Inspiring

Answered

Change Eraser size using " [ ] "(bracket) keys while holding E

Forum|Forum|1 month ago
March 2, 2026
4 replies
139 views

Is it possible to change Eraser size by pressing ‘[‘ and ‘]’ (bracket) keys while holding E (i.e having eraser temporary active).

It is something i was able to do on mac but not on windows, I am using Wacom tablet and have one of the pen buttons either set to “Erase” or keystroke “E” neither of which allows me to do what I want.

Correct answer danill42755228

After trying everything I think I stumbled into a combination of settings that achieves what i needed.

I am not entirely sure which part did the trick and Im too afraid to try to experiment in case i break it again.

So my final set of settings:

using wacom “Erase” option on the pen instead of keystroke “E”
In photoshop change keyboard shortcuts → tool section → “decrease brush size” and “increase brush size”. Pick two random unoccupied keys i selected ‘Y’ and ‘K’
If you are used to using wacom table wheel (aka touch ring) to change size change it to use Y and K.

Done!

Now when I hold down “Erase” button on my wacom pen and click Y or K (or use the wheel), I can change eraser brush without switching to it permanently.

Hopefully someone finds it helpful in the future. And maybe Adobe can look into which part of their app didnt allw me to do the same thing with ‘[‘ ‘]’ and ‘E’

Thank you @davescm and @creative explorer for trying to find a solution as well!

D

danill42755228AuthorCorrect answer

Inspiring

After trying everything I think I stumbled into a combination of settings that achieves what i needed.

I am not entirely sure which part did the trick and Im too afraid to try to experiment in case i break it again.

So my final set of settings:

using wacom “Erase” option on the pen instead of keystroke “E”
In photoshop change keyboard shortcuts → tool section → “decrease brush size” and “increase brush size”. Pick two random unoccupied keys i selected ‘Y’ and ‘K’
If you are used to using wacom table wheel (aka touch ring) to change size change it to use Y and K.

Done!

Now when I hold down “Erase” button on my wacom pen and click Y or K (or use the wheel), I can change eraser brush without switching to it permanently.

Hopefully someone finds it helpful in the future. And maybe Adobe can look into which part of their app didnt allw me to do the same thing with ‘[‘ ‘]’ and ‘E’

Thank you @davescm and @creative explorer for trying to find a solution as well!

jamesmite

Participating Frequently

Yes — this behavior depends on the application, not just the OS.

In apps like Adobe Photoshop, the [ and ] bracket keys resize the current brush tool (including the Eraser). On macOS, temporary tool switching (like holding a key or using a pen button mapped to “E”) often still keeps brush resizing active.

On Windows, the issue is usually one of these:

Pen button mapping behavior (Wacom driver)
If your Wacom button is mapped to the predefined “Erase” function, it may switch tools at the driver level rather than sending a true keyboard “E” hold. That can prevent bracket resizing from registering properly.
Keystroke vs. press-and-hold behavior
Mapping the button to a single “E” keystroke toggles the Eraser — it doesn’t simulate holding the key. So the app treats it as a permanent switch, not a temporary override.

What you can try:

In the Wacom settings, map the pen button to Keystroke → press E (down) + release E (up) if available, instead of the built-in “Erase” function.
Make sure Photoshop’s “Use Shift Key for Tool Switch” is disabled (in Preferences > Tools).
Confirm bracket keys work normally when Eraser is selected directly from the keyboard.
Check if your keyboard layout on Windows is different (some layouts require Shift for brackets).

If you tell me which exact app you're using (Photoshop, Illustrator, Clip Studio, etc.), I can give more precise steps.

D

danill42755228Author

Inspiring

This Ai reply is unfortunately not helpful.

my temporary tool switching works fine (ie holding down E instead of just clicking it) that is not the issue here. Those suggestions didn’t help.

The app is Photoshop.

davescm

Community Expert

The [ ] keys work here whilst pressing E, or for temp eraser the `¬ key (top left on the UK keyboard - equivalent to tilde on US keyboards). I tried programming the Wacom buttons to the same keys - both worked.
Windows 11 Photoshop 27.4

Dave

D

danill42755228Author

Inspiring

Holding tilde just switches current brush into clear mode and doesnt change to eraser tool. So thats why you can still use [] for brush size since it just changes the "normal" brush size and not eraser.

You can have actual eraser tool active temporary if you hold e start erasing -> lift the bush-> release E. It then auto switches back to brush and i have been using this feature for a decade now on my mac.

What i was able to do is use [] while holding E. To change the size of the eraser while it is specifically temporary active. If i permanently switch to eraser by just clicking e once i can use bracket to change eraser size but that is not what im looking for.

Can you confirm that holding down E and changing Eraser tool size at the same time works for you?

creative explorer

Community Expert

@danill42755228 honestly, I knew about the square brackets [ ] to make them smaller or bigger, but I didn’t know about holding the ‘E’ for an eraser temporarily.

I don’t have a Wacom tablet so, I can’t help you on this one. Maybe the other ‘experts’ will know

m

What you can try:

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