My shortcut keys (1,2,3,4) are not working when I try to answer questions

Anki Help
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I have been using Anki for only 2 weeks now, so I recently ordered a remote to help me get through the cards more easily. When setting up the remote, I learned that the 1, 2, 3, and 4 keys could be used to answer questions instead of manually pressing the buttons on the screen. I tried this out, and it wasn’t working. Therefore, my remote also wasn’t working. I attempted to solve this issue. I updated my Anki, restarted the app and my computer, checked the preferences, opened the app while holding down the Shift button, and deleted add-ons. I also checked that my keyboard has US settings. I’m at a loss for what to do next :confused:

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  1. You can use 1-2-3-4 – but have you changed that to other keys?
    Preferences > Review > Answer keys

  2. If that looks right, go to Help/Anki > About – click “Copy Debug Info” – and paste that here when you respond.

  3. Were you trying to use 1-2-3-4 in the number row, or in the 10-key/keypad? When you press 1-2-3-4 with those keys somewhere else (like a text document outside of Anki, or a text field inside Anki) – do you get the numbers?

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I have already checked my preferences, the keys are still set to 1,2,3,4. I am using the keys in the number row because I am on a Mac. And yes, I do get the 1,2,3,4 when I press those keys in other windows.

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Here is the debug info:

Anki 25.09 (539054c3)
Python 3.13.5 Qt 6.9.1 PyQt 6.9.1
Platform: macOS-12.6-arm64-arm-64bit-Mach-O

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I am not able to reproduce the problem on my M1 Mac Mini system:

  • During review, pressing the keyboard top row 1 key (again) and 3 key (good) work as expected. And, by viewing Card Info, I confirmed that the Again/Good responses were recorded correctly.
  • When I hover the cursor over the Again/Hard/Good/Easy buttons, the correct tooltips appear. For example, when hovering over the Again button, the “Shortcut key: 1” tooltip appears.

I note that my Mac is running a different OS version, compared to the OP:
Anki 25.09 (539054c3)
Python 3.13.5 Qt 6.9.1 PyQt 6.9.1
Platform: macOS-15.6.1-arm64-arm-64bit-Mach-O

The OP appears to be running macOS 12.6 from September 2022.

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Thanks for the additional information. Let’s see if someone can reproduce it on an older version of macOS.

In the meantime – I don’t know how you’re setting up your remote, but you don’t need to map it to the 1-2-3-4 shortcuts. You should be able to map it to the grading buttons directly. These are the best instructions I’ve seen for setting up a remote – and you might find something helpful even if you are using a different controller.

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Thank you, I will try this.

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I updated my Mac to 15.6.1, so maybe this will resolve the issue

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Anki does not honor the number keys any more. When I press 2, it just ignores it. This bug makes Anki absolutely unusable obviously, as I cannot mark my cards as “easy,” or “hard” etc.

To troubleshoot, I rebooted in Safe Mode, disabled input methods, and tried to change the hotkeys 1-5 to be letters. None of this made a difference.
I tried it in a new test user account and it also did not work there.

I disabled all Anki Add-Ons and it didn’t fix the problem.

I have heard that this is a known bug related to Qt6 on MacOS. Is that correct? Is there any more workaround for this? I notice there is a “downgrade” option, should I choose a particular version and try that?

Thanks for any help

Running MacOS Tahoe and Anki Version ⁨25.09.2 (3890e12c)⁩
Python 3.13.5 Qt 6.9.1 Chromium 122

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Another Mac user previously reported the same issue: My shortcut keys (1,2,3,4) are not working when I try to answer questions

However at the time, I was not able to reproduce the problem on my Mac. And, I tried it again just now, and I am still not able to reproduce the problem on my system. Pressing the “3” key during review marks the card as “Good”, as expected. So, this is not a known issue that generally affects Mac systems, I believe.

My system config:

  • M1 Mac Mini
  • macOS 26.0.1 Tahoe, Anki 25.09.2
  • Problem not seen with either ABC or Unicode Hex Input input sources.

The previous Mac user was using an older version of macOS, which we thought might be related. But, you are seeing the problem with current macOS 26 Tahoe.

If you want to experiment with downgrading, I think that 25.07.2 was the version just before the Qt upgrade?

I’m not sure what might be going on, but to gather data:

  • What model of Mac are you using?
  • What brand/model keyboard are you using, and how is it connected to the Mac?
  • Do you have any other keyboards or controllers connected to the Mac?
  • What Input Source keyboard are you using? “ABC”? Or, something else?
  • Does pressing the Spacebar still flip the card from the front side to the back side?
  • Do the other, non-answer hotkeys work? For example, does pressing “I” bring up the card’s Info or pressing “R” Replay the audio?

Added: I notice that you used the phrase “no buttons”. Does this mean that the UI is not displaying the Again/Hard/Good/Easy buttons? You aren’t able to use the mouse to click on the buttons because there are no buttons displayed?

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If you want to experiment with downgrading, I think that 25.07.2 was the version just before the Qt upgrade?

It is the only thing I can think of. Anki worked fine for me a couple months ago, I’ve used it a lot in the past and never had any issues. Qt6 makes sense to me as a culprit but perhaps working in tandem with other aspects. See “data” below.

25.07.2 has the same issue for me. No buttons, keys unresponsive. I checked and it uses Qt6

In fact, I think all versions in the “downgrade” list use Qt6.

I’m not sure what might be going on, but to gather data:

  • What model of Mac are you using?

    • I’m on a MacBook Pro, 16 inch, 2021, with M1 chip.

  • What brand/model keyboard are you using, and how is it connected to the Mac?

    • Using an Apple wireless extended keyboard. Same model I used to use when it worked.

  • Do you have any other keyboards or controllers connected to the Mac?

    • No, but I’m displaying to an external monitor.

  • What Input Source keyboard are you using? “ABC”? Or, something else?

    • “US” (marked with an “A” in the system menubar)

  • Does pressing the Spacebar still flip the card from the front side to the back side?

    • Yes, it’s the only key that does seem to work

  • Do the other, non-answer hotkeys work? For example, does pressing “I” bring up the card’s Info or pressing “R” Replay the audio?

    • “I” “O” and “R” work fine.

  • Added: I notice that you used the phrase “no buttons”. Does this mean that the UI is not displaying the Again/Hard/Good/Easy buttons? You aren’t able to use the mouse to click on the buttons because there are no buttons displayed?

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The screenshot you posted is the Front side of the card, and it is normal that there are no Again/Hard/Good/Easy buttons displayed there. Could you please press the “Show Answer” button to flip to the Back side of the card to confirm that the Again/Hard/Good/Easy buttons are not there?

Have you tried all the troubleshooting steps in Troubleshooting - Anki Manual including steps #6 and #7 (changing video drivers and resetting window sizes)?

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Hi there,

Thanks for your comment.

Indeed it seems the “wrong” side of the card is showing! The truth is that I seem to have forgotten that the buttons are after I press the space key! I thought the buttons were supposed to be on the front of the card, and this is the mistake I’m making.

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