Shift keys won't select multiple items.

Question

Shift keys won't select multiple items.

My Shift keys have stopped selecting multiple items in list view. I updated to Sierra about a week or so ago, and guessing it might be related to that. I'm having this problem on both my laptop keyboard and the external keyboard connected to it. I'm unable to select two items whether they are next to each other on the list or far apart. Command-A does work to select everything so this appears to be strictly a shift key issue.

I'm also having a selection problem when I try to use the Shift key with tools in Photoshop, which I suspect is a result of this. Even using the Wacom pen to select text for copy/paste has become problematic. So overall it seems to be a selection problem, with the Shift keys being the specific point of pain. I've run First Aid to clean out any glitches but am at a loss as to what else to try. Any thoughts?

MacBook Pro (Retina, Mid 2012)

2.7 GHz Intel Core i7

16 GB 1600 MHz DDR3

MacOS Sierra 10.12.2

Adobe Photoshop CS6

Posted on Jan 2, 2017 12:03 PM

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Answer 1

macjack

Level 10

111,272 points

Jan 2, 2017 1:38 PM in response to Patricia Mulvihill

Try starting in Safe Mode and see if the problem still occurs? This is a general troubleshooting step and not just for Macs that won’t turn on as stated in the support topic.

Restart holding the "shift" key.

(Expect it to take longer to start this way because it runs a directory check first.)

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Answer 2

Jan 2, 2017 1:00 PM in response to macjack

Okay I restarted in Safe Mode and the problem went away. Restarted in regular mode and the problem returned. I only have three login items, which have never caused problems in the past: iTunes Helper, Dropbox and Memory Clean.

But now I notice that the selection problem is only happening when using the Wacom pen. I can select list view items just fine with my hand and trackpad, but the Wacom pen will not. So I guess Sierra isn't playing well with the Wacom driver. Annoying but at least I'm narrowing down the culprit. I would have held off updating to Sierra even longer had I known this. Thanks for the Safe Mode tip - it's a good thing to know (I printed it out for future use!)

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Answer 3

Jan 2, 2017 1:31 PM in response to macjack

Guess I got lucky until the Sierra update. Anyway, after reading another thread here on the discussion boards re: Wacom & Sierra, I went back and installed an older driver. Problem solved. I am now selecting with glee! Too bad it ate up most of this work day to find the fix. Sigh.

Thanks again macjack!

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Answer 4

macjack

Level 10

111,272 points

Jan 2, 2017 1:17 PM in response to Patricia Mulvihill

Actually, the Wacom driver hasn't played nice with Mac for many iterations of the OS. Surprised you just ran into it.

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