Ctrl+A shortcuts not working in File Explorer (since 24H2 update)

Question

Ctrl+A shortcuts not working in File Explorer (since 24H2 update)

Anonymous

NOTE: I also asked this question on Reddit r/WindowsHelp, without getting any concrete solutions.

Hi everyone!

I honestly feel a bit lost (and dumb) for not understanding what happened, but I'll tell you what my situation is about.

It wasn't long ago that the Windows 11 24H2 update arrived on my laptop, and before that update arrived, I was able to use shortcuts in Windows File Explorer, for example, the Ctrl+A shortcut.

After the 24H2 update, File Explorer seems to be recognizing only the main shortcuts like Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V, Ctrl+X, but ignoring one of the shortcuts I use the most: Ctrl+A.

CHECKS:

Before anyone tells me "it might be a keyboard problem" or "your drivers are out of date," believe me, I've already anticipated that. This same shortcut works in my music player, as well as in text editors and web browsers (it selects all content), except for one program in particular: yes, File Explorer.

To rule out possible hardware damage, I also used the On-Screen Keyboard, performing the shortcut, but getting the error sound instead of the expected action.

OTHER SIMILAR POSTS ON WINDOWS FORUMS AND ON REDDIT:

As everyone should do, I reviewed existing posts that reflect problems similar to this one, but none of the proposed "solutions" provide a positive effect on my problem, which is why I am turning to you.

THE QUESTION:

I doubt this is an OS bug as such, but it may be because, as happens with every major update, various system settings seem to revert to their default values, and so here's my question:

Is it possible that during the update some keyboard-related settings were changed? If that turns out to be true, where can I re-enable those shortcuts for Windows File Explorer?

Thanks for your attention!

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

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Answer accepted by question author

7 additional answers

Answer 1

NOTE: I also asked this question on Reddit r/WindowsHelp, without getting any concrete solutions.

Hi everyone!

I honestly feel a bit lost (and dumb) for not understanding what happened, but I'll tell you what my situation is about.

It wasn't long ago that the Windows 11 24H2 update arrived on my laptop, and before that update arrived, I was able to use shortcuts in Windows File Explorer, for example, the Ctrl+A shortcut.

After the 24H2 update, File Explorer seems to be recognizing only the main shortcuts like Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V, Ctrl+X, but ignoring one of the shortcuts I use the most: Ctrl+A.

CHECKS:

Before anyone tells me "it might be a keyboard problem" or "your drivers are out of date," believe me, I've already anticipated that. This same shortcut works in my music player, as well as in text editors and web browsers (it selects all content), except for one program in particular: yes, File Explorer.

To rule out possible hardware damage, I also used the On-Screen Keyboard, performing the shortcut, but getting the error sound instead of the expected action.

OTHER SIMILAR POSTS ON WINDOWS FORUMS AND ON REDDIT:

As everyone should do, I reviewed existing posts that reflect problems similar to this one, but none of the proposed "solutions" provide a positive effect on my problem, which is why I am turning to you.

THE QUESTION:

I doubt this is an OS bug as such, but it may be because, as happens with every major update, various system settings seem to revert to their default values, and so here's my question:

Is it possible that during the update some keyboard-related settings were changed? If that turns out to be true, where can I re-enable those shortcuts for Windows File Explorer?

Thanks for your attention!

Dear User CharlieFuu69;

After doing some research I found a final answer for your problem. I'm a user like you and I faced this problem too.

The current shortcut for the "Select All" is no longer CTRL + A on file explorer, I found this on a harsh way since when you hover this option it wont show you the keys either.

The "new" shortcut is CTRL + E, this might work as butter in your current version of Windows 11. Give it a try and make me know if it works for you as well, this way the community also knows this "workaround" until Microsoft do something to let users knows about the changes and make things intuitive.

Thanks for your time.

Answer 2

Anonymous

Hey Tadeo04, I just tested it on my system (Windows 11 24H2, build 26100.3194) and Ctrl + E works perfectly as a replacement for Ctrl + A in File Explorer. Thanks for pointing this out! Microsoft really should make these changes more intuitive.

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Answer 3

Anonymous

So this is a bit of a step back for the Explorer shortcuts. What was the motivation for discontinuing the shortcut? I have no idea, but I don't like it at all.

0 comments

Answer 4

Anonymous

Ctrl+E

in File Explorer > focus to Search bar

in Outlook mail: changes layout from Left to Center in alinea

in Edge; opens Search bar

Seems the 'Select all' option is gone (tried all letters with Ctrl)

0 comments

Answer 5

Hi，CharlieFuu69

Welcome to Microsoft Community.

According to your description, your shortcut key CTRL+A cannot be used in File Explorer, while other shortcut keys can work normally, and can work normally in other browsers and music lists, etc. Only CTRL+A in File Explorer cannot be used.

This is indeed a very strange problem.

Please check whether there are third-party security/protection software in your system below. If so, please uninstall them. And restore all default settings in File Explorer. And can you manually select all in the "..." symbol?

When you use the on-screen keyboard, does any error prompt pop up when pressing the CTRL+A key?

Try to use a clean boot to see if it is affected by other programs:

I recommend trying aclean bootwhichstarts Windows with a minimal set of drivers and startup programs. It can be used to determine whether a background service or program is interfering or causing a problem. These steps of "clean boot" might look complicated at first glance. However, to avoid any trouble for you, please follow them in order and step-by-step

In addition, this may be that after the new version of the update, your hardware device is incompatible with the Windows 11 file explorer. In this case, you need to roll back the update or delete the update:

Go back to the previous version of Windows - Microsoft Support

How to uninstall a Windows Update - Microsoft Support

There is currently no redeployment setting for the file explorer. You may need to re-install the Windows system (as a last resort).

Disclaimer:At this point, we have exhausted all troubleshooting and I recommend that we try to perform a clean install to get your computer back into a working condition.Please ensure that you backup any important data, including Documents, Pictures, Videos, and more. After that, you can find instructions on how to install Windows 10/11 in the following article by MVP Andre:How to: Perform a Custom Installation of Windows 11 and Windows 10 - Microsoft Community

If all troubleshooting solutions cannot solve this problem, we may need to consider feedback to the Windows team. Or if you don't mind, you can temporarily use a third-party file explorer.

Best Regards,

Logan | Microsoft Community Support Specialist

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Ctrl+A shortcuts not working in File Explorer (since 24H2 update)

7 additional answers