.txt" (in which case shift + command + d should work) or if you're using a Custom preset where Split Layer at Current Time has unintentionally been cleared.

     

     

    Depending on what you see and how you would like to proceed, you can restore the After Effects Default or add ⇧+⌘+D to your Custom shortcuts.

    nishu_kush
    Community Manager
    nishu_kushCommunity Manager
    Community Manager
    January 3, 2024

    The shortcut seems to be working fine at my end. Try running After Effects in Safe Mode. If it helps, you may need to reset the preferences of After Effects.

    Let us know how it goes.

    Note: Moving this thread from Bugs to Discussions for troubleshooting.

     

    Thanks,

    Nishu

      aarons16248723
      aarons16248723Author
      Participant
      January 17, 2024

      Neither option fixed the issue.  Additionally, another member of my team has had the same issue with the same shortcut and for me the main delete button above return on the keyboard isn't recognized by After Effects any more and I have to use the one above the arrows.

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