My F11 key no longer launches Launchpad. I blame Microsoft.

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Level 1

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My F11 key no longer launches Launchpad. I blame Microsoft.

Brand new iMac with El Capitan. Running along spiffily until today using F11 as a keyboard shortcut for the Launchpad. (Yes, I have the Keyboard settings set to "Use... as standard function keys," but it does the same thing if I don't.)

This evening I installed Microsoft Office 2011 and a Wacom tablet and my F11 no longer calls up the Launchpad. If I'm in Firefox, it takes the app fullscreen. In other applications, including the finder it gives me a single "error" chime.

Now, I don't know whether Firefox was doing this before, but I'm assuming that my Office install is to blame. Is there a way I can make this behave the way I want it to without uninstalling Office? I'm happy to dump it in favor of Pages and Numbers, but I'm afraid it'll leave something on my machine anyway...

As an additional clue(?), if I log into my Guest account, I can get the F11 to call up the Launcher with no problem.

iMac with Retina 5K display, OS X El Capitan (10.11.6)

Posted on Aug 2, 2016 9:27 PM

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Answer 1

dialabrain

Level 10

136,151 points

Aug 3, 2016 2:21 AM in response to curiousrobot

FWIW, with an Apple keyboard, "F4" is the default to open LaunchPad. If you have "Use... as standard function keys," checked you have to hold the "fn" key down when you press "F4". If you reassigned any keys, it's impossible to know which keys you assigned to what.

Normally the "F11" key is assigned to "reduce volume". With "Use... as standard function keys," and you hold the "fn" down it defaults to show desktop.

If you assign a shortcut to a pre-existing shortcut you very likely will get random behavior or none at all.

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Answer 2

dialabrain

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136,151 points

Aug 3, 2016 2:32 AM in response to curiousrobot

Just to add, I don't know if Microsoft Office 2011 or the Wacom Tablet you installed are compatible with El Capitan. Make sure you have the latest Wacom drivers.

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Answer 3

curiousrobot Author

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13 points

Aug 3, 2016 5:11 AM in response to dialabrain

Fn+F4 works to bring up the Launcher, on my Magic Keyboard, or the Dashboard on my Extended Keyboard (which I'm using). Just as F12 shows my Dashboard and Fn+F12 raises the volume.

I have reassigned exactly one key: In mission Control, I unchecked F11 for 'Show Desktop' and assigned it to 'Show Launchpad' under Launchpad and Dock. Since you mentioned this, I tried switching them back, and, interestingly, it works when I set it back to Show Desktop.

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Answer 4

dialabrain

Level 10

136,151 points

Aug 3, 2016 5:41 AM in response to curiousrobot

As I mentioned, if you assign a shortcut to a function that already exists, things will not work normally. Basically you set up a second "Show Launchpad" on F11, which already exists on F4.

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Answer 5

curiousrobot Author

Level 1

13 points

Aug 3, 2016 5:57 AM in response to dialabrain

For one thing, it doesn't. I'm using the extended keyboard, on which Fn+F4 brings up the Dashboard. (As does F12, so the duplicate keys theory holds no water.)

And as I said, it worked fine until last night, when something created a conflict. And it works fine on the Guest account. So mapping F11 to the Launcher is definitely a viable choice.

One thing I suppose could be related was that I switched from the Magic Keyboard to the Extended in there at some point.

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Answer 6

dialabrain

Level 10

136,151 points

Aug 3, 2016 6:03 AM in response to curiousrobot

I have an extended keyboard. I have six as a matter of fact on six macs. I have a lot of wireless keyboards laying around if you'd like to purchase any. 😎

If you look at the symbol printed on the F4 key it's two rows of rectangles. That is a pictograph of LaunchPad, Just as the F3 key symbol represents Mission Control.

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Answer 7

dialabrain

Level 10

136,151 points

Aug 3, 2016 6:23 AM in response to curiousrobot

Some Mac keyboards and shortcuts use special keys in the top row, which include icons for volume, display brightness, and other functions. Press the icon key to perform that function, or combine it with the Fn key to use it as an F1, F2, F3, or other standard function key.

From… Mac keyboard shortcuts - Apple Support

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Answer 8

curiousrobot Author

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13 points

Aug 3, 2016 6:41 AM in response to dialabrain

I assure you, I understand everything you're saying. The F4 on my extended keyboard (from 2010) has the little dial-y symbol printed on the F4, and it is opening the Dashboard. Like this one:

I know and understand when I am using the "special" keys and when I'm using the Function keys. (I do find it interesting that the "special" functions are keyboard-specific. Never really thought about that before.) As I said, I used my iMac for a number of days with F11 opening the Launchpad, and it has stopped working. The variables include:

Installing Microsoft Office
Installing (current and seemingly working) Wacom Drivers
Switching keyboards from the Magic Keyboard to the old Extended Keyboard
Mystery stuff I've not accounted for that seems insignificant.

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Answer 9

dialabrain

Level 10

136,151 points

Aug 3, 2016 6:53 AM in response to curiousrobot

Well, I don't have an extended keyboard that old but it seems apparent they have different key codes. I don't have a Wacom tablet anymore so I don't know if it has it's own keyboard shortcuts, nor do I use Microsoft Office. As far as why it no longer works for you, it could just be either the Wacom tablet or Microsoft Office 2011 are expecting the current keyboard maps. You could uninstall each one at a time and see which may be causing the issue.

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Answer 10

Aug 3, 2016 10:41 AM in response to curiousrobot

The standard is for F11 to "Show Desktop". That has been the case in any Mac and keyboard I have used, for as long as I can remember (going back to PowerPC macs and up to and including my current rMBP).

I remember that F4 used to be associated with the Dashboard.

Curiously, I just tested and on my rMBP F12 calls up the Dashboard, so I wonder... could you possibly have meant F12 instead of F11?

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Answer 11

curiousrobot Author

Level 1

13 points

Aug 3, 2016 4:22 PM in response to Luis Sequeira1

Thanks, guys.

Uninstalling MS Office did no good. (Well, I no longer have Office on my machine, but other than that it did no good... 🙂)

If I delete com.apple.symbolichotkeys.plist and restart, I can get the keys to map how I want them to. I can make the Launcher work with F11 (once I disable "Show Desktop," of course) or, as an additional test, F13. But if the machine starts up with a com.apple.symbolichotkeys.plist file, it stops working. Even F13-F15, which have no possible conflicts with anything, don't work if I map them to the Launcher.

If I compare the working com.apple.symbolichotkeys.plist file to the one that's there when the machine restarts, they're identical.

Any ideas?

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Answer 12

curiousrobot Author

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13 points

Aug 19, 2016 10:54 AM in response to curiousrobot

Well the .plist file was another red herring.

Turned out to be the Wacom Tablet after all. The Intuos Pro I was using has touch options, which include gestures for the Launchpad, Desktop and so on. When I disabled those, all my keyboard shortcuts began behaving as desired. So now I have F11 as my Launchpad, F12 as Mission Control, F13 as Desktop and F14 as the Dashboard. Weird, but that's how I wanted it...

So, yeah. Anyone from the future whose keyboard shortcuts don't work as expected... Check your tablet prefs!

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