My command key now toggles Auto-Select. How do I turn this off?

[gepetto77]

I can no longer quit, save or use any other actions that require the command key to be pressed. My command key will only toggle the Auto-Select.

Not sure when or how this started happening. Does anyone know how to fix this?

Thanks!

[Chuck Uebele · Accepted solution]

Have you tried resetting you preferences?

[marliton]

Hi. Try resetting the tool (right click on the tool icon in the Option panel). Also, try resetting the preferences: Preferences in Photoshop

[Trevor.Dennis]

This happens when the  Move tool is selected, and Auto select is unchecked.  It's the smart way to work as Auto Select is a PITA

[jane-e]

gepetto77  wrote

Not sure when or how this started happening.

Hi

Adding to what Trevor.Dennis says, using Cmd to select is not new. I’m guessing I’ve been using and teaching it for at least 15 years, maybe 20. I agree with him that turning off Auto-Select in the options bar is a best practice.

Jane

[clintp1]

I have tried this Chuck and it still doenst work. everytime i press ctrl it turns it back on and off again. for instance i have selected a layer then want to resize it. Crtl + T....but i cant do it as it keeps turning off the autoselect. im really confused as to why this is even possible as Ctrl is used so much for short cut keys?

[clintp1]

Anybody got an update on this? It is costing me sooo much wasted time. Pressing ctrl activates "auto-select' and over rides any ability to use ctrol short cuts. I cant even Ctrl + S. Doesnt matter if i reset preferences, uncheck 'auto-select' and restart. as soon as press ctrl it activates it and stops me being able to use shorts cuts. Do you konw how many short cuts start with ctrl?!?!?!

[EliseBushArt]

I've been using Photoshop since the beta version (1992?). I never had problems with Command/Ctrl key switching to the Move tool until this past month -- maybe latest update? It's disrupting to the work flow. 

As others have said, many people work with a finger on Command, ready to Undo or Save. Now nearly everytime I click Command+Z, I'm suddenly using the Move tool and messing up my picture.

Adobe please give us a way to DISABLE COMMAND/CTRL other than its standard use with other keys.

[clintp1]

there has been many posts on this, so for those who have not yet solved it here is the answer!

https://community.adobe.com/t5/photoshop/ctrl-quot-key-quot-shortcuts-not-working-in-photoshop/m-p/1...

it is to do with the default language. i had mine set to Maori, but as soon as i chnaged it back to English it worked. 

[Steve K Walker]

I believe this has been brought up many times over the years. Maybe it's time for a solution?

Description of the issue:
When the Move Tool is active, pressing the Command (⌘) key immediately toggles the Auto-Select option on or off. This happens even if Auto-Select is disabled.

As a result, ⌘ + Q cannot be used to quit Photoshop because Photoshop intercepts the Command key press to perform the Auto-Select toggle before macOS can receive the modifier to execute the quit command.

This makes a core macOS system command unreliable and forces the user to switch tools before they can quit the application.

Steps to reproduce:

1. Open Photoshop on macOS.

2. Select the Move Tool (V).

3. In the options bar, disable Auto-Select (the problem occurs whether it is enabled or disabled).

4. Press ⌘ and hold it.

5. Observe: Auto-Select visually toggles on/off with every press of the Command key.

6. Now attempt to quit Photoshop with ⌘ + Q.

7. Photoshop does not quit; the Auto-Select toggle consumes the Command key press.
   
   

Expected behaviour:
Pressing ⌘ while the Move Tool is active should behave like a normal macOS modifier key and should not override system-level shortcuts.
Auto-Select should not toggle simply because the Command key is pressed.

Actual behaviour:
The application attaches a hidden modifier function to the Command key, overriding standard macOS behaviour, blocking the quit command, and interfering with normal input.

