Keyboard shortcuts to switch desktops randomly stop working

I use different desktops and have desktop switching keyboard shortcuts enabled in the system preferences > keyboard > mission control, e.g. `^3` to switch to Desktop 3.


Seemingly randomly (perhaps once every ~15 hours of computer use), one or more of the desktop shortcuts stops working. The shortcut results in nothing at all happening. This problem has been present for the 2 months I've owned the computer, and I have not observed any correlations for the misbehavior (different programs have been open, different programs focused, etc). I've observed it on startup with no programs opened, and on a fresh user account with no additional software installed. I have not been able to observe the problem while briefly using safe mode, but since the problem is inconsistent and infrequent, I don't think this is a meaningful datum.


Sometimes rebooting restores the shortcut, but sometimes it does not. `killall Dock` has consistently (though temporarily) restored the correct behavior. This is not not a great solution while giving a presentation.


There are old bug reports on these forums, including suggestions to disable and reenable the shortcuts or add additional desktops. None of these suggestions worked for me.


I installed Karabiner EventViewer and did not observe any difference in keyboard events when a shortcut failed to work. If someone can recommend a diagnostic, I can report back next time the bug happens.


I am using macOS 12.2.1 on a 2021 16" M1 Max MBP.

MacBook Pro (2020 and later)

Posted on Mar 20, 2022 7:59 AM

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Keyboard shortcuts to switch desktops randomly stop working

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