Shift+F5 and Shift+F6 not working in Photoshop

Forum|Forum|3 years ago
October 7, 2022
5 replies
6298 views

Hi all, hoping somebody is able to help me here..

I have recently come back to work and have been given a new computer and so had to install creative cloud etc. When I use Photoshop and try to use shift+F5 and shift+F6 (fill and feather) nothing happens.

I have read through the forums and checked my keyboard shortcuts in photoshop and both are correct, I have also deleted the default commands from actions as I read somewhere this can affect it. Restarted and still having the same issue. The shift key on the keyboard works fine for typing etc so I know it's not a keyboard issue either.

I'm running Photoshop 23.5.1 on a 2021 iMac M1 with macOS Monterey version 12.2.1.

Any ideas?

General troubleshooting

Correct answer jane-e

Good summary Conrad!

Jane

Conrad_C

Community Expert

Although this is an old thread, if any function keys are not working, especially on a new Mac, see if the function key setting needs to be changed. On a Mac out of the box, function keys default to working as media keys (brightness, volume…).

The way to test this is to also hold down the Fn key while pressing the shortcut. For example, if Shift+F5 does not open Edit > Fill, but it does when you also hold down the Fn key, then that is the problem.

If you always want function keys to be function keys, change the setting in the picture below, which is in System Settings / Keyboard / Keyboard Shortcuts. If you prefer that row remain media keys, don’t change the setting below, and instead temporarily use any of them as a function key by adding the Fn key to the shortcut.

jane-e

Community Expert

As I was reading through this old but recently revived thread, I was about to start a post about changing the usage of the function keys to Standard Use, then I got to the end and saw that @Conrad_C had already explained it perfectly. It's something I do on the first day with the setup of every new Mac.

In addition, I had to purchase a Windows laptop and found it also applies there. The difference is that on Macs, it's part of macOS and is always in the same place. On a Windows laptop, it is NOT part of the OS. Instead it's part of the computer and is different for each vendor and you have to look it up for your model. The concept is the same.

Jane