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Alt key activate menu bar in Photoshop

Guest
Dec 27, 2016 Dec 27, 2016

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Hi

I have an issue that is driving me crazy since I switched to Windows (now win10). When i press the alt key, using the lens or the stamp for example, the menu bar get activated and starts to open menus, or beeping! Moreover if the menu bar is activated when I press a shortcut key to change instrument i get the result of choosing a menu line!

I have this problem with every photoshop version, included the 2017

Is there a way to stop this behavior on Windows10?

Thanks

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correct answers 1 Correct answer

Contributor , Dec 28, 2016 Dec 28, 2016

Since i dont use arrow keys when ALT key is pressed I dont bother it at all, but I just do quick research and found something like that in the web:

  1. Create a new text file (txt, not word) and rename it with a *.ahk extension (eg: noAlt.ahk)
  2. Right click on the *.ahk file and 'Edit'
  3. Copy and paste into document: ~LAlt Up:: return
  4. Save, then right click on file and select, "Compile Script"

An exe with the same name as your file (eg: notAlt.exe) should be created in the same directory.

  1. Run the *.exe, which
...

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Adobe
Contributor ,
Dec 27, 2016 Dec 27, 2016

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It's the behavior of Windows since i suppose about version 98

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Guest
Dec 28, 2016 Dec 28, 2016

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Thaks MBorowiec, but I also use a lot Cinema 4D for example and it doesn't have this problem at all. I think Adobe should fix it if It's a known problem since many Windows versions, don't you?

Do you know if there is a way to disable completely this behavior in the whole system?

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Contributor ,
Dec 28, 2016 Dec 28, 2016

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Since i dont use arrow keys when ALT key is pressed I dont bother it at all, but I just do quick research and found something like that in the web:

  1. Create a new text file (txt, not word) and rename it with a *.ahk extension (eg: noAlt.ahk)
  2. Right click on the *.ahk file and 'Edit'
  3. Copy and paste into document: ~LAlt Up:: return
  4. Save, then right click on file and select, "Compile Script"

An exe with the same name as your file (eg: notAlt.exe) should be created in the same directory.

  1. Run the *.exe, which will appear in the notification area.
  2. Profit!

( Note: The script must be running in the background to work. You might consider setting it as a startup item, or copying to the startup folder. )

That should work, but honestly didn't try yet.

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New Here ,
Nov 21, 2017 Nov 21, 2017

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Thank you very very much! That was a quite annoying function.

I´d like to contribute to this thread by posting a link to a similar script written by Jens Marchewka for those to which it the functionality of "alt + shift" is important (for changing keyboard language, for instance):
Disable the activation of the menu bar when Alt is pressed in Windows 7 - Super User

It works, as expected, in Win 10 as well. Once again, thank you!

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Community Beginner ,
Jan 13, 2019 Jan 13, 2019

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It works, but now editing the layer type locks the scroll wheel - holding alt to zoom out afterwards now just keeps changing the layer mode when before it would zoom.

I'm getting sick of PS, after decades of use. These are everyday things that just don't work but that cause endless headaches. This is just one of many.

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LEGEND ,
Nov 20, 2021 Nov 20, 2021

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No one mentioned it needs first to download and install AutoHotkey

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Community Expert ,
Dec 28, 2016 Dec 28, 2016

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LUJA wrote:

Thaks MBorowiec, but I also use a lot Cinema 4D for example and it doesn't have this problem at all. I think Adobe should fix it if It's a known problem since many Windows versions, don't you?

Do you know if there is a way to disable completely this behavior in the whole system?

I don't see what is to "fix".

When using the stamp tool and pressing Alt - yes the menus will be highlighted and one will be selected if you press a letter key, which is standard windows behaviour. However if you don't press a letter key and click with the mouse instead then it selects the area for the source of the clone stamp tool.

I, for one, would not want to see the windows standard way of getting to menus via Alt removed

Dave

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Community Beginner ,
Dec 06, 2017 Dec 06, 2017

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People who using all CC products as me struggling with that ALT as now new 2017 Premiere Pro still have this Alt in it, at least Adobe could let us have option to Disable/Enable that ALT future/BUG

keyboard shortcuts are speeding my workflow and be unable to use ALT it make key combination long as I simply can't assigned F+ALT !

BTW running scripts in background ugh how many should we have it !!??

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Community Beginner ,
Mar 04, 2018 Mar 04, 2018

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Hello David,

maybe you should change angle of view und you don´t have worked in this workflows. There is one they use for everything a mouse, and the other one use a shortcut. For Example in the help, there is a shortcut for fill in foreground colors. The shortcut is press alt+backspace. That does not work you have to push 2xtime alt than it works. That has to FIX!

Best Regards

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Community Expert ,
Mar 31, 2021 Mar 31, 2021

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@MBorowiec wrote:

It's the behavior of Windows since i suppose about version 98


 

This thread is from 2016, but someone just posted to it and reactivated it, so I have to add here that this behavior was in Windows 2.0 — before it was a graphical interface and was text-only. Only a few applications used a mouse in those days and keyboard shortcuts were essential.

