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I can no longer use my space bar to mark spaces between words

Community Beginner ,
Aug 09, 2021 Aug 09, 2021

Good evening,
I can no longer use my space bar to mark spaces between words when I type. I can manually insert a punctuation space but I can't get a space with the space bar. I must have made a wrong setting, does anyone have any ideas?

Thank You !

Valerie

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correct answers 2 Correct answers

Community Beginner , Aug 09, 2021 Aug 09, 2021

In fact I found a solution which does not explain the problem but which
allows me to move forward: I created a new file and I moved my 53 pages
into this new file: the use of the space bar is again possible with the
same content in this new document! But I do not understand why there was
this problem...
—
<personal information removed by moderator>

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Community Beginner , Aug 10, 2022 Aug 10, 2022

Hi just to let you know that I went on Adobe tech support and solved it by going into system preferences > Accessability > Keyboard > Navigation and unchecking "Enable Full Keyboard Access". 

 

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Community Expert ,
Aug 09, 2021 Aug 09, 2021

Can you give us more information about your system? Please tell us what operating system (exactly) you're running. Please tell us (exactly) what InDesign version you're using.

 

Does the Space Bar work correctly in a different application (Illustrator? Word?) Does this happen in one particular file in InDesign, or in all files?

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Community Beginner ,
Aug 09, 2021 Aug 09, 2021

Thank you very much for your input,

I am working on indesign 15.1.3 ( via creative cloud)
on a MacBook Pro Laptop (13-inch) / Mac OS Sierra 10.13.6 version;
connected to a large ASUS display (latest model). The problem with the
space bar is on a single file and application. When I'm in Word, for
example, there is no problem, and if I open another file in in design
either. I have made a copy of the file and the problem persists in the
copy. My language is French but I have integrated text in English and
German (I am making a catalogue for an artist). I was working on a text
with different kerning and I noticed that the "intermot" function of the
space bar was not working on the whole document. When I type all the
letters are pasted in and I have to insert a space (between words or after
punctuation) manually! and in this case of manual insertion, I can put a
space. I deleted all the paragraph and character styles because when I
activate the space bar, it does not create a space but had an action on the
typeface (change of case and style!)
Thank you !
—
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New Here ,
Feb 22, 2024 Feb 22, 2024

Running Windows Ten. I always work with fillable forms that are PDFs. Tonight all of a sudden, my space bar is not working on any pdf forms. It works fine with any other apps. Never happened before? 

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Community Expert ,
Aug 09, 2021 Aug 09, 2021

In addition to what Steve has said do you by any chance have another keyboard you can plug in to your computer for testing purposes? I had a similar situation once where it turned out that the keyboard itself was the problem.

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Community Expert ,
Aug 09, 2021 Aug 09, 2021

If you still have these problems could you also help by giving more information on your operating system, and if you are dunning on a laptop or desktop computer. If you are on the mac then the Keyboard Viewer app can help you see that the Space bar is giving you the correct signal. One more question are you running a western language or some other script system?

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Community Beginner ,
Aug 09, 2021 Aug 09, 2021

In fact I found a solution which does not explain the problem but which
allows me to move forward: I created a new file and I moved my 53 pages
into this new file: the use of the space bar is again possible with the
same content in this new document! But I do not understand why there was
this problem...
—
<personal information removed by moderator>

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Community Expert ,
Aug 10, 2021 Aug 10, 2021

it almost sounds like in that particular file the spacebare key was inadvertently reassigned to some ksyboard shortcut. I think moving the pages out of the problem file was probably the best solution available.

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New Here ,
Feb 25, 2022 Feb 25, 2022

The space bar problem exists with InDesign, Photoshop, and Illustrator, but not with Microsoft Word or TextEdit. Look like all Adobe App problem. Also tab key does no function.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Community Expert ,
Aug 09, 2021 Aug 09, 2021

Try reset your preferences

Quit InDesign, then relaunch the application and immediately hold down the following key combinations for your OS:
  1. Mac OS X: CTL+OPT+CMD+Shift.
  2. Windows: CTL+ALT+Shift.

 

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New Here ,
Feb 25, 2022 Feb 25, 2022

Relaunching holding down CTL+OPT+CMD+Shift does no solve the space bar problem.

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New Here ,
Aug 31, 2022 Aug 31, 2022

I was just typing away and suddenly my space bar wasn't working. Apprarently my fingers got jumbled and I did something. The Windows solution Eugene Tyson suggested worked for me. Thank you. 

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Community Beginner ,
Aug 10, 2022 Aug 10, 2022

Hi just to let you know that I went on Adobe tech support and solved it by going into system preferences > Accessability > Keyboard > Navigation and unchecking "Enable Full Keyboard Access". 

 

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Adobe Employee ,
Aug 10, 2022 Aug 10, 2022

Hi @susanr35537211 ,

 

Thanks for reaching out and sharing the solution, I am sure it will help other community members. 

 

Regards

Rishabh

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New Here ,
Sep 15, 2022 Sep 15, 2022

It works ! Thanks for sharing this 🙂

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Explorer ,
May 27, 2024 May 27, 2024

What a relief! I've been struggling with this for over 2 years - your solution worked! Thanks!

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New Here ,
Jan 05, 2025 Jan 05, 2025

Thank you. It works for me too!

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New Here ,
Jan 05, 2025 Jan 05, 2025

Mine is MacBook Pro... System Settings > Accessibility > Keyboard > Full Keyboard Access, disable it and tada... it works!

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Community Expert ,
Mar 09, 2025 Mar 09, 2025
LATEST

This was discussed/resolved a few years ago. 

https://community.adobe.com/t5/indesign-discussions/hand-tool-and-space-bar-hand-tool-stuck-space-no...

 

David Creamer: Community Expert (ACI and ACE 1995-2023)
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New Here ,
Aug 08, 2024 Aug 08, 2024

So I had the same problem. Couldn't use the space bar only in one specific document. But I accidentally put a paragraph style on the shortcut space bar😂. I feel like an idiot, but it drove me crazy not figuring out why it didn't work. Also, why can you put a shortcut on a space, that kind of weird, right? Anyway, maybe I'm not the only one and someone googling for a solution finds this.

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