# Cmd+' not working



## Larry Fasncht (Oct 30, 2019)

I have been a Lightroom user in Windows for a Loooooong time and use Ctrl+' ALL the time.  I now am the proud owner of a shinny new MacBook Pro and for the life of me can't figure out how to get Cmd+' to create a virtual copy.  So I searched this forum and looked at my system settings.  Cm+' was set to switch window focus, or something.  So I cleared that.  But it still doesn't work in LR.  What do I need to do to get that to work?


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## Larry Fasncht (Oct 31, 2019)

And yes, I reset Lightroom Preferences.  That didn't solve the problem but did give me the chance to try and remember all the changes I had made to the default settings.

Also I tried putting in a custom keyboard shortcut in System for Lightroom, while the shortcut didn't work, it did produce a "bonk" sound, which is new.  Now I have everything set back as it was, and the Lightroom shortcut still doesn't work, but does so silently.


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## Conrad Chavez (Oct 31, 2019)

Larry Fasncht said:


> Cm+' was set to switch window focus, or something.  So I cleared that.  But it still doesn't work in LR.  What do I need to do to get that to work?


Based on that, let's make sure the right shortcut is being used.
*Command-`* is the macOS window switching shortcut.. That's the grave accent at the top left corner of a US English Mac keyboard. As far as I know it doesn't conflict with any Lightroom Classic keyboard shortcut. In Lightroom Classic this shortcut is  useful only when a non-modal window is open to switch to or from, such as the Preferences dialog box.
*Command-'* is the single quote mark, next to the Return key, which should be the same as in Windows where it's next to the Enter key. It makes a virtual copy when I try it on my Mac, so I'm not sure why it might not be working. Hmmm...


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## Larry Fasncht (Oct 31, 2019)

Ah, thank you.  I didn’t realize that.  But it still isn’t working.


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## Victoria Bampton (Oct 31, 2019)

Ok, take us through your exact steps. And if you find Create Virtual Copy in the menu, is the shortcut listed next to it? Does it work when you do it from the menu?


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## Larry Fasncht (Oct 31, 2019)

It works when I select Create Virtual Copy from the menu.  When I look at the menu, from the menu bar across the top, the keyboard shortcut is listed next to it.  However, when I right click on the image, the keyboard shortcut is not listed next to “Create Virtual Copy”.  But it too works to create a new copy.  It is a newish MabBook and I don’t have hardly anything on it other than Photoshop, and Lightroom.


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## Larry Fasncht (Oct 31, 2019)

Here are some screen shots.


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## Victoria Bampton (Oct 31, 2019)

That all looks perfectly normal, so we're basically down to 2 possibilities:

1. There's a conflict with another shortcut. I've most frequently found those in System Preferences > Keyboard > Shortcuts tab (check down all of the options on the left, and their related shortcuts on the right).

2. The keyboard is set to a non-English language.


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## Larry Fasncht (Oct 31, 2019)

Rats.  I am using the English keyboard.  And I searched the forum before I posted and saw your advise on  System Preferences>keyboard>Shortcuts and checked that before I posted here.   The only conflict was as I mentioned above and it turns out that I had mistaken the grave symbol for the apostrophe.


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## Victoria Bampton (Oct 31, 2019)

Oh that's great, so you're sorted?


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## Larry Fasncht (Oct 31, 2019)

Oh, no.  It's still not working.  I just misunderstood the marks when I was looking at System Preferences.  Not a solution to this issue.


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## Victoria Bampton (Oct 31, 2019)

Doh.


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## clee01l (Oct 31, 2019)

If you are in a Collection, ⌘' (Cmd ') still works except the Virtual Copy is created in the folder where the original is located and not in the Collection that you started from.  Could that be your problem? 
 On my Apple US keyboard  the (') key is the lowercase  on the same key as uppercase (").   It is adjacent to the Return key on the right of the keyboard.


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## Conrad Chavez (Oct 31, 2019)

Just to eliminate some more variables…

If you are in a text editor (like this forum) and you press the ' key, do you actually get a ' character, meaning the key itself isn't suffering from one of those MacBook Pro keyboard issues?
Following up with what clee01l posted, does it make any difference what's selected in the left panel in the Library module (such as the selected folder, selected collection, or Previous Import) when you make a virtual copy?
(I edit in Lightroom Classic on a 2018 MacBook Pro)


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## Larry Fasncht (Oct 31, 2019)

Nope.  I'm in the directory where the file lives and not in a collection and it isn't showing up.  When I use the menu choice, I get the copy.

Yes the ' works.  I also tried this;

If you try these methods for editing shortcuts, be they built-in functions or application-specific functions, and are not able to restore your hot-key shortcuts, then the last option is to clear out the settings file that contains the hot keys and have the system recreate it with default settings. Hot-key settings are account-specific, so first go to your user library in the Finder's Go menu (in OS X Lion you will need to hold the Option key to reveal the library). Then go to the Preferences folder and remove the file called "com.apple.symbolichotkeys.plist," followed by logging out and logging back in (or restarting the system). Doing this should clear all custom hot-key bindings for the current user account and allow the default ones to work as they should.

That didn't work either.


