# Shortcuts on Mac SU - not entering/showing shortcuts either **URL:** \ **Category:** SketchUp\ **Tags:** keyboard-shortcuts\ **Created:** [October 31, 2019, 12:40am UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/shortcuts-on-mac-su-not-entering-showing-shortcuts-either/107841 "2019-10-31T00:40:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![GGD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ac8455/32.png) [@GGD](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/GGD)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2019, 12:40am UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/shortcuts-on-mac-su-not-entering-showing-shortcuts-either/107841/1 "2019-10-31T00:40:31Z")
Hi - I’m having issues setting up my shortcuts in Mac SU. I get to the shortcuts setup through preferences, but it won’t let me type in my own shortcuts and it won’t show the existing basic shortcuts either e.g. command S = SAVE. I’ve worked previously on PC and would have loved to just import my .dat shortcut file, but that didn’t work either. Please see attached image, below for a better explanation on where I can’t type or show me items. Any help is appreciated! Thanks SU friends! ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/original/3X/8/b/8b6aa10a6a39e676c57afbe653f6632eeacb0f75.png) cid:78ADC779-9EF1-4391-8595-CCAFF9195FC9 ---
**Author:** ![slbaumgartner](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/user_avatar/forums.sketchup.com/slbaumgartner/32/7302_2.png) [@slbaumgartner](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/slbaumgartner)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2019, 12:52am UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/shortcuts-on-mac-su-not-entering-showing-shortcuts-either/107841/2 "2019-10-31T00:52:31Z")
I don’t know what else might be going on, but on Mac you can’t set command key shortcuts. They are preempted by the OS and menu system. ---
**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:** [October 31, 2019, 12:56am UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/shortcuts-on-mac-su-not-entering-showing-shortcuts-either/107841/3 "2019-10-31T00:56:09Z")
Would this be a delete the json file thing and let SketchUp make a new one on next start up? > [@GGD](#): > > but it won’t let me type in my own shortcuts On Mac you need to make sure you do not hit Enter after typing the shortcut key. ---
**Author:** ![pbacot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/41988e/32.png) [@pbacot](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/pbacot)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2019, 2:19am UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/shortcuts-on-mac-su-not-entering-showing-shortcuts-either/107841/4 "2019-10-31T02:19:29Z")
This seems to be a SketchUp thing. I can set command shortcuts in other software… ---
**Author:** ![simoncbevans](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/user_avatar/forums.sketchup.com/simoncbevans/32/15904_2.png) [@simoncbevans](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/simoncbevans)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2019, 7:56am UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/shortcuts-on-mac-su-not-entering-showing-shortcuts-either/107841/5 "2019-10-31T07:56:50Z")
I’m on a Mac and use Cmd-S for save. Seems to work. ---
**Author:** ![slbaumgartner](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/user_avatar/forums.sketchup.com/slbaumgartner/32/7302_2.png) [@slbaumgartner](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/slbaumgartner)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2019, 11:57am UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/shortcuts-on-mac-su-not-entering-showing-shortcuts-either/107841/6 "2019-10-31T11:57:55Z")
That’s the macOS shortcut for save, not one set by SketchUp or shown in its list. ---
**Author:** ![simoncbevans](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/user_avatar/forums.sketchup.com/simoncbevans/32/15904_2.png) [@simoncbevans](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/simoncbevans)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2019, 12:25pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/shortcuts-on-mac-su-not-entering-showing-shortcuts-either/107841/7 "2019-10-31T12:25:24Z")
Indeed Steve but why would you want two different shortcuts to achieve the same thing? ---
**Author:** ![slbaumgartner](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/user_avatar/forums.sketchup.com/slbaumgartner/32/7302_2.png) [@slbaumgartner](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/slbaumgartner)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2019, 12:47pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/shortcuts-on-mac-su-not-entering-showing-shortcuts-either/107841/8 "2019-10-31T12:47:59Z")
I wouldn’t. ---
**Author:** ![slbaumgartner](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/user_avatar/forums.sketchup.com/slbaumgartner/32/7302_2.png) [@slbaumgartner](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/slbaumgartner)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2019, 2:39pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/shortcuts-on-mac-su-not-entering-showing-shortcuts-either/107841/9 "2019-10-31T14:39:24Z")
I should clarify my earlier posts. To start at the beginning, on Mac there are three possible sources of keyboard shortcuts: - macOS itself - compiled menus in SketchUp - SketchUp user preferences **The first two kinds are preempted by macOS or by the app’s compiled menu system.** They use command key-chords (i.e. simultaneous presses of one or more other keys along with the command key) as shortcuts. These key-chords fire commands immediately without even passing the keypresses through to the SketchUp user Preferences shortcut system. The menus use key-chords that in many cases are conventional across all normal macOS apps, such as Cmd-S=\> File/Save and Cmd-X =\> Edit/Cut. The shortcuts are shown next to each menu item when you open a menu. **Menu shortcuts are compiled into the app and can’t be modified without recompiling, which an end-user can’t do.** **The SketchUp user Preferences system loads a separate default suite of user-editable shortcuts and target actions**. These are all available for modification by the user, and you can define new shortcuts for any target action listed in the Preferences dialog. **The target list includes the ones already assigned via menu item shortcuts, which allows you to create personal aliases for those items. But to avoid confusion about why you can’t change them, _Preferences does not display the macOS or menu command key-chords and does not allow you to assign a command key-chord via the dialog_.** **These behaviors can be confusing to users coming from Windows, where the menu shortcuts _can_ be reassigned via SketchUp’s preferences.**