I write a sentence in the Messages app and when I attempt to hold on the shift key to highlight and select text with the arrow keys, the shift key does not do anything.
MacBook Pro 15″, macOS 10.15
This is been fixed in macOS 11.1. Yay!
Strangely, if you have the search box selected (you just have to put your cursor in it then go back to composing your message) the shift-arrow combo works just like it always used to. Crazy ...
yeo, it doesn't working as it should
workaround is to use shift+alt+arrow to select words
Although it didn't work for me (for reasons I can't explain), I've seen that a few others have solved the issue by:
System Preferences > Keyboard > Shortcuts > Uncheck "Use keyboard navigation to move focus between controls"
Like I said, though, it didn't work for me (MacBook Pro, 13" 2020). Hopefully you'll have better luck.
If you hold down shift + command and then the right or left arrow key the text will be highlighted from the current cursor position to the beginning of the text string (left arrow) or to the end of the text string (right arrow). Same with the up and down arrow keys - up to the left, down to the right. Not ideal and Apple really needs to fix it but it does present a partial work around.
Yep, same eat same issue for me after upgrading to BS. Looks like a bonafide bug in the OS.
Yes, I've had this same issue. It's as ridiculous as changing the don't save keyboard shortcut from command-D to command-delete in Lion, although at least there you weren't giving yourself extra carpel tunnel by holding down an additional key with your left hand.
This is driving me insane. Messages is also not resuming syncing across devices when I resume my laptop from sleep. I have to go in and click 'Sync Now' in Message -> Preferences -> iCloud. This sometimes works, sometimes doesn't. Really wish I had not been so dumb and upgraded early.
Well I got a problem with that too. Messages has its own mind when it comes to pop out windows. It keeps opening the single contact conversations into its own window all by itself. I will click on a contact and start typing and half the message will be in the main app and have the message will get pushed over to the pop out which opened on its own.
what does that even mean? I'm dying to be able to multi-select imessages in big sur. but to be fair, even under catalina i've never seen it work for me. (2018 mac mini w/ 3rd party keyboard (but also same w/ apple magic keyboard)).
@fabianfromverona - this thread is about when you are typing a message and you want to select text within the message you are currently typing. for a lot of people, it was not possible to hold shift and use left/right arrows to select text (say if you wanted to delete, or cut or copy the text).
I've also had this issue
That setting is disabled by default. Have tried enabling and disabling (just in case). It haven’t fixed the bug.
Same issue here: The "Shift" + "arrow" keys work everywhere (including WhatsApp), except in Messages. 🙆🏻♂️
So annoying! <Shift>-<right arrow> and <shift>-<left arrow> no longer work! How does this bug get into production code?
Shift key not functioning in Messages in Big Sur
