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Hand tool (spacebar) isn't working [2016]

Community Beginner ,
May 27, 2016 May 27, 2016

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Hello,

 

 

I got creative cloud with Photoshop, Illustrator, Indesign etc.

But my hand tool shortcut with the spacebar isn't working

the hand does appear but when I try to move it gives no reaction

With the shortcut H it works.

I have already reinstalled everything, reset all my tools and reset my warning dialogs.

With my drawing tablet the shortcut also did work, until this morning. It stopped working.

Hope that someone got the answer for me this is pretty annoying I use the hand tool a lot.

 

Kind regards

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correct answers 1 Correct answer

Community Expert , May 31, 2016 May 31, 2016

Are you saying that the hand tool space bar shortcut has stopped working for all the Adobe apps you mentioned, or just Photoshop?  If you are using a Mac, and have a Wacom tablet, then you should probably rule out the White Window fix.  We have certainly had posts where systems only had one or two of the symptoms associated with the issue, and the White Window plug-in fixed it.

Menus, shortcuts, Lasso tool, or Photoshop stop working when using a Wacom tablet | Mac OS

My gut feeling is that it is

...

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Community Beginner ,
Feb 23, 2018 Feb 23, 2018

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I've posted about this too, I'm having the same problem, have you figured this out yet.

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New Here ,
Jun 08, 2018 Jun 08, 2018

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Just wanted to add that I was having a very similar issue and for me what was causing it was I had accidentally hit a button on my Wacom tablet that was creating an effect as though one of the keys was held down (Alt or Command, one of those), so basically all the tool shortcuts were acting really strange. When I clicked on the first button on my Wacom it reset it to work normally and now all the tools are working again!

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Community Beginner ,
Jun 18, 2018 Jun 18, 2018

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Just had this happen to me in Photoshop on mac. Restarting Chrome fixed it.

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New Here ,
Jun 08, 2023 Jun 08, 2023

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Thanks for posting this! My spacebar shortcut just started not working on my Mac in Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign! I had Chrome also open. I closed all my tabs in Chrome then quit it and voila! They all work again. So strange. Thank you!

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New Here ,
Jun 19, 2018 Jun 19, 2018

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I just had the same issue with Spacebar/hand tool shortcut. Restarted Safari and issue is solved

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Community Beginner ,
Aug 29, 2018 Aug 29, 2018

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I just had the problem that is being discussed here. Went to use the hand tool and I could not access it with the space bar. I checked some of the post here and tried to solve the problem. I discovered that the anti virus software I had just installed has an option for secure keyboard entry mode. I unchecked it and the problem was solved. I just have to decide if I will leave it off or turn it on and off before and after using Photoshop.

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New Here ,
Sep 18, 2018 Sep 18, 2018

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This has been happening to me as well although only in PS and AI. For some reason AE wasn't affected. Read through the posts above and terminated Malwarebytes (an anti-virus software) in Activity Monitor and voila! Spacebar worked instantly in PS-didn't even need to restart it. I did need to restart AI though. So happy I didn't have to go through the hassle of redoing prefs.

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New Here ,
Sep 27, 2018 Sep 27, 2018

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I too was having trouble with spacebar panning in Windows 7 if I used the laptop touchpad (if I connected a mouse and used it instead, things were fine).

I opened the Dell Touchpad program by going to the Start Menu and searching for "touchpad", then once that opened, hit the "Tapping" link next to the arrow at right, then unchecked the "Tap to click" option/setting. Now I can pan with the spacebar in Illustrator again.

touchpad-disable-tap-to-click-02.png

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Community Beginner ,
Dec 06, 2018 Dec 06, 2018

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For me worked next solution: Turn off then turn on touch control on Wacom.

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New Here ,
Jan 03, 2019 Jan 03, 2019

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Hi! I have a Laptop with windows and I can fix it, just when I press the space bar and make the "click" with the mouse wheel

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New Here ,
Sep 23, 2019 Sep 23, 2019

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Reset the NVRam (Pram) on the mac, hold down Option, Command, P, and R at restart

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Community Beginner ,
Nov 06, 2019 Nov 06, 2019

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I have had the same problem, I noticed its an error that only occurs if I am listening to music when I work, other music apps or internet browser uses the space bar to "stop and play", so I closed apps and browser and photoshop CC 19 space bar short cut started working again. Super strange error.

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Community Beginner ,
Mar 04, 2020 Mar 04, 2020

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This fixed it for me....

