Unintended shortcuts triggered by Ctrl + Win/Apps keys on Windows
On Illustrator for Windows, a specific key sequence triggers unintended shortcuts. This issue appears to be caused by a bit-level misidentification within Illustrator's input handling, where certain keys are processed as different characters.
The order of key presses is critical:
1. Hold down the Ctrl key first.
2. While holding Ctrl, press the Left Windows Key or Apps Key.
Actual Results:
- Ctrl + Left Win: triggers "Send to Back" (matches Ctrl + [).
- Ctrl + Alt + Left Win: triggers "Select Next Object Below" (matches Ctrl + Alt + [).
- Ctrl + Apps: triggers "Bring Forward" (matches Ctrl + ]).
- Ctrl + Alt + Apps: triggers "Select Next Object Above" (matches Ctrl + Alt + ]).
- Ctrl + Shift + Left Win: During object selection: "Send to Backmost" (matches Ctrl + Shift + [). During text editing: "Negative Kerning" (matches Ctrl + Shift + [).
Technical Analysis:
The Virtual-Key Codes for these keys are:
- Left Win (0x5B): 0101 1011 / [ Key (0xDB): 1101 1011
- Apps Key (0x5D): 0101 1101 / ] Key (0xDD): 1101 1101
A consistent pattern is observed where the most significant bit (0x80) is incorrectly set to "1" during Illustrator’s internal processing of these combinations.
Note: Although unverified due to hardware limitations, it is highly probable that Ctrl + Right Win (0x5C) would similarly be misidentified as \ (0xDC).
Environment:
OS: Windows 11 25H2
Application: Adobe Illustrator (Desktop) v30.3 and v29.8.6
Gyoniso
shared this idea
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Confirm. Being a hotkey enthusiast, I definitely encountered this before, randomly. That’s what it was then... thanks!
