Left Shift Key Makes Everything Disappear; Right Shift Key Works Normally

Question

Left Shift Key Makes Everything Disappear; Right Shift Key Works Normally

My 85-year-old mother (and Wall Street exec) is in a panic. She has an iMac she purchased two years ago; she is on Sonoma 14.6.1. She was working on a business letter and "suddenly" all her desktop files shifted to the right; she cannot drag them back to where she had them. Her computer also generated folders for her documents all on its own. The most problematic issue is that when she clicks the left shift button, everything onscreen disappears. It returns when she clicks the left shuft key again.

We have tried restarting the computer, restarting holding down shift-control-option. We have gone into System Settings -> Keyboard and have hit Restore Defaults on everything. Nothing changes. What else can we do? Please keep in mind she is not computer savvy. She did not even know she had a power button until a few minutes ago.. She was unplugging and replugging her power cable. And she had no idea she could create folders to store her docs. So any solution must be easy for her to follow. Thank you.

iMac (M1, 2021)

Posted on Nov 26, 2024 12:38 PM

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Answer 1

Nov 26, 2024 5:18 PM in response to SaotomeRanchan

SaotomeRanchan wrote:

...She was working on a business letter and "suddenly" all her desktop files shifted to the right; she cannot drag them back to where she had them. Her computer also generated folders for her documents all on its own. The most problematic issue is that when she clicks the left shift button, everything onscreen disappears. It returns when she clicks the left shuft key again.

This sounds like behavior related to using "stacks" on the desktop. Stacks organizes desktop files into groups of similar files.

Use desktop stacks on Mac - Apple Support

The part about clicking the shift button (?). Are you speaking of the left "shift key" on the keyboard or are you referring to the left mouse button here?

Have she or you installed any utility software on her iMac, like anti-virus or clean up apps? These sometimes cause odd behavior.

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Answer 2

g_wolfman

Level 4

2,128 points

Nov 26, 2024 6:52 PM in response to SaotomeRanchan

It sounds kind of like the behaviour expected when Stage Manager is activated, and like somehow you have mapped the left Shift key to toggle Stage Manager.

You can turn Stage Manager on and off in System Settings - I believe under Desktop and Dock. Keyboard bindings is also there under Keyboard and then the Shortcuts tab - and there ought to be an option to restore the default keybindings (and if your mother doesn't use custom keyboard shortcuts, then resetting them should be fine)

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Answer 3

Nov 26, 2024 6:55 PM in response to D.I. Johnson

TBH I've never even heard of Stacks, and she is completely computer unsavvy -- remember, she didn't even know there was a power button on her keyboard -- so if Stacks was triggered, neither of us would know how.

The left shift button on her keyboard.

She does not know how to install anything on her computer. Whenever she needs anything, she takes the entire computer in to her local Apple Store. Unfortunately, she and I live in different states, so I can't help her. I can only guide her over the phone.

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Answer 4

Nov 26, 2024 6:59 PM in response to g_wolfman

Never heard of Stage Manager, tbh. But I did have her restore defaults under System Settings --> Accessibility --> Keyboard --> Keyboard Shortcuts --> Desktop & Dock. That didn't change anything. Keyboard, Modifier Keys, Function Keys, and Display were also restored to default. Nothing changed.

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Answer 5

Nov 26, 2024 1:16 PM in response to SaotomeRanchan

We have also tried option-command-p-r and that didn't change anything, either. She is ready to unplug the entire machine and take it in to the closest Apple Store.

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