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How to make macOS system keyboard shortcuts work?

  • 4 replies
  • 2 have this problem
  • 10 views
  • Last reply by hongsy2006

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I set up an "App shortcut" hotkey in macOS's System Preferences binding ⌘⇧N (command+shift+N) to "New Private Window", but it doesn't work - when I press the key combination, a new *non-private* browser window opens instead.

In the first attached image, you can see the shortcut configured in the `Shortcuts` pane of macOS' System Preferences application.

In the second image, you can see Firefox's `File` menu open, and verify that the shortcut is correctly assigned to "New Private Window", where it has replaced the default ⌘⇧P.

However, as I said above, the custom key combination doesn't work - it seems to in fact trigger the regular "New Window", which is still the default ⌘N (command+N, no shift key).

Any one know if this is a known issue, and if there are any solutions?

Using a different key combination is not useful for me, since I'm trying to switch from Chrome and have ⌘⇧N very ingrained in my behavior (I pretty much always use private windows unless I need to log in to a site or explicitly want the history saved). If I can't have ⌘⇧N then I might as well just try to adjust to the default ⌘⇧P.

The fact that executing the shortcut brings up a non-private window makes the whole thing much worse - I'm ending up using non-private windows when I think I'm using private ones :/

I set up an "App shortcut" hotkey in macOS's System Preferences binding ⌘⇧N (command+shift+N) to "New Private Window", but it doesn't work - when I press the key combination, a new *non-private* browser window opens instead. In the first attached image, you can see the shortcut configured in the `Shortcuts` pane of macOS' System Preferences application. In the second image, you can see Firefox's `File` menu open, and verify that the shortcut is correctly assigned to "New Private Window", where it has replaced the default ⌘⇧P. However, as I said above, the custom key combination doesn't work - it seems to in fact trigger the regular "New Window", which is still the default ⌘N (command+N, no shift key). Any one know if this is a known issue, and if there are any solutions? Using a different key combination is not useful for me, since I'm trying to switch from Chrome and have ⌘⇧N very ingrained in my behavior (I pretty much always use private windows unless I need to log in to a site or explicitly want the history saved). If I can't have ⌘⇧N then I might as well just try to adjust to the default ⌘⇧P. The fact that executing the shortcut brings up a non-private window makes the whole thing much worse - I'm ending up using non-private windows when I think I'm using private ones :/
Attached screenshots

All Replies (4)

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Natively, Command+Shift+n is the keyboard shortcut to re-open the last closed window. To test whether it is that or something else, try loading some content into that window and then close the window before using the keyboard shortcut again.

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jscher2000 said

Natively, Command+Shift+n is the keyboard shortcut to re-open the last closed window. To test whether it is that or something else, try loading some content into that window and then close the window before using the keyboard shortcut again.

Thanks; I'm already aware of Cmd+Shift+n -> re-open window... the issues is that I want it to open a private window *instead*.

On a user intent level, it seems like custom shortcuts I add should take precedence, but that's not what I'm seeing.

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Hi nrser, could you confirm what Command+Shift+n is currently doing with your custom key assignment in place? In other words, is your custom key assignment:

  • being completely ignored -- Firefox is following its native behavior of re-opening the last closed window
  • partially working -- it opens a new window, but of the wrong kind (this would be hard to explain)
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This bug is tracked in Bugzilla #1333781

Modified by hongsy2006