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Physical Escape Button not working – MacBook Pro (13-inch, M1, 2020)

Hey Guys, what can I do to regain the function of my MacBook Pro's physical escape button?


  • I'm using the escape function (physical button) to:


    • Exit spreadsheet cell after reading/editing formulas
    • Exit fullscreen view
    • Exit Searches


Looking forward to hearing your advice. Thanks!

MacBook Pro 13″, macOS 12.0

Posted on Dec 19, 2021 9:06 PM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Dec 20, 2021 12:30 AM

RCYH Said:

"Physical Escape Button not working – MacBook Pro (13-inch, M1, 2020): [...]]I'm hoping to understand from the community/debug to see if it's a user problem or a system issue."

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Does the esc button work on other apps?


Three Thoughts:

A. Single Out this User:

Try creating a new administrator user, logging in to it, and then trying this once more. Do you still get this error? If so, it is likely an error with the macOS being corrupted somehow.


B. Try Safe Mode:

In Safe Mode, login items do not run, and corrupt system files(i.e. caches) are intentionally reset as a way to fix issues

  1. Boot: in to Safe Mode: [Hold Down: shift key upon boot].
  2. Log in: as same user
  3. Delete: this user
  4. Restart the Mac


C. Reinstall the macOS:

Nothing would be deleted. It's just that items that have become corrupted or deleted, would be replaced or reinstalled back to where they should be. Go Here: How to reinstall macOS from macOS Recovery - Apple SupportImportant: Be certain to create a backup of your Mac prior to all of this. That way, you can have something to restore from the Mac from, should anything go wrong with the reinstall. Once reinstalled, try this once more, seeing if you still get this error.

6 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Dec 20, 2021 12:30 AM in response to RCYH

RCYH Said:

"Physical Escape Button not working – MacBook Pro (13-inch, M1, 2020): [...]]I'm hoping to understand from the community/debug to see if it's a user problem or a system issue."

-------


Does the esc button work on other apps?


Three Thoughts:

A. Single Out this User:

Try creating a new administrator user, logging in to it, and then trying this once more. Do you still get this error? If so, it is likely an error with the macOS being corrupted somehow.


B. Try Safe Mode:

In Safe Mode, login items do not run, and corrupt system files(i.e. caches) are intentionally reset as a way to fix issues

  1. Boot: in to Safe Mode: [Hold Down: shift key upon boot].
  2. Log in: as same user
  3. Delete: this user
  4. Restart the Mac


C. Reinstall the macOS:

Nothing would be deleted. It's just that items that have become corrupted or deleted, would be replaced or reinstalled back to where they should be. Go Here: How to reinstall macOS from macOS Recovery - Apple SupportImportant: Be certain to create a backup of your Mac prior to all of this. That way, you can have something to restore from the Mac from, should anything go wrong with the reinstall. Once reinstalled, try this once more, seeing if you still get this error.

Dec 19, 2021 10:58 PM in response to RCYH

RCYH Said:

"Physical Escape Button not working – MacBook Pro (13-inch, M1, 2020): Hey Guys, what can I do to regain the function of my MacBook Pro's physical escape button? I'm using the escape function (physical button) to: Exit spreadsheet cell after reading/editing formulas[...]"

-------


Are you Using Excel?

Sounds like you're using Microsoft Excel? If so, contact Microsoft Support. They are the developer of the software.


Start Here:  Microsoft Contact Us Virtual Agent - Microsoft Support. Perform a chat session with Microsoft using a computer, as it would be more user-friendly doing so

Physical Escape Button not working – MacBook Pro (13-inch, M1, 2020)

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