Disable SHIFT + SPACE Keyboard Shortcut for Rotate Canvas
A SHIFT+ SPACE keyboard shortcut for the rotate canvas tool was introduced in a minor version update of Ai 25 (sometime after 25.2.1). This keyboard shortcut is very disruptive when trying to make selections while panning around the artboard. For example, you used to be able to continually hold down the SHIFT and SPACE keys to pan around the artboard while quickly dragging the cursor around points or objects to add them to your selection. With the new rotate canvas shortcut, you have to carefully press SHIFT, make your first selection, release SHIFT, press SPACE to to pan, release, press SHIFT again and add to your selection, release, and so on. This is not a comfortable key combo and it makes it very easy to accidentally release your entire selection.
Prior to this update, we've never had a need for a quick toggle shortcut for the rotate canvas tool on desktop. If the tool is needed, it is accessible via the hand tool quickly enough.
This issue is present in version 25.4.1 and 26.0.1.
Starting with version 25.4.1, Adobe added a Preferences option to disable the trackpad gesture to rotate view. Please either disable this toggle shortcut completely or also add an option to Preferences to disable the SHIFT+ SPACE keyboard shortcut for desktop users.
Ariel Crossan
shared this idea
-
billmalenfant
commented
quite ridiculous that we can't change this shortcut. so close to everything else we use, space and shift are almost the most used keys.
-
Josh Brannan commented
When using team viewer the only way to get space dragging to work is to **** space drag which causes rotation
-
Battalion
commented
I'd like to echo this request and voice my frustration caused by this new "feature" using latest Illustrator version on Windows. I've been using Illustrator for 10+ years and not once have I ever needed to rotate my canvas. However, with this new 'Shift+Space+Drag' key combo I'm accidentally rotating my canvas *constantly*. Rarely do I encounter a new feature that makes me consider switching apps or rolling back to an earlier version but this is definitely one of them.
Currently, there is no way to remove the 'Shift+Space+Drag' hotkey for this feature but that needs to change and it should be high priority.
-
Ariel Crossan
commented
Hi Egor - yup, can confirm this behavior is possible on Mac in Illustrator versions up to 25.2.1. My team uses the shortcut combo frequently to clean up stray points in files.
Also wanted to clarify that the combination of Shift and Space held together isn't increasing the actual speed of of the panning. Rather it is inherently a quicker workflow to be able to continually hold down the shift key while manually toggling between holding the space bar to pan and using the cursor to add points to the active selection (because shift is being held down). Having to release shift now to add to the selection is causing folks to accidentally lose their selection if they don't repress shift after panning to the next location of the art file. While it is just a matter of muscle memory and ergonomics, it seems like an unequal trade off for a rotate canvas shortcut that could be assigned elsewhere.
-
Ariel, this is strange, but I was never able to pan faster with Space and Shift held together, whatever combination or order I try, in any version I have access to (CS and before). But I am on Windows, maybe it’s Mac-only thing? Are you sure it does work on pre-25 versions?
As for the core of you request — a valid one. We should be able to customize all hotkeys, not only allowed. Please vote here to make it possible: https://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/333657-illustrator-desktop-feature-requests/suggestions/31609237-assignable-keyboard-shortcuts-for-everything
