Don't exit full screen when pressing escape in apps like Safari on Lion

Question

In OS X Lion, pressing the ESC key exits full screen mode. Unfortunately, and especially when using Safari, ESC is used for other functions, such as in Javascript keystroke event handling. I don't want Lion to exit full screen mode when pressing escape, but I can't find a place to disable that functionality.

I already know the keyboard shortcut to Enter/exit full screen mode (Cmd-Ctrl-F). I want to disable the ESC shortcut. I've been Googling, but cannot find any answers.

Answer 1

For web browsers, and specifically for use of sites with behavior that enables or requires use of the Escape key while not preventing closing of full screen (like Stack Exchange sites), you can use the following user script:

// ==UserScript==
// @name           Keep Full Screen
// @namespace     http://superuser.com/q/315949
// @description    Prevents Escape key from leaving full screen.
// @include      http://*
// ==/UserScript==
document.onkeydown = function (evt) {
    if (evt.keyCode == 27) evt.preventDefault();
}

---

To run this in browsers, use any user script engine for your browser.

• For Safari 5, you can use the Safari extension NinjaKit (on GitHub). This is what I use.
• For Chrome, you can use its NinjaKit variant.
• For any other Safari on OS X, you can use the SIMBL plug-in GreaseKit. Not sure how up to date it is though.

Answer 2

Most situations native to OS X accept both Escape and Cmd-. to abort, e.g. file dialogs, Safari loading, dragging elements around, etc.

Notably absent from that list is, of course, leaving full screen mode.

---

So you could just learn to press Cmd-. instead of Escape to avoid this situation altogether. Or you can teach your computer to do it for you: An at least somewhat sane solution is to use e.g. Butler's Keystrokes item to map Escape to Cmd-.:

• Open Butler's configuration page
• Select any container, e.g. Hidden, click + » Smart Item » Keystrokes
• On the Keys tab, press Cmd-. to use this as the resulting keystroke when activating this item
• On the Triggers tab, select the Hot Key input field and press Escape. Ignore the warning that basically states you're insane.
• Remember to add e.g. Terminal to the exceptions list — it totally ignores Escape for leaving full screen, but pressing Ctrl-. translates to Ctrl-C!

---

In some situations, things will misbehave. Remapping the key to what's usually an equivalent keyboard shortcut is a sledgehammer solution. Quick Look, for example, doesn't handle Cmd-. (and therefore the remapped Escape for closing file previews); renaming files in Finder cannot be aborted anymore using Escape, nor selections e.g. in Finder be cleared.

In limited testing, I found no situation where pressing Cmd-. actually leads to undesirable actions being performed, but be aware that these probably also exist.

Answer 3

I didn't find an answer for macOs Sierra and higher. So that's how i solved this issue.

As it has been already suggested i've remapped ESC to ⌥ + ESC. It does the job and even some other functions assigned to the key works. You will be able to exit fullscreen videos on some sites, but it will not abort page loading.

First you need to install Karabiner-elements to be able to remap keys

1. Install brew /usr/bin/ruby -e "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/master/install)"
2. Install cask brew tap caskroom/cask
3. Install karabiner-elements brew cask install karabiner-elements

I've created custom "Complex modification" specifically for this problem. To install this modification you have to:

1. Open karabiner-elements and go to "Complex modifications" tab
2. Click "Add rule" button, then "Import more rules from the Internet"
3. Import modification "Don't exit fullscreen when pressing ESC in Safari"

Answer 4

Your possible options include:

1. Set alternative shortcuts for the other functions, because ESC is reserved by the OS and Browser.

2. Adjust the source / assembler machine code to rebind the ESC key of the OS and Browser.

3. File the bug/feature request against application developer (i.e. Google spreadsheets) to consume ESC event instead of letting it through.

4. File a bug with Apple, because the applications were here first, and Apple re-purposed the key without cause.

Answer 5

Try OptionEsc, which worked for me.

Answer 6

This is the same as the @aditya-srinivasan answer targeting Opera

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<root>
    <item>
  <!-- ============================================================ -->
  <appdef>
    <appname>OPERA</appname>
    <equal>com.operasoftware.Opera</equal>
  </appdef>

    <name>Escape to Option + Escape on Opera</name>
    <identifier>private.Opera_escape</identifier> 
    <only>OPERA</only>
    <autogen>__KeyToKey__ KeyCode::ESCAPE, KeyCode::ESCAPE, ModifierFlag::OPTION_L</autogen>
  </item>
  <!-- ============================================================ -->
</root>

See @aditya-srinivasan answers on the downloading https://pqrs.org/osx/karabiner/index.html.en

Answer 7

Just to flesh out the description a bit more.

ESC is used to cancel a drag, esc is used to cancel a dialog box, esc is used during a drag to cancel a move/copy, esc is used in terminal in VI to cancel an editing command

So, there are numerous uses. It is a weird oddity that Apple has this cancel full screen mode when that is possible by ctrl-cmd-F and the upper right icon.

This seems to be on an app by app basis Mail and Safari and other iLife items will exit full screen. iTunes stays full screen.

Reeder ignores the esc for the purpose of Full window control, and does other appropriate things for the program. Evernote does not even have a cmd-F or ctrl-cmd-F for window control, its the icon and the esc key.

You can't seem to map esc by itself to some non-harmful nonsense action in the keyboard control panel.

Answer 8

It looks like you're using JQuery. In that case:

Listen for keydown events (keypress and keyup won't work) on the document with keyCode 27, and when the event fires call e.preventDefault().

$(document).bind('keydown', function(e) {

    if (e.keyCode === 27) { // Escape key
        e.preventDefault();
        // Other code goes here    
    }

});

Answer 9

EASY, found it! KeyboardMaestro with 2 actions

When pressing "ESC" Simulate pressing (instead): - "CMD+." - THEN also "ALT+ESC"

You need both, because some app react only to one order or the other (sometimes to none, then nothing possible) -- >this way most apps will do like an "ESC" in their context, but you will never get exited from the full screen mode

Answer 10

I decided to have esc routed to alt/option + esc. For the most part, this lets me get out of YouTube vids, and if you have a Squarespace account, it lets you login without getting out of full screen.

• Download and install Karabiner.
• Go to the right most "Misc & Uninstall" tab.
• Click on the button that says "Open private.xml".
• Download the private.xml file from here
• Replace the original "private.xml" file in Finder with the downloaded file. Voila!

Answer 11

Use BetterTouchTool or KeyboardMaestro or something similar to remap Esc to ⌥ + Esc.

Answer 12

After some desperate search for the solution, I consign Safari to a separate virtual desktop with Mission control. This mitigates the ESC problem and is by far the best approximation to a fullscreen Safari window.

Bonus space if you hide the Dock.