ESC key not working > Illustrator 29.7.1

[cosminm34227949]

I just updated to 29.7.1, and the ESC key isn't working when exiting a text frame. It works in Photoshop or Indesign. Already tried to fix the issue: reseting the preferences , changing the keyboard increment. I don't use any Illustrator plugin which could cause this problem. 
Any other solution ? 

[Bill Silbert]

Are you using any third-party plug-ins that may need to be updated for full compatibility with 29.7.1? An incompatible plug-in could interfere with correct operation of the program.

[MCRN Rocinante]

Greetings,

After the latest update 29.7.1, my escape key no longer exits/deselects when in isolation mode or when typing in a text box. I am on a Windows 11 PC.

1. I reset my preferences
2. I reinstalled Adobe Illustrator
3. I restart the computer
4. I tried changing the keyboard increment

This seems to be an issue others are facing as well  but im hoping someone can help.

[Monika Gause]

There is a long list of things that intercept key presses. Do you have any of these running?

• WhatsApp on the web being the active tab in the browser
• WebRoot
• Apple Terminal
• Word, Excel, Powerpoint
• »Enable Full Keyboard« in Settings > Accessibility > Keyboard on Mac OS
• »Keyboard Navigation« in Apple settings > Keyboard
• Apple Mail, Outlook
• Spacebar is used as a shortcut by the system
• Chrome, Internet Explorer, Safari
• Wacom Desktop Center, Wacom settings
• Windows Touch Pad problem
• LastPass, Bitwarden (password managers)
• The VPN
• LangSwitcher app (it needs to be closed and disabled)
• Notes

[MCRN Rocinante]

Greetings,

After the latest update 29.7.1, my escape key no longer exits/deselects when in isolation mode or when typing in a text box. I am on a Windows 11 PC.

1. I reset my preferences
2. I reinstalled Adobe Illustrator
3. I restart the computer
4. I tried changing the keyboard increment

This was working just fine until this update. Closing all other applications and services on the PC doesn't fix the issue.

This seems to be an issue others are facing as well  but im hoping someone can help.

[MCRN Rocinante]

Update: Reverted back to 29.6.1 resolved the problem. Updating back to 29.7.1 causes the issue to come back. This seems to be an issue exclusively in the latest update.

[Anthony242567104dx4]

I had the same issue, and rolling it back worked - nothing else did.  Thanks! 

[Provolone Wolf]

Same issue. Ruining my work flow. Go to type, and you can't hit ESC to get out of your text window. Had to downgrade to 29.6.1, but I lost ALL my settings and Im not sure why. 

[davidp52310704]

I, too, experienced this issue with the ESC key after updating to 29.7.1. I tried all the troubleshooting workarounds I could find online, but none of them worked. I reinstalled the previous version of Illustrator, and it fixed the issue. So clearly, there is a bug in the new version (29.7.1). 

[aokuco]

Same issue here. Works everywhere but AI. 
MBP M1 Max, OS X 15.6, AI 29.7.1, Wacom Tablet. 

In 29.6.1 it works as it should.

[boaruey]

Has anyone noticed this? The original shortcut for Isolation Mode in Illustrator is to press the ESC key to return, but for some reason, it's completely broken these past couple of days. It doesn't work at all. Has anyone else experienced this?

[Abhishek Rao]

Hi everyone,

Thanks for all the reports and details shared. A bug has been logged for the ESC key issue in Illustrator 29.7.1, and our product team is actively investigating it. We'll update this thread as soon as we have more information or a fix available.

We appreciate your patience while we work on this.

Abhishek

[sanjiv31304457t1wp]

Hi,

I’m experiencing an issue in Adobe Illustrator where pressing the Esc key no longer exits the Type Tool. I have to manually switch to another tool with the mouse, which disrupts my workflow significantly.

In addition, the software frequently feels sluggish, with slow responsiveness and occasional freezing. This is affecting my ability to work efficiently.

system detail:

- macOS 15.6

- Adobe Illustrator 29.7.1

Please investigate and provide a fix as soon as possible, as this is causing major workflow disruptions.

Thank you.

[creative explorer]

@sanjiv31304457t1wp Have you tried a simple restart of the application, it often clears up temporary glitches. It's a strong possibility that you may have corrupted preferences are a very common cause of unexpected behavior in Illustrator. You can try a quick reset by holding down Command Option Shift (Mac) as you launch Illustrator. You will be asked if you want to reset your preferences.  If the quick method doesn't work, you can manually delete the preferences file. You will need to close Illustrator first. The location of the file depends on your operating system, so you may need to search online for the specific path for your OS.

[Stijn Wilcke]

I have the same issue as @sanjiv31304457t1wp . I’ve tried the options you suggested, but unfortunately, they didn’t resolve it. The ESC key no longer functions as a “cancel” for me. I use it frequently in my workflow, not only to exit text editing but also to deselect or step out of grouped layers.

[Doug A Roberts]

There have been other reports since 29.7.1 released. Please add your vote and comment with your technical details here:

ESC key not exiting text editing mode in Illustrator 2025 on macOS – Adobe Illustrator

[Brenda_Reyes8710]

My ESC key is also not working in this new version.

[natural_neighbors5CA8]

Specifically, version 29.7.1 has an issue with the Esc key not exiting the isolate mode.
I tested both the previous version and the beta version, and neither had this issue.
I’m quite certain that the update to Illustrator’s AI Assistant caused this issue.

[Anubhav M]

Hello everyone,

Our team has requested additional information. Please share a recording showing the ESC key working in other Adobe apps but not in Illustrator. This will help the team identify the root cause of the problem.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Anubhav

[natural_neighbors5CA8]

The Esc key no longer exits isolate mode. This is definitely a bug in this version, as the beta version still works fine.
https://youtube.com/shorts/7hQ_tqj7xC4

[happy_friend5E52]

Hola comunidad! En estos días se me actualizó de manera automática mi ilustrador a la versión 29.7.1 en mi mac y lamentablemente no funciona la tecla ESC para quitar una seleción o salir de una herramienta. Tuve que regresar a la versión 25.9.1 para solucionar el problema ya que intenté varias cosas. 

[Mateja Miladinovic]

Latest update, ESC key doen't work. Doesn't exit the isolation mode. Doesn't switch to selection tool (V).

It's frustrating. It actually stopped working after the latest update.

[Mateja Miladinovic]

And why is the first reaction to so many complaints about an issue that obviously started with the latest update to blame OS, 3rd partiy services, apps, plug-ins, or whatever?

Can you have someone investigate and come back with a solution instead of poking with the stick in the dark and blaming everything else and waisting everyone's time?

[Mateja Miladinovic]

I reverted back to the previous version of AI and ESC magically works again.
I think you have enough evidence to investigate. 

Win 10 64-bit

Thanks

[Lesje]

Same issue! Installed older version of illustrator... still not working. Havent tried beta yet.

ESC is a really important part of my workflow. Now I have to deselect (or get out of text editing, or grouped layers) by clicking de dark pointer in the toolbar.

3,6 GHz 8-Core Intel Core i9

Radeon Pro Vega 48 8 GB

64 GB 2667 MHz DDR4

sequoia 15.4.1 (24E263)

[Monika Gause]

I'm on Sequoia 15.6 and there are no issues with Esc.

Can you perhaps boot the computer into Safe Mode and then try again?