Brush Cursor changing to Crosshair

[Dative]

Not sure if this is a Photoshop glitch or a problem with my keyboard but the circular brush cursor occasionally disappears. Firstly, caps is not on, secondly, I haven't made the brush size too big for the screen. I've been having a problem recently with my Mac where my caps lock gets stuck on and I have to do a PRAM reset to turn it off, I initially thought the Photoshop brush problem was related to this but it happens now even when my caps is off.

I've noticed a string of problems popping up in InDesign 2017 on the new iMac I work on due to the graphics card etc. so I thought it might be version related.

Any ideas?

[karilee809]

THANK YOU! I've been trying to find an answer to this for weeks & didn't even think to check the laptop keyboard.  This fixed it. Thanks for taking the time to post this solution.

[Connor32547243alr7]

THANK YOU!!!!! This was driving me mad.

[Karin27079179zear]

Thank you!! 

[tseabold]

Thank you! Brilliant. This is axactly what was going on. Thank you, thank you!!

[kayleighg26364130]

did you resolve this? im having the same problem but my caps lock is off the preferences are correct, ive reset everything!! its driving me mad

[Loyalty.Ltd]

Nobdoy is in the forum fo r"most of the time" fizes duder.   I think the "Your Caps Lock Is on" answer is downright offensive. 

[donotlicktoaster]

I still have this problem, but with a Wacom Intuos tablet plugged in.  If I use the trackpad to draw, the brush tool is normal.  However, if I use the stylus on my Wacom tablet, the cursor becomes crosshairs and does not draw a brush.  I've had this problem in the past and the only success I've had is by restarting the whole machine.  Caps lock is not on.  It's very frustrating.  I'll update if I ever find out how to fix this.

[aorfanos]

aLSO CANNOT RESOLVE THIS. cLEARLTY AN ISSUS WITH aDOBE

[KPC_Creative]

I did a complete reinstall brsuh defaults to crosshairs instead of circl and caps lock does not fix the issue. Just trying to work here and I cannot. Having several issues with my brand new mac laptop and photoshop 2022 fully updated, HELP ME PLEASE!

[Trfoto2]

Make sure you’ve tried both the left and the right bracket keys. Sometimes
your circle is too big and the default is crosshair. So just keep tapping
that left key until you get your circle back. Hope that helps.--
[Personal info removed by Moderator]

[Hopsternew]

That solves a problem I have been seeing for years! . I need to look in support more with better searches too. Thankyou

[PECourtejoie]

Hello, just in case, you can also get the crosshair cursor if the brush is larger than what can be shown on screen.
But I'll keep the laptop tip for future reference!

[NYTaxista · Accepted solution]

Actually, go to brushes settings and use PRECISE...that gives you back the circle size of the brush!!!

[Lynne Polito]

Thank you so much for that! I was going mad, and all of the other suggestions were not solving my issue. Now if I could only get the 40 minuteus of my life back...

[DarbiG]

oh my gosh! THANK YOU! This is EXACTLY what my issue was...I have toggled everything on and off, restarted, reset, and then finally found your answer! THANK YOU for updating this thread. 🙂 Stay well! 

[theSchtickla]

Thank you, solved it for me!!! Adobe, you really should get this one fixed!!

[Trfoto2]

THANK YOU, TJ!!! I was pulling what litle remains of my hair when I saw your post. Looked over at the Macbook, and, holy cow (as we say in WI) there was that tiny little green light blazing away. Walk of Fame star for you, my friend!

[jenniferv14232830]

@TJSearl THANK YOU. I've been absolutley losing my mind, what a simple fix. Thank you!

[grantt25824450]

Thank-you!

This is exactly what was happening to me.

I was going crazy.

[adam@novakbrand.com]

THANK YOU TJSearl! The caps lock on my laptop was on! Such a silly thing was costing me so much time trying to figure it out. I appreciate your solution!!

[Edward251269027cxz]

Hi, NONE of the above fixes worked for me, then I noticed that n preferences the hardness was set to 0%, I changed this to 2% and my brush cursor becoma a circle again - don't ask me why!

[adam@novakbrand.com]

My issue was that I have 2 keyboards and one had the caps lock on. Silly, and I spent lots of time trying to figure it out!

[Loyalty.Ltd]

Yet antoher problem that has no business even being on my mind.  My brush, Erasor tool / aANYny tool reverts back to the cross hairs, and its nothing to do with the CAPS LOCK being on or off, or my laptop being open or clsoed with screen sharing.  I am not reisntalling PS, whih seems to be the asnwer to ALL the problems int his forum.  I dont see any Prefs for this becasue I've never had to go hunting for something so stupid simple that has never and should never be an issue.  What is the deal? 

ANY kind of problem with tools are CRITICA, and shoudl be escaleted to the highest levl of cocnern fo ryoru UI team.  Can tsee your TOOL HEAD?  Thats crazy.  That sliek a ghosit trying to change a lightbulb.  ive said it before adn Ill say it again: Photoshop and all he Creative Suite apps worked like a dream 15 years ago.  You guys have done nothing but manifest a galaxy of bugs, all for your new magical, lazy tools like person-delete with the emagic band-aid or whatever dont work at all.  Next youll be selling AI and it wont work.  Just simplify simplify simplify.  All of us real designers in the world know this.  Nobody cares abotu feature-rich products.  We want trust and loyalty.  I have no faith in CC and Ive never been paying more.  Every single time I hit save my sphincter tightens up for a major crash, and I have so many projets open..itsd stright up traumatic.  Dammit Adobe, what happaned to you?  Is this an interal culutre thing, or ar eyour engineers jsut trying to keep busy?    Also: have the minimum respect for us - get spell check in your forum.  

[Loyalty.Ltd]

2017.  All your ansers are back there.  before they stared trying to make this Suite for "everybody".  It will get so much worse dude.