Workarounds for the non working tilde ~ shortcut on non US keyboard (Win)

[aurelienw33349850]

As there are several posts/users with the same problem, i'm posting here how i've solve this for myself as i was looking how to switch my paint brush into eraser mode in Photoshop with the missing ~ tilde shorcut on azerty. This should work for illustrator or any other software :

Workaround 1 : change your keyboard language to English United States, then the ² key (french keyboard here) will work as the ` key, which is the `~ key, aka tilde ~ shortcut. You can also change language per application in advanced keyboard parameter, then you have to change language once for every app you use (win+space) then it will remember it. So you can work in qwerty US photoshop and azerty FR (or other) for the rest without switching every time.

Workaround 2 (Win 11 & 10, and some older versions) : keeping whatever keyboard language, remap just one key to the US tilde ~ key (which is `~ but output ` as mentionned before) using Microsoft Keyboard Layout Creator (on official microsoft website).
Steps : Start MKLC, load your existing keyboard language from the list, remap the key you want by clicking on it, then All... then change <key> to U+0060 (which is the unicode for ` ). Project>properties, rename (name of dll, customize it so it wont be the same as one already used (usually kbd followed by language letter like kbdfr or kbdus), description is the way it will show in windows (ex : Français - Custom Photoshop)(cannot edit the name it will show in windows). Validate layout, test it, then "Build dll and setup package", open created folder, run the intall exe (from which you can also uninstall or repair if needed), then restart or just log out windows, log back in, change to your newly created keyboard layout (win+space) et voilà!!! works great, my ² key works now as the tilde shortcut and my layout is still french azerty !

And you can remap (more or less) any key you want with symbols and other not available in your language, also with combinaison of shift alt ctrl ! You can use charmap.exe (included in windows, aka character map / table des caractères) to find any of them and their unicode, so you can mix multiple character in one layout, crazy !

Hope it will work for you too !

(but sadly workaround 2 does not work with tourbox, seems that it doesn't share keyboard layout with windows but uses pre saved layouts, so i'm still waiting for a proper fix...)

edit : I've made it work with tourbox ! the problem was that ` was on two keys, the one i created, and the original one which is a dead altgr key. So by removing this one in MKLC i can now use that damn shortcut with tourbox/azerty layout, it's perfect, but i've lost hours. Hope it will be usefull

[aurelienw33349850]

i forgot, but you can obviously combinate the two workaround, create a customized keyboard layout and use it only with photoshop !

[geoffreyn49540042]

Hey @aurelienw33349850

Awesome workaround, you've clearly put in the time! 👏

However, while your solution is intricate and clearly effective, there's a simpler and more intuitive option available now: KeyFlow. It is specifically designed to streamline the Photoshop experience for users facing keyboard shortcut issues like this.

No need to switch keyboard languages, remap keys, or rely on third-party tools. With KeyFlow, it's as seamless as installing the plugin and diving straight into your workflow. Not only does it resolve the "~" tilde shortcut problem for Azerty keyboards, but it also offers an array of customizable shortcuts for an enhanced Photoshop experience.

I'd recommend giving KeyFlow a shot; it might save you (and others) from those time-consuming workarounds in the future. Check it out here: Download KeyFlow.

Again, big thanks for sharing your solution! It's fantastic to see community members like you stepping up to assist others. Keep it up!

Cheers! :artist_palette::paintbrush:️

[JoPPa_zanimacije]

$50.00?! For $50 I can change the keyboard language.

[D Fosse]

I'm probably missing something here. What's brush in "eraser mode"?

Spring-loaded shortcuts lets you temporarily switch from brush to eraser by just holding E. As well as any other tools.

[aurelienw33349850]

Brush in "eraser mode" ("clear" mode in fact) let you erase with your current brush without switching tool (keeping brush form and size). Tild ~ is the spring-loaded shortcut, but it is also accessible in the tool menu bar.

E shortcut will switch to the erase tool, changing brush form and size.