cmd + space (and maybe Karabiner?)

[jrep]

I used to use CMD + SPACE to activate Alfred, but that doesn't work any more. How can I get it back?

 

More specifically, when I open the Alfred Preferences "General" tab, click in "Alfred Hotkey" (keyboard-focus highlight appears), and press CMD+SPACE, nothing happens. I can set other key combos, such as shift-cmd-space, but not cmd-space.

 

Investigating with Karabiner Event Viewer, I see that holding down cmd_l or cmd_r registers as "flags changed," but then pressing space shows no keystroke received. Same behavior on the built-in keyboard and external.

 

Some history and such-like details:

 

• MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Early 2013)
• Set caps-lock to ctrl in OS X settings (years ago)
• Have used Alfred since v1 days, on cmd-space
• Added external keyboard yesterday: Dell USB keyboard 0x2003 v3.01 (a PC keyboard)
• Installed Karabiner; defined the so-called "Application menu key" (has a picture of a menu) to provide caps-lock
• Seeking a way to make my mouse's clickable scroll wheel (btn3) activate Alfred, played with a few K settings
• (Up to here, cmd-space ==> Alfred was fine)
• Set Alfred's hotkey to ctrl-space (worked)
• Tried to restore it to cmd-space (nothing happens)

Attempted repairs (spoiler alert: no help)

• Quit Karabiner, tried setting Alfred's hotkey to cmd-space, no joy
• Uninstalled Karabiner (including a restart): no joy

 

[juliosecco]

Just guessing,

but CMD space is the default combo for spotlight,

did you try to  uncheck or change it on Mac OS X preferences?

[jrep]

From of old, I have "Show Spotlight search" disabled, in SysPrefs: Keyboard: Shortcuts.

 

But, ah HA! Enabling that warned me that "some other" setting was competing for that key combo, and highlighted "Input Sources," where "Select the previous input source" was enabled on cmd-space. Disabling that, and re-disabling the Spotlight one, enables me once again to   use cmd-space for Alfred!

 

Thanks for pointing me into the right direction!

[juliosecco]

Well,

glad to help you on a 'quirky' way!