CRoberts333
Level 1 (4 points)
iWork

Q: why is Keynote typing backwards and how can I fix it?

I opened Keynote and started a new presentation. After 2-3 slides, any text I tried to type was crazy. The cursor would move to the LEFT of the letter I just typed rather than the RIGHT. So typing Keynote comes out etonyeK. I closed the presentation and started a new one. All was well until 2-3 slides in, the same thing started happening. According to the Apple Support Communities, I am not the only one this has happened to. No one else seems to have gotten a reasonable answer.

Posted on May 3, 2016 9:19 PM

Close
CRoberts333

Q: why is Keynote typing backwards and how can I fix it?

  • All replies
  • Helpful answers

  • by alex_h1,

    alex_h1 alex_h1 May 5, 2016 7:14 AM in response to CRoberts333
    Community Specialists
    May 5, 2016 7:14 AM in response to CRoberts333

    Hello CRoberts333,

    Thanks for using Apple Support Communities.

     

    If I understand your post correctly whenever you are creating a new presentation in Keynote, the text direction is appearing to be flipped.  You mentioned this happened with another presentation, but does this also happen with all templates?  I'd also like you to please test this behavior in a new user, that way we can isolate the issue.

     

    How to test with another user account

    You can figure out if unexpected behavior is related to user file or setting by trying to reproduce the issue from another user account. This process includes creating a new user account, logging in to it, and testing for the issue.

    Create a test user account

    1. From the Apple menu, choose System Preferences.
    2. Click the Users & Groups icon in the System Preferences window.
    3. Click the lock icon, then enter an administrator name and password.
    4. Click the Add button (+) below the list of users.
    5. Choose a type of user from the New Account pop-up menu.
    6. Give the user a full name, account name, and password.
    7. Click OK.
    8. Close the System Preferences window.

    If there are documents from your original user account that you want to test with, place a copy of these items in the Shared folder in the Users folder. Press the Option key while dragging a file to this folder to create a copy.

    Log in to the test user account

    Log out of your current user account by choosing Log Out from the Apple menu, then log in to the new account you created. If you're prompted to sign in with your iCloud account or Apple ID when you log in, skip this step.

    Try reproducing the issue

    Try the same steps that caused the unexpected behavior to appear before. For example, if you were unable to print, try printing from this user account. If you were unable to connect to the Internet, try browsing a website from this user account.

    How to test an issue in another user account on your Mac

     

    Take care.

  • by CRoberts333,

    CRoberts333 CRoberts333 May 6, 2016 9:53 PM in response to alex_h1
    Level 1 (4 points)
    iWork
    May 6, 2016 9:53 PM in response to alex_h1

    Thank you. I tried to follow these steps. I ran into a problem when I tried to log out of my own user account to open the new user account. Keynote would not close, so I could not log out. This was the first time I had tried to logout or close Keynote since starting the presentation, so I had not seen this problem before.

     

    A few minutes prior to this discovery, Keynote unexpectedly crashed, and even though I had recently saved my presentation, the saved version that I recovered was a very early version. When I started typing in the recovered version, the typing was working the normal way.  Then after I drew a shape, it reverted to the backwards typing, and Keynote cannot close. I am pretty sure that it was when I started drawing shapes in Keynote that the backwards writing started on my tow prior attempts.

     

    Does that recent history help any?

     

    Any further steps that I can take?

  • by alex_h1,Helpful

    alex_h1 alex_h1 May 7, 2016 2:35 PM in response to CRoberts333
    Community Specialists
    May 7, 2016 2:35 PM in response to CRoberts333

    If Keynote is unresponsive, then just force it to quit.  After doing that, please follow the steps in my previous reply so we can isolate this issue.

     

    Force an app to close on your Mac

     

    Cheers.

  • by CRoberts333,

    CRoberts333 CRoberts333 May 7, 2016 2:37 PM in response to alex_h1
    Level 1 (4 points)
    iWork
    May 7, 2016 2:37 PM in response to alex_h1

    ok, I forced it to quit. thank you for the instructions.

     

    I was able to log in as a new user, and use Keynote, on a new presentation. I used it for several minutes, and made a bunch of slides. It has not gone wacky on me (yet), although I might go back to the other user and pull out my old presentation.

     

    Will check back.

  • by fabi_c544,

    fabi_c544 fabi_c544 May 8, 2016 4:43 AM in response to CRoberts333
    Level 1 (4 points)
    May 8, 2016 4:43 AM in response to CRoberts333

    I have the exact same problem and it also appeared after drawing a shape. After that, Keynote wouldn't save my presentation and won't close. It's not frozen, all the other commands are still working. To save my work I created a new presentation, copied and pasted all my slides and saved it. That worked, although in the "new presentation" nothing I had done after drawing the shape got saved. I had to force quit, but at least I did't lose most of my work.

     

    It really sounds like a bug related to drawing shapes. In my case, it was a free form line, creating a loop. I wonder what was it in your case.