 

Storytime first... The same thing just happened to me today, for the first time ever. Illustrator and Photoshop both, the space bar does nothing, though the cursor behaves normally otherwise. If I pressed (H) then I get the hand tool.

I don't have 1Password or anything like it

I deleted the prefs for Illustrator

I closed Illustrator, closed Firefox, reopened Illustrator and nothing changed...

THEN I realised that I installed Word (Office365) the day before and it was still open. Closed that, and SUDDENLY... SPACEBAR HAND TOOL WORKS AGAIN!! How the heck does that even work? Anyhoo. Just glad it's back. Hopefully this can help someone else.

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New Here ,
Apr 30, 2020 Apr 30, 2020

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I had the exact same problem today and indeed, also just installed Word and had the program open. Closed it and the spacebar worked again in Photoshop. What the hell right? 

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Community Beginner ,
Mar 03, 2021 Mar 03, 2021

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I already quit safari and word and restarted photoshop and illustrator... spacebar is not working still

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New Here ,
Apr 26, 2020 Apr 26, 2020

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Hey there, I think I found the solution I was playing around and when I pressed the space bar along with the Fn key! guess what! it worked.. 

 

I hope this would be helpful. 

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Community Beginner ,
Nov 07, 2020 Nov 07, 2020

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this worked for me too...so weird, of course you can't press the function key and the spacebar with one hand and use the mouse at the same time (at least not very easily) so I thought this was a useless solution. BUT, now it works, with just the space bar!!!?! it's like it just needed it's little Adobe brain woken up.

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New Here ,
Feb 03, 2022 Feb 03, 2022

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Ha! Same for me, pressing Fn and spacebar. It "reset" it for me too. Now th shortcut works as it should. Thanks for posting this,

 

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Community Beginner ,
Mar 03, 2021 Mar 03, 2021

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Doesn't work for me either

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Community Beginner ,
Jul 14, 2020 Jul 14, 2020

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If anyone still gets this problem, this was my journey to the solution. Don't know which step fixed it. Maybe this helps someone:

 

- Downgraded Photoshop

- Restarted Mac

- Upgraded Photoshop again

- Deactivated some browser plugins I don't need currently

- Quit all browsers

- Opened Chrome again

- Quit all other apps, one by one

- Opend them again because I should work instead of troubleshooting and I need them

- Tried to bind Handtool to FN + Spacebar (which is not possible for me, only A-Z keys)

- Reset Photoshop Preferences

- Restarted a last time, frustrated (I think the most important step is to be frustrated!)

- Fixed. Easy…

 

What I don't understand is: this is a small but such an important and useful function and it seems that all different kinds of stuff cause the same error. But instead of fixing the software itself, every customer is sent on his own journey of trial and error to fix it on his side. Well… I made my journey and I returned wiser then before: stay away from Photoshop when ever I can.

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Community Beginner ,
Mar 03, 2021 Mar 03, 2021

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That's insane... I will just use H for now... already closed almost everything

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New Here ,
Sep 02, 2020 Sep 02, 2020

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I just had the same issue, and it was across all CC applications. Super frustrating. I just did a hard shutdown on my Mac, and when I started back up everything seems to be working fine. Hope this helps someone. 

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Community Beginner ,
Sep 17, 2020 Sep 17, 2020

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Solution Here:: Hi everyone who doesn't find answer yet for this problem. I had face the same problem just find the solution. I has to do nothing with the Adobe. It is the Windows 10 touch pad probem(not actually a problem). I am using my HP Laptop faced the problem and find the solution. This problem happens not only in Adobe softwares. To check go to your desktop and click space bar thentry move the cursor using touch pad it didn't work there too. I have Synaptics Touch pad. This for Windows 10 users Start>Settings(icon)>Devices>Touchpad>Additional Settings  on Device Setting tab click Setting Button then click PalmCheck-Enhanced(double tab it) keep the slider to OFF position then Apply. Problem Solved. I hope this works for Windows 8 or 7 users too but these options were in different place. MAC users also try rephrasing your question in the Google search as "Cursor not moving by clicking spacebar" something like this and dont mention Adobe or any software specific.... Thanks Happy Creating!!!

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New Here ,
Jan 21, 2021 Jan 21, 2021

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so any input why is handbar still not working?

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New Here ,
Feb 18, 2021 Feb 18, 2021

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Well, look at this... 5 years later and Adobe STILL hasn't addressed this problem, and I'm just livid about it. I've experienced this in CC 2020 and CC 2021, on a Mac. Adobe. how about fixing this problem instead of trying to come up with new features that no one cares about?

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