I used to be able to type a bullet point • with option-8. Now when I do that I get NOTHING. How do I turn that bullet back on? OS 15.3.2.
[Re-Titled by Moderator]
iMac 24″, macOS 15.3
What about other Option-key combinations? Is it just Option-8 that's affected?
Since Option-8 is almost universally •, and you've checked your Keyboard Input Sources for rogue languages/keyboards, the next suggestion would be an override. Two places come to mind;
First would be Settings -> Keyboard -> Text Replacements which can be used to automatically substitute words, phrases and other keystroke for other characters. See if Option-8 is listed there and replaced with something else.
The second option would be Settings -> Keyboard -> Keyboard Shortcuts where key combinations can be setup to initiate actions such as launch an app, select a menu item, etc. Also in here are overrides for the Command, Option and Control keys, so make sure they haven't been remapped (for example, it's possible to tell the OS that you want the Option key to act like the Command Key, which could result in what you're seeing).
These options aren't known to change on their own, though, so if that is the solution, either you change it (inadvertently), or someone else changed it (as a prank?).
P.S. I should add that I checked to make sure that in my frustration about option-8, I didn't add some malfunctioning text replacement for that. But nope, I didn't. My only text replacements in System Settings are the defaults, for ℅ and ™.
P.P.S. When I "Show Keyboard Viewer" in the Menubar, I am presented with a "Keyboard - ANSI" keyboard image, on which option-8 is clearly identified as a bullet. But it just won't DO a bullet for option-8. Weirder and weirder.
Well, now that I have the "Show input in menubar" turned on, it's pretty easy to NOT use Unicode Hex. Option-8 doesn't emplace a bullet in ANY application. Yes, I could manually make a text replacement for the bullet, but as noted in my P.P.S., the bullet is already defined as option-8 in the ANSI keyboard. It just won't do it. Now, I'm making a lot of progress here, in that my option keystrokes are almost all restored. Just not the one I REALLY want.
Yes, as I said, my keyboard viewer DOES show a bullet for option-8, as you show here. (Though my keyboard, in the viewer, is titled "Keyboard - ANSI", if that makes any difference). I tried using several standard fonts, and none of them makes a bullet when I hit option-8. Oh, I also did a restart. No joy.
Well, I guess we're out of ideas. I "Show Keyboard Viewer", and an ANSI keyboard pops up. I press "option" and the 8 key shows •. The 7 key shows ¶, and the 9 key shows ª. When I press option-7, I get ¶, when I press option-9 I get ª, and when I press option-8, I get NOTHING.
Option-8 has no listed text replacements. In fact, I've never made any text replacements. The only ones there are three defaults.
This is NUTS.
Let's see. I don't see my response here that I thought i posted. That's true, this is about upgrading the OS in place, but that has nothing to do with my problem, I think. Also I've tried different fonts. None do the job.
I will add that this isn't something funny about my keyboard. If I bring up the Keyboard Viewer, pressing option-8 displays a bullet properly on the viewer, which means my keyboard is working. But no bullet appears in my document. All other option keys display special characters on the viewer AND make special characters in my document. Something very special about option-8!
Dannymac22 wrote:
Nope, text replacement doesn't work. You end up trying to replace a bullet with a bullet. But you never get a bullet to start out with.
Not sure what you mean by that. Does it not work to set up something like replacing “blt” with “•”?
Well, maybe I just don't know how to do it. In Keyboard/Text replacements, I make option 7 (which would be ¶) into option 8 (which should be a bullet). But it doesn't work. Option 7 still makes ¶. I think my OS just has an aversion to bullets.
This doesn't make a lot of sense. I want bullets in my Microsoft Word. OK, nice in terminal app as well.
This is what I'm looking at
Where do I put the space? If I replace option-7 (¶) with a bullet, then in my document, I type option-7 and a space, and I get • and a space.
I think I need to consult Apple support.
For problems with Word and other office apps, best ask in their own forums, Apple is really not involved.
Terminal is different and doesn't support text replacements in the usual way. Someone who is more familiar with it and its settings may be able to help.
Let's be clear. This is an Apple problem. NOT a MIcrosoft problem. But an Apple problem can still lead to inconveniences in other apps.
In terminal, ALL of my option-keys produce the characters they're supposed to, except option-8 does not.
dialabrain wrote:
It's likely you will have to do a fresh install of macOS.
Since it has been established that the problem only happens in one specific account, a fresh install appears to be overkill - and probably won't help, if one migrates the account that has the problem...
Well, that wouldn't be particularly handy if one had to reproduce an account from scratch. When I get a chance, I'm going to get an Apple Support person on the line. I recently had a somewhat serious problem, and was handed off to an upper tier support person, and they were great!
Dannymac22 wrote:
I'm going to get an Apple Support person on the line.
If you do, let us know how that goes. My impression is that in the past they have been pretty clueless regarding keyboard/character issues, but it would be great to hear this has changed.
How do I restore the Option-8 bullet point shortcut in macOS 15.3.2?
