Keyboard Shortcut Suddenly Wonky

[FauxtoGuy]

I'm using PS 22.5.2 on a Work-from-home Macbook pro 16" 2019 OS 11.6.1 from my employer. Suddenly the standard keyboard shortcuts in PS are "broken".

Now Command-Spacebar doesn't temporarily enable Zoom Tool. And Spacebar doesn't enable Hand Tool. There may be others, but I haven't encountered them yet. I went to Keybaord Shortcuts, but that simply shows key shortcuts that Switch tools, not the Toggle shortcuts like Command-Spacebar that TOGGLEs to Zoom tool regardless of the selected tool.

I would prefer not to revert all settings to default, but is there a way to enable the standard settings, like Spacebar toggles Hand Tool? 

Thanks

[Barb Binder]

Hi @FauxtoGuy:

As a default, Mac OS assigns those two shortcuts to Spotlight. Try disabling them in  > Prefs > Keyboard > Spotlight.

~Barb 

[jane-e]

Haha! You type faster or you write less, @Barb Binder !

Jane

[FauxtoGuy]

I did that first -before anything else. But thanks.

[jane-e]

@FauxtoGuy 

Some ideas:

• Cmd + Spacebar is also the Mac shortcut for Spotlight. I've read that many people disable the Mac shortcut. I don't, but first I see spotlight come up, then it goes away when I start to zoom. Check to see if that is happening.
• Possibly another application has taken over your shortcuts. Check in Startup to see what is starting up automatically. You might also shut down, then relaunch and launch only Photoshop to see if they work now.
• When you go to Keyboard Shortcuts, look in the upper right. Are you using the standard PS shortcuts? Or a modified set? Or a saved set? Click the dropdown and choose the standard set if there is more than one.
• If you have to reset Preferences, be sure to back up customization first. It can fix things when they are flakey.

Let us know if any of this helps and others may chime in with more ideas.

Jane

[FauxtoGuy]

I disabled Spotlight etc. before I even started working.

Will try your other suggestions. Weird thing is it was working OK yesterday. Then somehow I broke it.

Never had this happen in THIRTY years of PS...

[FauxtoGuy]

Using standard PS default shortcuts.

The shortcuts options don't show the Toggle Shortcuts -like zoom & Hand which are the ones affected -that I use CONSTANTLY. Now I have to SWITCH tools (not toggle) using the single letter assignments for each. THis is very frustrating as I have a HUGE workload of complex files.

[jane-e]

The reason we see here most often is that another application has taken over the shortcuts. Because it broke so recently and so quickly, were there any changes or updates to your system?

When you open the menus, do they list the correct shortcuts?

And can you try another keyboard?

~ Jane

[PECourtejoie · Accepted solution]

Hello, indeed, shut down one by one the other programs that are running, one of them is stealing the spacebar shortcut. It could be Chrome, for instance...

[FauxtoGuy]

Nothing has corrected the issue. I will have to reset Prefs -but I'm not finding Adobe PS Prefs in the usual place. (this machine is running OS 11.6.1) and I'm not seeing Prefs in the the Prefs folder in Library. I want to copy to desktop before resetting

Thanks

[TheDigitalDog]

Nothing has corrected the issue. I will have to reset Prefs -but I'm not finding Adobe PS Prefs in the usual place. (this machine is running OS 11.6.1) and I'm not seeing Prefs in the the Prefs folder in Library. I want to copy to desktop before resetting

Thanks

By @FauxtoGuy

Quit Photoshop.

Navigate to Photoshop's Preferences folder.

macOS: Users/[user name]/Library/Preferences/Adobe Photoshop [version] Settings

The user Library folder is hidden by default on macOS. To access files in the hidden user Library folder, see How to access hidden user library files.

Drag the entire Adobe Photoshop [Version] Settings folder to the desktop or somewhere safe for a back-up of your settings

You can also make screen captures of your preferences and then after rest, configure them again. This is safer than using an older version IF that older version is corrupted.

[FauxtoGuy]

Looks like CHROME is the culprit after all.

I quit Chrome & the function was instantly restored!

Thank you PECourtejoie!

[jane-e]

@FauxtoGuy 

Confirm that you have the right Library, as there are several:

macOS: Users/[user name]/Library/Preferences/Adobe Photoshop [version] Settings

https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/using/preferences.html

If you don't see it, it may be a hidden file:

https://www.macworld.co.uk/how-to/show-hidden-files-mac-3520878/

~ Jane

[jane-e]

@FauxtoGuy 

Did you do this step in my first post?

• Possibly another application has taken over your shortcuts. Check in Startup to see what is starting up automatically. You might also shut down, then relaunch and launch only Photoshop to see if they work now.

Jane

[FauxtoGuy]

I had mistakenly thought there were no other apps running. And I do run Chrome on my primary workstation -with seemingly no issues. I never thought another app could hijack key commands other than the OS. Thanks for the enlightenment!