Eclipse ctrl+right does nothing

Question

I'm editing a Java source in Eclipse (Version: Kepler Release). I'm used no navigate text on other editors using Ctrl+Right to move to the next word and Ctrl+Shift+Right to select the next word. But on eclipse nothing happens, the cursor stays in the same place.

On Window->Preferences->General->keys the binding seems to be correct, it says: Command: Next Word; Binding: Ctrl+Right; When: Editing Text; Category: Text Editing.

But it's not working.

Inalienable

works for me in Kepler – Esoterica

Ensure your system is recognizing your keyboard correctly in other applications. – Mauri

Thanks, I don't know what was happening, but I just restarted and it works now. – Inalienable

this bug still exists in 2017 (Eclipse IDE for C/C++ Developers, Version: Neon.3 Release (4.6.3), Build id: 20170314-1500) – Thionate

I had the same problem, it wouldnt even recognise the vars, methods etc, was using casual Java EE IDE Eclipse, deleted it installed Neon and worked perfctly. maybe its just a bug happening randomly. – Photofinishing

The problem persists even after 7 years (since this post) - maybe the Eclipse devs are leaving it in on purpose, as an easter egg. – Microphone

Answer 1

Eclipse's welcome screen causes this kind of bug in the editor specifically (https://bugs.eclipse.org/bugs/show_bug.cgi?id=426557). Sometimes you can find that when you restart can't move with control+arrow in the editor but you can in other views like console window.

You can disable welcome screen ( in most eclipse based IDEs it's a checkbox in the welcome screen ) and then restart eclipse just to be sure it won't happend again. Everything will work again.

Swollen

I am also using Neon. "Just the restart" didn't work for me. But when I unchecked "Always show the welcome screen" at the bottom-right, it worked. – Honorary

It worked for me using Neon as well. What a wonderful time to be alive! – Hays

Worked for me on Neon :) – Vanquish

Same issue on Oxygen, and it worked after I unchecked welcome screen. thanks. – Moonshot

For me it was sufficient to just restart Eclipse Oxygen. The welcome screen did not show up after this (but I don't remember disabling it), and Ctrl+Arrows now work. – Scuff

Like other commenters, I needed to disable the welcome screen and then restart. Submitted edit to clarify answer. – Sussman

Still an issue in Photon and disabling the welcome screen and restarting still fixes it – Ferric

Still exists over 3 years later in Eclipse IDE 2019-03 (4.11.0) - Disabling the Welcome Screen works! Thanks! – Ruyter

works for Eclipse CDT Version: 2019-09 R (4.13.0). Thanks! – Ruscio

Six years ago and It's still working for me! Many thanks – Tantalize

Works - can't believe this is root cause. I want to continue using Eclipse instead of a commerical app (Intellij), but this is disappointing... – Jody

Answer 2

I had an issue just like this with Eclipse Neon. I was baffled by answers I was finding about the welcome screen, but I disabled it, and apparently that was causing the issue, because Ctrl+Shift+Right/Left worked, after disabling it. In Neon, the welcome screen has an "Always show Welcome at startup" box you can uncheck, in the lower right corner of the welcome screen when it appears. After unchecking it, selecting words worked, again. Somehow.

Botticelli

In my Eclipse Neon, when I try to uncheck the box, the system doesn't seem to care and the next time it is again checked. I created another question about how to disable the Welcome Screen in Eclipse Neon. – Intrust

It worked me when I unchecked it and close the welcome window, thanks. Don't choose "go back workbench" option or something like that – Vertievertiginous

Answer 3

I've got the same problem with Eclipse-Oxygen and disabling the welcome screen fixed the issue. I gave this answer just to confirm the solutions explained above also work for the following eclipse version;

1: Eclipse-Oxygen Version: Oxygen.1a Release (4.7.1a) (released on October 2017)

2: Version: Oxygen.3a Release (4.7.3a) Build id: 20180405-1200

Pileate

Answer 4

This issue is caused by the welcome screen. Uncheck the "Always show..." checkbox on you welcome screen.

If welcome screen of your eclipse distribution does not have the "Always show..." checkbox, then another option to disable welcome screen is to create file in your workspace:

.metadata\.plugins\org.eclipse.ui.intro\introstate

and insert following content:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<state reopen="false"/>

Homeric

Answer 5

On ubuntu 16.4 Welcome screen is blank and there is no way to disable it. Installing libwebkitgtk-3.0-0 as suggested on eclipse site work just partially and no check box are showed.

Last resource: find where are your plugin directory and remove

org.eclipse.ui.intro.universal_3.3.0.v20160519-1604.jar

In my installation was at

~/.p2/pool/plugins/org.eclipse.ui.intro.universal_3.3.0.v20160519-1604.jar

Just a note: in the last 4/5 years Eclipse's bugs was raising very fast :( ....

Haemachrome

Answer 6

To be precise you don't need to restart Eclipse, but close "affected" document only. It works for me - Oxygen.2 Release (4.7.2)

Alessandro

Answer 7

On menu Window->Preferences->General->keys click on "Restore Defaults" button and everything works again.

Tepper

Answer 8

The permanent solutions suggested here work perfectly well. However, there might be some cases when you are not in a position to restart the IDE / workspace (maybe you are running a localhost server) - and you are really used to ctrl + backspacing and the like; I have a quicker workaround - just close and reopen any file that you need to edit. The bug only affects files that were open at start - ones that auto open (likely from the last session) after the welcome screen. Use this until you get to restart your IDE and then make it stop showing the welcome screen.

Microphone