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macOS Sequoia has blocked keyboard shortcuts.

· 3 min read
Doyul Kim, Ian
Doyul Kim, Ian
Cloud Engineer @STCLab, Wave Autoscale Team

macOS Sequoia has blocked a keyboard shortcut combination frequently used by developers for security reasons. Shortcuts that use only the Option (⌥) and Shift (⇧) keys no longer work as in the RegisterEventHotkey API.

:::warning[TL;DR]

  • When registering a shortcut that uses only Option+Shift, an error -9868 occurs.
  • Although the goal is to prevent keylogging malware, it is actually normal apps that are being affected.
  • For now, you'll need to use a new combination that adds the Command or Control key.
  • Apple's own apps are not subject to this restriction.

:::

Recently, I've noticed an issue where shortcuts aren't working properly while using several applications.

I tried several solutions, but ultimately found that the issue was caused by a change in macOS Sequoia.

What has changed?​

When using the RegisterEventHotkey API, it is no longer possible to register hotkeys using only the options and shift keys.

If you try, you will get -9868 (eventInternalErr) error.

func registerShortcut() {
    ...
    // This code doesn't work anymore
    let status = RegisterEventHotKey(
        keyCode,
        optionKey | shiftKey, // The problem
        ...
    )
    
    // status returns -9868 (eventInternalErr)
}

The above is a part of the shortcut registration code used in applications.

Why did it change like this?​

Posted on Apple Developer Forums

[macOS Sequoia] Using RegisterEventHotkey with option and shift modifiers doesn't work anymore

라는 제목의 글에서 Apple Frameworks Engineer가 이렇게 설명하고 있습니다:

This was an intentional change in macOS Sequoia to limit the ability of key-logging malware to observe keys in other applications. The issue of concern was that shift+option can be used to generate alternate characters in passwords, such as Ø (shift-option-O).

There is no workaround; macOS Sequoia now requires that a hotkey registration use at least one modifier that is not shift or option.

If we interpret this,

This is an intentional change in macOS Sequoia to limit the ability of keylogging malware to observe keystrokes from other applications. The concern is that using shift+option can create alternative characters in passwords, such as Ø (shift-option-O) and .

There is no workaround, and macOS Sequoia now requires that you use at least one modifier other than Shift or Option when registering a shortcut.

This is said to be a measure to prevent keylogging malware from intercepting special characters (e.g. Ø) entered with Option+Shift.

Problems actually experienced​

As a developer, here are some reasons why this change is quite concerning:

  • Existing apps are affected

    • All features in previously released apps that use this shortcut combination no longer work.
    • It can be difficult for users to understand why a feature suddenly stops working.

  • Workflow is broken

    • The Option+Shift combination was a combination I used frequently because it rarely conflicted with other apps, but now I need to find an alternative.
    • Developers of productivity tools and utility apps in particular are likely to be greatly affected.