A Keyboard Stroke of Annoyance
April 1, 2020 4:29 PM Subscribe
In the past few days, my keyboard has started thinking that I want to type a math symbol. I don't. When I type a combination of [Shift] and [command], sometimes I hit them just right, and the computer outputs this symbol: ±
It seems to happen most when I hold shift down then Command (as I'm going to highlight a word with a cursor arrow, for example). But it doesn't happen everytime. And oddly, after it types the character, if I hit just shift after that, it will sometimes type that ± character again. So if I'm trying to capitalize a letter, it creates that character.
It's very intermittent, which makes it more annoying. In InDesign, for example, I can place my cursor in text, hold Shift, then press Command. It creates the character. I repeat the action, and nothing. It seems to only be doing this with my left-hand shift and command keys, but I use those much more frequently. But I haven't been able to replicate it on the right-hand keys.
This behavior is across the computer from InDesign to Word to Firefox. I've looked at my keyboard preferences and I looked at StickyKeys, and I can't find anything that would cause this. Just to clarify, I don't use this symbol, nor have I used this symbol anytime recently. No idea how it would have been added to a shortcut on my computer.
Computer: Mac Mini running Mojave, with a wired Matias Keyboard. I've restarted the computer to no avail.
Any thoughts, or most preferably, solutions? I have no canned air, and I'm not quite sure how to clean this keyboard.
It seems to happen most when I hold shift down then Command (as I'm going to highlight a word with a cursor arrow, for example). But it doesn't happen everytime. And oddly, after it types the character, if I hit just shift after that, it will sometimes type that ± character again. So if I'm trying to capitalize a letter, it creates that character.
It's very intermittent, which makes it more annoying. In InDesign, for example, I can place my cursor in text, hold Shift, then press Command. It creates the character. I repeat the action, and nothing. It seems to only be doing this with my left-hand shift and command keys, but I use those much more frequently. But I haven't been able to replicate it on the right-hand keys.
This behavior is across the computer from InDesign to Word to Firefox. I've looked at my keyboard preferences and I looked at StickyKeys, and I can't find anything that would cause this. Just to clarify, I don't use this symbol, nor have I used this symbol anytime recently. No idea how it would have been added to a shortcut on my computer.
Computer: Mac Mini running Mojave, with a wired Matias Keyboard. I've restarted the computer to no avail.
Any thoughts, or most preferably, solutions? I have no canned air, and I'm not quite sure how to clean this keyboard.
Did you accidentally change your keyboard?
If you somehow changed it from "English (US)" to something else you'll get weirdness
posted by dustpuppy at 5:21 PM on April 1, 2020
If you somehow changed it from "English (US)" to something else you'll get weirdness
posted by dustpuppy at 5:21 PM on April 1, 2020
It appears that you can type the plus-or-minus symbol using [Option] + [Shift] + [=]. If your [=] key was being flaky, that would at least make some sense. I don't know why it's only happening with the left side shift/option keys, though.
I don't know how to go about cleaning that keyboard either, but I'd suggest you take a look at the [=] key and see if you can see/feel anything different. Sometimes just pressing the key several times in a row can clear up a glitchy key, at least for a while.
posted by yuwtze at 6:14 PM on April 1, 2020 [1 favorite]
I don't know how to go about cleaning that keyboard either, but I'd suggest you take a look at the [=] key and see if you can see/feel anything different. Sometimes just pressing the key several times in a row can clear up a glitchy key, at least for a while.
posted by yuwtze at 6:14 PM on April 1, 2020 [1 favorite]
Another guess: if I am making a ü on my keyboard I hit the diacritic and nothing happens, but if my next keystroke is a valid one för thät diacritic then it gets it. Is it possible the plus or the minus are working this way here to modify each other? So if you were a bit shaken or pressed twice out of frustration that it didn’t work the first press primes the diacritic giving no output nd the second press outputs the + but with the - diacritic?
posted by J.R. Hartley at 9:20 PM on April 1, 2020
posted by J.R. Hartley at 9:20 PM on April 1, 2020
Aw, I have always been more or less fond of ±.
posted by Cranberry at 1:27 AM on April 2, 2020 [6 favorites]
posted by Cranberry at 1:27 AM on April 2, 2020 [6 favorites]
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Sorry not to be more definite.
posted by zadcat at 4:52 PM on April 1, 2020