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TMO Quick Tip - Disabling Spotlight's Keyboard Shortcut

by , 7:30 AM EDT, April 26th, 2006

Tiger's Spotlight search feature is great for locating documents even if you can't remember the file name. Spotlight isn't so great, however, if it keeps getting in your way. One problem that many Tiger users deal with is that Spotlight's Command-Space keyboard shortcut interferes with shortcuts in other applications. For example, in Adobe InDesign, Command-Space invokes the Zoom tool.

If you don't want to use a keyboard shortcut for Spotlight, it's easy to disable. Here's how:

  • Launch System Preferences by choosing Apple menu > System Preferences.
  • Click the Spotlight icon.
  • Click the Search Results tab.
  • Uncheck Spotlight menu keyboard shortcut.


Turn off Spotlight's keyboard shortcut to avoid conflicts in other applications.

You can also use the Spotlight menu keyboard shortcut pop-up menu to choose a function key that invokes Spotlight, but I found that it's more convenient to simply disable its keyboard shortcut than to work around the list of applications it conflicts with. You can still hunt for documents with Spotlight by clicking the blue search icon in the menuu bar.

if you have ideas for Mac related tips that you think other TMO readers might find helpful.

Observer Comments

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Close Name:vasic Posts: 278 Joined: 09 Aug 2005
Wed Apr 26, 2006 9:54 am Subject: It was wrong combination from the start

The Command+Space combination to invoke spotlight was a bad choice to begin with. For as far as I can remember, this was the combination to cycle through the keyboard layouts. I have been using it throughout OS X, and, as far as I recall, it was there even in 9. Then, suddenly, Tiger rolls around and hijacks this combination for the all-new spotlight. Now, whenever I install Tiger on a Mac, I have to go into the preferences and re-map these shortcuts. What's even funnier is that, out of the box, Tiger comes pre-configured with this conflict! There is an exclamation point sign next to the keyboard layout cycling command! I am really struggling to believe that nobody in entire Apple Computer noticed this before shipping Tiger...


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Close Name:Guest
Wed Apr 26, 2006 11:51 am Subject: Command + Space

This has been the keyboard shortcut to switch between Japanese text input and English character text input since at least System Seven. It carried over seamlessly from OS 9 into OS X, and then suddenly disappeared, maybe around the time 10.4 was introduced. No announcement that I heard about. Whenever it was, it was long after Spotlight.

What is worse, since this was a language shortcut not a keyboard shortcut, changing the preference does not seem to restore Japanese text input and English character text input switching in the way vasic describes.


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Close Name:Guest
Wed Apr 26, 2006 4:01 pm Subject: Well, Apple COMMANDs their own SPACE! n/t

n/t


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Close Name:Guest
Thu Apr 27, 2006 3:09 am Subject: legacy or utility ?

cmd-space is prime real estate on the keyboard for most users. Legacy compatibility reasons suggest keeping it for the input swap - BUT this is really little used (if used at all) by most mac owners. Spotlight is far more heavily used, so has been assigned this prime combination.

Criticise the non-explicit way it has been done - but tying up this combination for something rarely needed makes little sense.

Just say ten times a day "I can learn new shortcuts, I can learn new shorcuts, I can learn...."


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