Spacebar not working as quick hand tool on MAC – Adobe Illustrator

[fernandam88771201]

I have the latest Illustator and Photoshop version and in both of them the spacebar ain't working as quick hand tool on Mac.

[Rishabh_Tiwari]

Hi Fernanda,

Thanks for reaching out. I would request if you can share a few more details like:

1. The exact version of  Illustrator and the macOS.
2. Please try closing all the application and reboot the device and after that please launch Illustrator only and then check again. This is just to ensure none of the other applications are not conflicting with the app.
3. If that doesn't work, please try resetting the preferences by following the steps(for latest version) below:

• Close all Adobe applications. 
• Go to locations 
• ~/Library/Caches 
• ~/Library/Application Support/Adobe 
• ~/Library/Preferences 
• Rename  Adobe Illustrator, com.adobe.illustrator and Adobe Illustrator 24 Settings folders to   Adobe Illustrator.old, com.adobe.illustrator.old and Adobe Illustrator 24 Settings.old 
• Launch Illustrator from the Creative Cloud. 

Regards

Rishabh

[blytheb_EC]

Hi Rishabh,

I am having the same issue. I am slightly confused by your instructions – In Library > Caches I do not have any of the above files/folders. Can you please elaborate? 

EDIT: I am on a Macbook Pro running macOS Mojave and Adobe Illustrator CC 2020. This is also happening on InDesign 2020 and Photoshop 2020. I have tried relaunching.

Thanks,

Blythe

[Monika Gause]

It refers to your user library. Please read the system documentation on how to access it.

Also: check if you have any of the following running

the browser Chrome, screen sharing, remote control, a mouse enhacing system extension, banking software, e-mail ... several other apps and system extensions might be affected. They interfere with modifier keys. You need to isolate it and then color it or configure it so it doesn't interfere.

[PECourtejoie]

Hello, I'll side with Monika, Ps, Ai and Id share way less code than you might think.

If the space bar does not work in any of them, it is because it is hijacked by another software...

[mattw66430108]

YES! Close other programs, sometimes, SPACE move can be held hostage by other apps.

Close all the other apps you have open then it should be fine.

This is one of those weird little things that can drive you nuts really quickly.

[Rishabh_Tiwari]

Hi there,

Sorry for the confusion, as suggested by Monika, it refers to the user library. For more information, you can refer to this help article: https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/using/setting-preferences.html#setting_illustrator_preferences

Regards

Rishabh

[Nanny Noya]

This worked for me! 🙂

If you want to go to the library in MacOS you need to go to the menubar at the top and choose the option "GO"

While you're in Finder. When the dropmenu opens, you can press the Option or Alt key. When pressed, you will see "Library" apear and disapear when not pressing.

[sito1002]

Hello Rishabh

I've tryed this several times and It just creates another folder when I open the programs.
Is there any other solution? 

Maybe logging into the computer

[Bill Silbert · Accepted solution]

What does happen when you use the spacebar? What is most likely happening is that some other program is using the spacebar as a shortcut and superceding Illustrator and Photoshop. Try rebooting your computer and only opening Illustrator or Photoshop and see if the shortcut now works. Then you can try launching other programs until you find out which one is causing the conflict. You may also want to try simply typing an "H" (with no text active) whenever you want to quickly get the hand tool in either program.

I don't think that this is an issue of corrupt preferences since it is happening for both Illustrator and Photoshop.

[arkadiuszf39522898 · Accepted solution]

Hi Bill,

You are right in my situation it was MS Word and MS Excel. I closed them both and could use space bar in the Adobe Illustrator rightaway.

Thanks for the suggestion!

Regards,

Arek

[seane42105976]

Thanks, Arek! I had Outlook opened at the same time. I closed it and immediately started working. So frustrating to know that it took so long for a little fix.

Reynaldo

[helene.ekblom@gmail.com]

Oh my god, it was that easy!

I only needed to close Outlook and the spacebar, zoom and everything immediately started working!! 

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!

[Andrew__Stuart]

You are a blooming lifesaver! I thought I was going mad, I read this and realised I just opened a doc in Word!

[Pralaybera]

Thank you Bill. That worked for me too. I closed my MS word and it worked right away.

[Crittle1]

oh wow. Thank you!! You fixed my issue. I would've never correlated the two.

[RISHABH23716332qaiy]

 HAPPENDS

[justinrowan]

Thanks for suggesting this solution. I was going mad because of this.. I thought either my keyboard or the spacebar button is broken.. even check it with space bar clicker and it was working there. Now, I realised it was my Outlook that I keep open all the time as I am working for home. Closed Outlook and it worked like  charm. Thank again!

[meganchi]

Maybe try to go to your System Preferences on Mac and see if under Keyboard Shortcuts, if "Spotlight" is using the space bar for a shortcut (which that can be turned off), or check under  System Preferences "Mission Control" or "Accessibility" menus to see if the space bar is assigned as a shortcut to another tool? When hitting the space bar, does it launch another window or program? 

[danof5527323]

I have the same issue after updating Mac OS.
Pls let me know when you found a solution

[Rishabh_Tiwari]

Hi Dano,

Sorry to hear about the trouble. This generally happens when the shortcut key is getting utilized by any other software, please close all the application and then reboot the system and only launch Illustrator and check if it works. Please try other steps suggested in this thread and let us know how it goes.

Regards

Rishabh

[PECourtejoie]

Hello, is Chrome running? Some users reported that if it started before other programs, it hijacks the spacebar.

see: https://community.adobe.com/t5/indesign/spacebar-indesign-2020-not-working-on-macos-catalina/td-p/10...

[Monika Gause]

For some it's Chrome (or one of its plugins), for others it's something else (that remote control app - I forgot the name). Someone added Figma to the list just days ago. Another one reported some mouse driver. In the end you have to terminate all processes one by one and see which caused it.

[Guest]

Uninstalling all Google Docs apps from Chrome worked for me. Don't use these anyway. 

[fernandam88771201]

HI EVERYONE! 

it;s working again, I don't know what happened, but it's working \o/

thanks everybody!