# Pressing a Letter Key to Select a Group in Outliner **URL:** \ **Category:** Feature Requests\ **Created:** [March 26, 2026, 1:36pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/pressing-a-letter-key-to-select-a-group-in-outliner/345674 "2026-03-26T13:36:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Michael\_Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ebca7d/32.png) [@Michael\_Duke](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/Michael_Duke)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2026, 1:36pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/pressing-a-letter-key-to-select-a-group-in-outliner/345674/1 "2026-03-26T13:36:25Z")
…can you please, PLEASE _ **PLEASE** _ make this optional? Before, you would select something in Outliner, press a key and the corresponding tool would be selected. Now it jumps to a group in the Outliner that begins with that letter. This catches me out so many times, it messes up my workflow and what is even the point of it if the Outliner already has a search field? ---
**Author:** ![DaveR](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/user_avatar/forums.sketchup.com/daver/32/7601_2.png) [@DaveR](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/DaveR)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2026, 1:42pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/pressing-a-letter-key-to-select-a-group-in-outliner/345674/2 "2026-03-26T13:42:52Z")
I wonder if that’s a Mac thing. Can you share a screen video capture of it? I just checked in SU2026 on Windows and don’t see the same behavior. I would expect that behavior if the Filter field is active, though. ![outliner](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/original/4X/b/7/4/b74eea6e735931d55ba4e4b4cf8c8a32f10e006e.gif) ---
**Author:** ![ateliernab](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/user_avatar/forums.sketchup.com/ateliernab/32/198399_2.png) [@ateliernab](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/ateliernab)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2026, 11:01pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/pressing-a-letter-key-to-select-a-group-in-outliner/345674/3 "2026-03-27T23:01:01Z")
> [@DaveR](#): > > I wonder if that’s a Mac thing. Can you share a screen video capture of it? I just checked in SU2026 on Windows and don’t see the same behavior. I would expect that behavior if the Filter field is active, though. I can confirm, it’s a mac / cocoa thing. it doesn’t happen on QT (just tried). could be related to the way panels ware separate windows in cocoa. There are other similar issues where SU looses focus on the main window. sorry to report @Michael_Duke , SU has been working on bringing the QT interface from PC to mac for some time now, and since then most UI issues with the existing system (cocoa) are on hold (they’re not working on fixing every small change apple is causing when at the same time they’re working on a new / unified UI) ---
**Author:** ![Michael\_Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ebca7d/32.png) [@Michael\_Duke](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/Michael_Duke)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2026, 4:10pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/pressing-a-letter-key-to-select-a-group-in-outliner/345674/4 "2026-03-28T16:10:01Z")
Dave – here’s a screen recording of what’s happening: ---
**Author:** ![bmike](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/user_avatar/forums.sketchup.com/bmike/32/225451_2.png) [@bmike](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/bmike)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2026, 5:53pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/pressing-a-letter-key-to-select-a-group-in-outliner/345674/5 "2026-03-28T17:53:01Z")
This is a common and aggravating and insane Mac bug. You need to click back into the modeling window for it to regain focus. I have made so many m layers and l layers and whatever because if you use the pull down in the entity info to assign something to a layer but immediately start typing for the next command it will think you are trying to make a new layer. I don’t use Outliner so I’ve never seen this. ---
**Author:** ![colin](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/user_avatar/forums.sketchup.com/colin/32/266703_2.png) [@colin](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/colin)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2026, 10:18pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/pressing-a-letter-key-to-select-a-group-in-outliner/345674/6 "2026-03-28T22:18:15Z")
I tried this in SketchUp 2017, and the behavior was the same then. ---
**Author:** ![ateliernab](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/user_avatar/forums.sketchup.com/ateliernab/32/198399_2.png) [@ateliernab](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/ateliernab)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2026, 6:55am UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/pressing-a-letter-key-to-select-a-group-in-outliner/345674/7 "2026-03-29T06:55:43Z")
yeah, it changes with QT though. @Michael_Duke the labs program is the alpha / beta of sketchup. it’s like fight club, can’t tell you more about it, but Colin or @TedVitale_SU might. keep in mind though that it’s not as stable as the regular version because in labs we test stuff. (I’m thinking having a tester with a very specific limitation can only be a good thing, new tools have a better chance of being compatible if you start giving feedback at the root) * * *