Esc key not working photoshop please help!

Question

The esc is not working in photoshop. Normally when you press it it cancels the item you are working on and saves the changes you have just made. Instead it won't let me press it and I keep having to click the mouse to get off the object I am working on.

i have rebooted , updated laptop nothing is wrong.

I have Mac. Please help it's driving me crazy!

Sameer K · Answer

Hey, @Amy Scarr. Welcome to the Photoshop Community. I'll need more info to help you figure this out.

What specific tool, or workflow are you seeing this behavior with?

Before troubleshooting, update Photoshop to the latest version (v25.11) via the Creative Cloud desktop app & check if the issue exists.

If you're working with the custom shape tool, you might have to press ESC key twice or hold it down for more than 200 ms.

If this does not help, try these steps:

Go to the location of the preference folder mentioned below and rename it to back up. (https://adobe.ly/3u7u84j)
macOS: Hold down the Option key in the Finder when using the Go menu. The library will appear below the current user's home directory.

Library > Preferences > Adobe Photoshop [version] Settings

Rename the Adobe Photoshop folder by adding a .old at the end. (Adobe Photoshop 2024 > Rename > Adobe Photoshop 2024.old)

This will give a fresh start to Photoshop as a new installation.

Let me know if it helps. Thanks!
Sameer K

(Use '@mention' to tag me when you reply)

Sign up

To post, reply, or follow discussions, please sign in with your Adobe ID.

Sign in to Adobe Community

To post, reply, or follow discussions, please sign in with your Adobe ID.

Scanning file for viruses.

This file cannot be downloaded