Tab key not working Ventura 13.5.2 Intel chip Macbook Pro

I use an Apple external (wired) keyboard with my MacBook Pro (Ventura 13.5.2). All of a sudden, the tab key stopped working in various apps (Word, Quicken, etc.). All other keys work fine. The keyboard viewer shows the tab as working.


This same problem also happens when I use my second Apple external keyboard. Since two Apple keyboards have the same issue (tab key does not work), I can only assume that the issue is related to the most recent Ventura OS update.


Please fix this and issue an OS update ASAP. If there may be another cause for the non-working tab key, please advise.


FYI: All my adapters. cables, keyboards, mouse, are official Apple products.

MacBook Pro 16″, macOS 13.5

Posted on Sep 13, 2023 1:39 AM

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15 replies

Sep 13, 2023 12:30 PM in response to Tom Gewecke

Full Keyboard Access is off and I checked the other settings in the "When keys don't behave" article. AFter rebooting, the tab key still does not indent as it should. Thinking that it might be related to MS products (e.g., Word), I tried Pages. Still, the tab does NOT work as intended (not on either of my 2 external Apple keyboards).


Frustrated in California.

Sep 13, 2023 2:44 PM in response to CSULB

I don’t think that reverting to an older OS is the answer. Some setting in your own account has gone awry. Since it is not Full Keyboard Access, which Tom had suggested, and was also the first thing that came to my mind, we have to figure out what else could do this. I am away from my mac but start by having a good look at the existing Acccessibility options. I am thinking that once we figure it out it may have been obvious in retrospect…

Sep 14, 2023 1:29 AM in response to CSULB

To confirm that this is user-specific, please test in a new user account and let us know.

Create a new user, log in as that user. Do the keys work normally there? If they do, as I expect they will, then we will have confirmed that the issue is only in your account and not a system or keyboard problem. (It is probably not a keyboard problem, since you tested with two different ones; now please test with two different user accounts)

Sep 14, 2023 1:37 AM in response to CSULB

CSULB wrote:

I hope you solve this. I reinstalled Ventura (from Internet) and still, tab and esc keys are not working. Grrrr


I went back and looked all over the Accessibility settings.

The only one that seems to affect the tab and esc keys is really "Full Keyboard Access".

I know you said that it is not on, but please confirm it. If it is off, try turning it on for a moment, do something and then turn it off again.

Sep 14, 2023 12:38 PM in response to Luis Sequeira1

I did as instructed (turned on that setting, rebooted, turned off that setting, rebooted) and the tab and esc key do NOT work when that setting is enabled or off. It is again OFF.


I also created a new user account. Logging in under that account does NOT solve the problem. The keys still do not work! Very frustrated.


NOTE: My keyboards are years older than my MacBook Pro. I will buy a new keyboard and see if there is a problem where Ventura 13.5.2 is not compatible with older Apple keyboards.

Sep 14, 2023 12:39 PM in response to Luis Sequeira1

I also created a new user account. Logging in under that new user account does NOT solve the problem. The keys still do not work! Very frustrated.


NOTE: My keyboards are years older than my MacBook Pro. I will buy a new keyboard and see if there is a problem where Ventura 13.5.2 is not compatible with older Apple keyboards.

Sep 14, 2023 1:57 PM in response to CSULB

I am now thinking that maybe for a strange coincidence the two keyboards may be similarly malfunctioning… it would be interesting to see whether the same keys work if the keyboards are used in a different machine, mac or pc.


The fact that these keys are adjacent to each other could explain why they both fail. I admit that failing in two different keyboards is less likely, but still possible. Testing on a different device could rule it out.

Tab key not working Ventura 13.5.2 Intel chip Macbook Pro

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