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## clee01l (Oct 31, 2019)

It is clear to me that there is something unique to your computer or what you are doing to prevent LR from creating the virtual copy with the short cut key combination.   There does not seem to be a problem with Lightroom as the shortcut key combination seems to be working for everyone else. 
Based upon your description of the events, I can't figure out why you can't get it to work consistently like everyone else.


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## Larry Fasncht (Oct 31, 2019)

Any ideas?  I think VLC, Chrome, and Firefox are the only program I have added to the Adobe products.  I checked VLC and it doesn't use that shortcut key combination.  I rather came to the same conclusion you pointed out but for the life of me can't find out where the conflict is.  Furthermore, I can't find any program or method that will help me track down the conflict.  I'd love a suggestion.


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## clee01l (Oct 31, 2019)

Larry Fasncht said:


> Furthermore, I can't find any program or method that will help me track down the conflict. I'd love a suggestion


I do not use shortcut keys to a great degree.   Most of the effort in LR is spent clicking with a mouse and very little time on the keyboard except when adding text to the metadata fields  like Titles and Captions.  
If you started out using Word Perfect or Word in DOS, then shortcut keys were essential as Mouse functions were not in vogue or required taking the hands off the keyboard frequently.  Now the reverse is true. 
I spend ~95% of my time with my right hand on the mouse. Sometimes even using my left hand to type on the right side of the keyboard.   Context menus are a great convenience.   For your issue, all I do is right click on the image and left click on "Create VirtualCopy" in the Context Menu that pops up.   I never take a hand off the mouse.   Consequently I have not had to memorize lots of arcane shortcuts because the quickest  method is to call up the Context menu.
Right click on an image.  Inspect the Context menu and note how many "next steps" are available with a single mouse click.   In fact right click in develop or print or anywhere in LR to invoke the context menu.

The keyboard was designed to enter text, the mouse was developed to navigate throughout the app.


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## Rob_Cullen (Oct 31, 2019)

FYI- Some of the keyboard shortcuts have some kind of (cryptic) meaning-
If you every used a typewriter (showing my age!) you might remember that to repeat a line above, the symbol used was [ " ] that being referred to as "ditto".
So [Ctrl+' ] =  [Ctrl plus the ditto key]-  creates a Virtual 'Copy'.
[Ctrl+/ ]  = [Ctrl plus the key with a question mark] - opens the contextual help screen of keyboard shortcuts.


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## Larry Fasncht (Oct 31, 2019)

I have new data, but not a solution.  If I press Fn+Cmd+' Lightroom will create a virtual copy.  How weird is that?  I'm using a 2019 MacBook Pro 15".  Why do I have to press the Fn key along with the correct keys?


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## clee01l (Nov 1, 2019)

Larry Fasncht said:


> I have new data, but not a solution.  If I press Fn+Cmd+' Lightroom will create a virtual copy.  How weird is that?  I'm using a 2019 MacBook Pro 15".  Why do I have to press the Fn key along with the correct keys?


Is "Use F1, F2 ... as standard keys checked in Keyboard Preferences?
Can you post a screen shot of the Shortcuts tab  for Keyboard in Keyboard Preference?


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## Larry Fasncht (Nov 1, 2019)

I had that same thought.  I tried both setting.  No difference.


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## Victoria Bampton (Nov 2, 2019)

In System Preferences > Keyboard > Shortcuts tab > Services, if you scroll down to the Text heading, Cmd ' is assigned to Straight Quotes by default, it seems. Is that unchecked?


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## Larry Fasncht (Nov 3, 2019)

I'm in that area and don't see anything at all like that.


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## Johan Elzenga (Nov 3, 2019)

I checked that too when Victoria posted it, just out of curiosity, and I do not see such entry either so I don’t think it’s a default.


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## Larry Fasncht (Oct 30, 2019)

I have been a Lightroom user in Windows for a Loooooong time and use Ctrl+' ALL the time.  I now am the proud owner of a shinny new MacBook Pro and for the life of me can't figure out how to get Cmd+' to create a virtual copy.  So I searched this forum and looked at my system settings.  Cm+' was set to switch window focus, or something.  So I cleared that.  But it still doesn't work in LR.  What do I need to do to get that to work?


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## Victoria Bampton (Nov 4, 2019)

Oh now I'm confused. Today it's not there on mine either! I'm not sure what other software I had open at the time that might have added it either. Ok, that blows that theory!


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## clee01l (Nov 4, 2019)

Victoria Bampton said:


> Oh now I'm confused. Today it's not there on mine either! I'm not sure what other software I had open at the time that might have added it either. Ok, that blows that theory!


Not necessarily. Perhaps the OP has software open that temporarily creates that shortcut.    I would question whether the OP can create a Virtual Copy WHEN LR is the only app running.  Obviously, the problem is confined to the OPs machine and something there that prevents (⌘') from creating a Virtual Copy on that machine.


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## Johan Elzenga (Nov 4, 2019)

clee01l said:


> Not necessarily. Perhaps the OP has software open that temporarily creates that shortcut.


The odd thing is that *Victoria* had that shortcut (but not anymore), not the OP...


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## clee01l (Nov 4, 2019)

Johan Elzenga said:


> The odd thing is that *Victoria* had that shortcut (but not anymore), not the OP...



It is the “but not any more” that caught my eye. Perhaps this was the OPs issue initially which is why I suggested trying the short cut with only LR running. 


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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