Space Bar is not working as a shortcut for Hand Tool in Illustrator and Photoshop CC

[thalassat77819456]

I need help!! Ever since the recent update, I am not able to use the Space Bar as a short cut for the Hand Tool in AI and PS.  I already tried the following advice from the Internet:

1. resetting the tool presets

2. resetting all tool preferences

3. closing down Chrome while using Adobe

4. only using 1 adobe program at a time

5. turning off space bar shortcuts for Apple spotlight under system preferences

6. restarting the computer and programs after each change

7. Updating programs and hardware: System is up to date for El Capitan and CC

8. Tried changing my keyboard shortcuts to spacebar (but it will not permit me to do so. An error message comes up saying I can only choose A-Z)

I am using a Mac El Capitan 10.11.6.

Did Adobe do away with this shortcut? It doesn't make any sense that they would remove this from their programs.

THANK YOU!

[vascoa30805977]

What!??

[Dan Lanier · Accepted solution]

I had the same problem with a Mac running Ventura. It was Webroot, but all I had to do was to right click the Webroot icon in the top right toolbar and click "Pause secure keyboard entry". Webroot is still active, but now the space bar activates the hand tool in PS.

[Scott24505759lv8d]

Fastest way to fix this issue: Put your device into sleep mode, then turn it back on. No resetting your computer, no re-opening programs. Takes only a few seconds.

[Monika Gause]

Fastest way to fix this issue: Put your device into sleep mode, then turn it back on. No resetting your computer, no re-opening programs. Takes only a few seconds.

By @Scott24505759lv8d

Definitely worth trying but for sure it won't work for everyone.

[Flavia Vianna]

im having the same problem: mu spacebar, out of absolutely nowhere, stopped working as the hand tool in illustrator. Literally working one second and next second stoped.

I havent installed anything new in the past several weeks.

I need helllppp!!

[Flavia Vianna]

I have a Mac, its running Ventura, btw.

and i dont even know what Webroot is

[Monika Gause · Accepted solution]

Boot your Mac into Safe mode. Then run only Illustrator. Does it work then?

If so, some other software is interfering.

This could be anything. Some people have reported Apple Mail to cause it, but the browser Chrome and several Office applications are on the list as well. Screensharing software, antivirus, whatever ...

[bkleeman]

Awesome! Thanks for the list of potential problem apps. Apple Mail was the culprit in my case.

[Flavia Vianna · Accepted solution]

thank you so much! a few minutes after i posted someone told me to just put the computer in sleep mode and come back ant it worked, go figure...

but if it persists ill try your advice! thank you so much!

[jims81501157]

OMG Thank you! I've been frustrated by this flaw for years and this is the ONLY suggestion that solves the problem immediately. 

[Flor Bisagno]

THANK YOU!!!!

[pgurney]

Hi Flavia, I'm happy to report that the latest Illustrator upgrade solved the problem magically!  As I predicted, the bug had nothing to do with extensions, browsers, other apps, etc.  

For me, it is resolved in Illustrator version  27.2

Sorry there's always a caveat with software interactions.. . "for me" it works now! and just like you other users, the Hand shortcut just stopped working one day, with nothing else new on the Mac. 

[carriec76480864 · Accepted solution]

Thanks, Larry, you are a lifesaver. Specifically, select "Pause Secure Keyboard Entry" from the Webroot icon in the top menubar to solve the issue.

[Justin5CC1]

I just had this same problem and it was Microsoft Word running in the background interfering with the spacebar shortcut key somehow. I quit Word and the spacebar drag started working again. No idea, just one possible solution. In short, quit all other apps to figure out if one is interfering with keypresses.

[MiguelWC1!]

 Webroot? What, where is that??!!

I'm on a Mac... I don't see a Webroot icon anywhere. What are you talking about?

[Monika Gause]

---

@MiguelWC1!  schrieb:

 Webroot? What, where is that??!!

---

You do not necessarily have that. There is other software causing the spacebar to stop working, such as (list is not complete either, but it's all we know in the forum)

• WebRoot
• Apple Terminal
• Word, Excel, Powerpoint
• »Enable Full Keyboard« in Settings > Accessibility > Keyboard on Mac OS
• 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

[Jason317513518845]

I had a lot of other applications running. Closed them all down, and hand tool worked again. Will open them up one at a time and see if any now cause the issue.

[MiguelWC1!]

I am running Ventura and the only thing that works for this problem is to reboot Photoshop. And if that doesn't work I reboot the system and that solves it until it happens again. And make no mistake, it will happen again, over and over. Fix this Adobe. 

Also and new developement that jsut started over the last week or so. 

What ever tool I'm using, usually the brush tool, (but it has also happened with the Polygonal Lasso Tool) the cursor will turn into either the "Text Tool" cursor or the "Skew" cursor. Why is that happening?

And another problem I've been having over and over again is when I try to use a keyboard short cut from brushes by clicking the letter "B" on the keyboard to the letter "E" for the Eraser tool,... it won't stay on the brushes tool unless I manually click on the Brushes tool. And sometimes even then I have to click on that tool a couple of times in order to make it stick. I've had that same issue with other tools but since I mostly use the brush tool and eraser tool to do my work. It slows down my work flow and becomes very frustrating. 

[Monika Gause]

---

@MiguelWC1!  schrieb:

I am running Ventura and the only thing that works for this problem is to reboot Photoshop. And if that doesn't work I reboot the system and that solves it until it happens again. And make no mistake, it will happen again, over and over. Fix this Adobe. 

Also and new developement that jsut started over the last week or so. 

What ever tool I'm using, usually the brush tool, (but it has also happened with the Polygonal Lasso Tool) the cursor will turn into either the "Text Tool" cursor or the "Skew" cursor. Why is that happening?

And another problem I've been having over and over again is when I try to use a keyboard short cut from brushes by clicking the letter "B" on the keyboard to the letter "E" for the Eraser tool,... it won't stay on the brushes tool unless I manually click on the Brushes tool. And sometimes even then I have to click on that tool a couple of times in order to make it stick. I've had that same issue with other tools but since I mostly use the brush tool and eraser tool to do my work. It slows down my work flow and becomes very frustrating. 

---

That sounds a lot like either a dire need for a system reboot or corrupt preferences.

[Vatitude]

Quit all running apps & restart the computer. Then the spacebar hand shortcut works.

[Lou_bee]

Just adding to this former discussion in case it helps anyone in future. The spacebar handtool shortcut in Adobe Illustrator stopped working for me this morning after I installed the Microsoft Outlook app on my Macbook Pro. This shortcut is heavily embedded in my workflow. I found this thread and saw that Microsoft apps have been known to have this effect so I immediately uninstalled Outlook. After restarting my Macbook the shortcut worked again.

[Mario35402163qlp3]

WhatsApp web is causing this issue for me. When WhatsApp goes to the login screen (automatically after 1 min. for me) it locks the spacebar hand shortcut. When I click another tab in my browser and go back to Illustrator it works again. Very strange.