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R
responsible_Fountain5E9C
Inspiring
April 15, 2020
Answered

Backspace, Enter and Arrow Keys not working in Textfield editing

  • April 15, 2020
  • 4 replies
  • 8846 views

This is not a duplicat of these 2 posts:

One User had the problem on a Mac and downgraded his version. That's not a viable solution.

https://community.adobe.com/t5/indesign/cant-backspace-delete-in-indesign-using-mac-10-14-6-mojave-and-latest-version-of-indesign-15-0-2/m-p/11011660?page=1

This user turned of Windows Defender, and that solved the problem. It did not for me.

https://community.adobe.com/t5/indesign/text-unable-to-backspace-or-use-arrow-keys-to-move-cursor-shortcuts-gone/td-p/10245161?page=1

 

I can select Text with the mouse,  I can delete it using del, but not backspace. I cannot break a line or create a bullet using return.
I tried this with my regular (corded) keyboard as well as the screen keyboard, both same behaviour.

I can use all keys in an input field (like changing an Object Name), so it's not the keys that are disabled, just what they do in Type Tool Object.

I'm onWin10 and I downloaded and installed InDesign yesterday (Apr. 15, 2020) 15.0.2 x64

This topic has been closed for replies.
Correct answer responsible_Fountain5E9C

Sorry, but that seemed like too much work for just evaluating the product. Took the lazy route, de-install, re-install, it works now.

Thank you.

4 replies

L
Lotte236799090ees
Participant
October 14, 2022

Hi all,

I am having the exact same issue and tried all the suggested solutions mentioned here, but non of them works. Does anyone has any other idea that I could try?

Best, Lotte


W
Woop30976695kqp7
Participant
July 10, 2023

None of these solutions are working. Can anyone suggest a work around for Macs?

E
Community Expert
Eugene TysonCommunity Expert
Community Expert
July 10, 2023

Keyboard shortcuts can be hijacked by third party apps - start your Mac in safe mode. See if it works with just Indesign open.

If it does you know it's a third party app.

 

Then reboot in normal mode - launch indesign - try your shortcuts or other keys that are not working.

Open up the Mac Activity Monitor and start shutting down any apps running in the background - one by one - test each time.

 

-----------------

Reinstalling rarely fixes everything - you can do a complete reinstall using the
Creative Cloud Cleaner Tool https://helpx.adobe.com/creative-cloud/kb/cc-cleaner-tool-installation-problems.html

 

 

Barb Binder
Community Expert
Barb BinderCommunity Expert
Community Expert
April 15, 2020

That clears preferences, which should not be an issue with a first time installation. The preferences will corrupt over time, but you have a brand new set.

 

I want to clarify that you disabled all the startup apps in Windows 10, and then rebooted the computer and only launched InDesign and the keys were still not working. No other applications were shown as running in Task Mgr.

https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/how-to-stop-windows-10-apps-from-launching-at-startup

 

~Barb

~Barb at Rocky Mountain Training
R
responsible_Fountain5E9CAuthorCorrect answer
Inspiring
April 16, 2020

Sorry, but that seemed like too much work for just evaluating the product. Took the lazy route, de-install, re-install, it works now.

Thank you.

R
responsible_Fountain5E9CAuthor
Inspiring
April 15, 2020

I tried this, too:

Start InDesign, and then press Shift+Ctrl+Alt. Click Yes when asked if you want to delete preference files.

No Luck

    Barb Binder
    Community Expert
    Barb BinderCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    April 15, 2020

    We regularly hear reports of other applications interfering with keys in InDesign.

     

    My suggestion is that you reboot your computer and only open InDesign—do the keys work normally now? If not, disable the auto-load apps and try again. Once everything is working, begin to add back in your apps to figure out which one is causing the issue. Windows Defender was cited above, but we also hear about Webroot causing issues along with other apps.

     

    Most users are able to use Backspace, Delete, Enter, etc. so most likely the issue is with your particular setup.

     

    ~Barb

    ~Barb at Rocky Mountain Training
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