Impact:
• Cannot reliably quit Photoshop using ⌘Q.
• Command key is misinterpreted as a tool modifier.
• Behaviour cannot be disabled in Preferences or Keyboard Shortcuts.
• This interrupts core macOS interactions and causes inconsistent UX.

System:
macOS (15.7.2)
Photoshop (recent releases; issue persists across updates)

Request:
Provide a way to disable Command-key Auto-Select toggling for the Move Tool, or adjust Photoshop’s modifier-handling so that system commands take priority over tool-specific behaviour.

Workarounds:
Plenty, but the easiest would be a choice on whether CMD toggles Auto-Select or not.

[Sameer K]

Hey, @Steve K Walker. Welcome to the Photoshop Community. I'll help you figure this out. 

Has this been an issue for you in previous versions of Photoshop and macOS? Could you record a video of the issue and share it with us? 

We've tried this on macOS 26.1 Tahoe, and the issue does not exist as described. Please try updating macOS and check how it goes.

Thanks!
Sameer K
(Type '@' and type my name to mention me when you reply)

[Steve K Walker]

@Sameer K 

This is not an isolated issue — many users are reporting this problem )see note below the divider).
It's been around for years — many versions of PS and macOS.
It does occasionally work — I'm not sure why.
I have experienced it on my previous M1 iMac and my current M2 mini.
PS also "loses focus" in that keybaord shortcuts do not work after having quit PS and rebooting — as well as when it is sent to the background and then brought back to active application. You need to click on the interface to get the shortcuts working again. I will track this problem more accuartely and report in more detail. For now though the CMD+Q issue is most irritating.

I'm not installing Tahoe until Apple release a more stable version — I see only complaints.

———======———======———======———======———======———======———======———

My question to ChatGPT :

Are other users experiencing this problem :

When the Move Tool is active, pressing the Command (⌘) key immediately toggles the Auto-Select option on or off. This happens even if Auto-Select is disabled. As a result, ⌘ + Q cannot be used to quit Photoshop because Photoshop intercepts the Command key press to perform the Auto-Select toggle before macOS can receive the modifier to execute the quit command. This makes a core macOS system command unreliable and forces the user to switch tools before they can quit the application.

ChatGPT said:

Direct answer: yes, multiple users have reported this exact behaviour, and it is widely considered a Photoshop bug affecting recent macOS builds of Photoshop when the Move Tool is active.

Here is the situation as it is currently understood:

1. It is a reproducible bug

The behaviour you describe matches confirmed reports on Adobe’s official forums and Reddit:
When the Move Tool (V) is active, pressing the Command key is incorrectly being treated as a toggle for Auto-Select. The modifier is intercepted before macOS sees it, which means system shortcuts such as ⌘Q, ⌘H, and occasionally ⌘Tab become unreliable.

2. It is not intended behaviour

Adobe documentation has never listed the Command key as an Auto-Select toggle; only holding Command while using another tool is supposed to temporarily invoke the Move Tool, not toggle Auto-Select.
The current behaviour is therefore a regression.

3. It affects macOS only

Reports indicate the problem is specific to macOS because Photoshop is incorrectly intercepting the Command modifier. Windows users do not experience the same issue because the modifier handling is different.

4. Other users are definitely experiencing it

Users have reported:

• Sudden switching of Auto-Select on/off when pressing ⌘

• Inability to reliably use ⌘Q

• Having to change tools before quitting

• Auto-Select toggling even when turned off in Preferences

This is not isolated or user error; it is consistent across several machines.

5. Workarounds people are currently using

None are ideal, but they work:

• Quit from the Photoshop menu instead of ⌘Q

• Switch to another tool (e.g., Marquee Tool) before pressing ⌘Q

• Remap ⌘Q system-wide using macOS shortcuts (clumsy)

• Use a different modifier for temporary Move Tool override

There is no internal Photoshop preference that disables the Command-key interception.

6. Status

The latest indication from Adobe engineers is that they are “investigating improper Command-key handling in the Move Tool” in the current release cycle.