Exclamation point (!) and at-symbol(@) not working

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Level 1

8 points

Exclamation point (!) and at-symbol(@) not working

This is a strange and frustrating problem that I can't seem to figure out. On my MacBook Air running OS 13.5, shift-1 does not enter an exclamation point and shift-2 does not enter an at-symbol. All other keys and key combinations work.

I don't think it is the keyboard itself, because if I log in with a different profile it works!

I have checked every keyboard and accessibility setting. Everything is set to the default and the keyboard language is set to English-US. I've closed every running app that might be interfering.

What's really strange is that I can't enter those characters even if I try to do it through the keyboard viewer.

Also, when I first log in, it works for about 20 seconds then stops working again.

Any ideas at all? This is a really annoying problem but I have no idea how to fix it.

MacBook Air 13″, macOS 11.5

Posted on Aug 2, 2023 11:58 PM

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Answer 1

WheelieNick

Level 8

42,019 points

Aug 3, 2023 12:45 AM in response to jmooser

Try and boot your Mac in the safe mode to see if the issue is persisting. In safe mode, you will exclude all external software in this way you can rule out that external software is causing this problem

Start up your Mac with Apple silicon in safe mode

On your Mac, choose Apple menu > Shut Down.
Wait for your Mac to shut down completely. A Mac is completely shut down when the screen is black and any lights (including in the Touch Bar) are off.
Press and hold the power button on your Mac until “Loading startup options” appears.
Select a volume.
Press and hold the Shift key, then click Continue in Safe Mode.
The computer restarts automatically. When the login window appears, you should see “Safe Boot” in the menu bar.

Start up your Intel-based Mac in safe mode

Turn on or restart your Mac, then immediately press and hold the Shift key until you see the login window.
Log in to your Mac.
You might be asked to log in again.
On either the first or second login window, you should see “Safe Boot” in the menu bar.

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Answer 2

jmooser Author

Level 1

8 points

Aug 3, 2023 12:51 PM in response to WheelieNick

I believe I have solved this.

The problem was an app (now defunct) called Snap Camera. It was somehow intercepting all ! and @ keypresses, even from the keyboard viewer. I'm not sure how helpful that will be to others, because a different app could do the same thing in theory.

Note that stopping Snap Camera solved the keyboard problem but caused my built-in camera to show a solid yellow frame. To fix that I had to completely uninstall Snap Camera.

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Exclamation point (!) and at-symbol(@) not working

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