 

I'll venture a guess that it was in 1.0 as well, but I don't know that from personal experience. I started with Windows 2.0.

 

~ Jane

 

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Guest
Dec 30, 2016 Dec 30, 2016

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MBorowiec

The script is running, I see it in the activity manager but the menu selection is still working

davescm

There are many occasion to press the alt key. The problem is that many times the menu maintains the selection even after releasing the alt key so the next button you press causes a selection inside the menu.

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Guest
Jan 03, 2017 Jan 03, 2017

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Upgrade:

When I star Photoshop with the running script the menu is highlighted only while keeping the alt key pressed. Without script the menu remains highlighted even after the release of the alt key causing the involuntary selection of Items inside when an other letter key is pressed. I think this should solve the problem 99%. I test for a few days!

Many thanks and happy New Year!!!

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New Here ,
Dec 01, 2017 Dec 01, 2017

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Im having the same problem, and, browsing around, I see a ton of people asking the same question going back 7 years.  My question is, what would it take to get Adobe developers to fix this on their end?

If a significant portion of their users need a third party workaround to fix a stupid hotkey problem, how can we get them to fix it?  Photoshop is so good on hotkey customization in every other regard, it's weird that this one thing is still an issue. 

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New Here ,
Feb 06, 2018 Feb 06, 2018

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I don't have a solution for avoiding the activation of the menu bar, but if you want to shut off the beep, and are ok with making changes to your Window's settings then you can do the following:

  1. Go to Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Sound
  2. Click on the Sounds Tab, and in the Program Events box find Windows > Default Beep
  3. Click on Default Beep and in the lower Sounds drop-down switch "Windows Background" to "None"

While the menu activation issue is annoying, I generally just click on the canvas after zooming around in order to gain back access to the hotkeys. It avoids having to reach over for 'Esc' every time.

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Community Beginner ,
Mar 04, 2018 Mar 04, 2018

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my Workflow for this stupid adobe issue is to push fast two times alt.

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New Here ,
Sep 03, 2020 Sep 03, 2020

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For anyone out there that thought this should work but it frustratringly didn't I had to make this small change to the script.

~LAlt::Up
return

 So basically when you hit left Alt (either on the keyboard or through something like an ExpressKey remote) the ~ makes sure the alt functions normally but then keys an up arrow to negate the menu activation effect.

 

No more system beeps. No more menu foibles. Pretty excited to not experience this anymore!

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New Here ,
Mar 14, 2021 Mar 14, 2021

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Thank you, works great!

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New Here ,
Jul 16, 2021 Jul 16, 2021

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The issue is that while this work around fixes the menu activation, you now have worse problems. Photoshop has built in (unchangeable) commands for a function called "Nudge." 

 

If you press Alt+ any arrow key, it creates a new layer that is nudged a number of pixels in that direction. It happens if you have the move tool selected, or if you use Alt+Shift+Ctrl+E to stamp visible layers. Those are very common things in my workflow so unfortunately this workaround only makes things worse. If there was a way to remove the nudge function from Photoshop, then it may be more viable. 

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New Here ,
Jul 16, 2021 Jul 16, 2021

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This version seems to work better so far. 

 

~LAlt::
KeyWait, LAlt
return

~LAlt Up::
Send, {LAlt Up}
return

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New Here ,
Mar 31, 2021 Mar 31, 2021

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Still looking for an answer to this 7 years later. Using photoshop on Windows has become such a hassle. I will never accept another job working in Adobe software with Windows as long as this alt key bug exists...

And no, I can't run the script because I'm on a work computer and my IT dept doesn't allow it.

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New Here ,
Nov 19, 2021 Nov 19, 2021

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I agree. This is completely infuriating. I shouldn't have to alter the code of my machine for something that should be a toggle option in the settings. Microsoft or Adobe needs to adress the issue once and for all. 

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LEGEND ,
Nov 20, 2021 Nov 20, 2021

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Moderator please assign Windows label to this thread (and delete my post).

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New Here ,
Jul 01, 2023 Jul 01, 2023

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Adobe please add an option to toggle the alt key menu underline problem once and for all

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New Here ,
Aug 27, 2023 Aug 27, 2023

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LATEST

After Effects seems to handle this better. Pressing Alt and releasing won't activate the menu bar, but pressing Alt+F still opens the File menu. Also you can assign a different function to Alt+F.

In Premiere Pro, pressing Alt activates the menu bar, and although you can assign a different function to Alt+F, the File menu still opens with it.

Activating menu bar is the standard behavior of Windows programs. But Adobe software uses Alt heavily.

Alt won't activate the menu bar if you click a mouse button, scroll the mouse wheel, or press another key while holding Alt. But if you do nothing or only move the mouse, the menu bar will be triggered when Alt is released.

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