# \[4.7p7\] - Mac cmd+w closes Editor rather than tab

**URL:** <https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/4-7p7-mac-cmd-w-closes-editor-rather-than-tab/307076>\
**Category:** Platform & Builds\
**Tags:** UE4-7, unreal-engine, bug-report, editor, question\
**Created:** [February 16, 2015, 3:00am UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/4-7p7-mac-cmd-w-closes-editor-rather-than-tab/307076 "2015-02-16T03:00:43Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 14\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![AnadinX](https://d1ap1mz92jnks1.cloudfront.net/user_avatar/forums.unrealengine.com/anadinx/32/1008648_2.png) [@AnadinX](https://forums.unrealengine.com/u/AnadinX)\
**Post date:** [February 16, 2015, 3:00am UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/4-7p7-mac-cmd-w-closes-editor-rather-than-tab/307076/1 "2015-02-16T03:00:43Z")

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On Mac, cmd+w should close a tab but in 4.7 is closes the entire editor, this is only something that should happen with cmd+q

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**Author:** ![anonymous\_user\_6e7b421a](https://d3kjluh73b9h9o.cloudfront.net/original/4X/2/8/5/28502927f1d97ba1051b3b47ccfe17233bf41ef0.png) [@anonymous\_user\_6e7b421a](https://forums.unrealengine.com/u/anonymous_user_6e7b421a)\
**Post date:** [February 16, 2015, 3:57pm UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/4-7p7-mac-cmd-w-closes-editor-rather-than-tab/307076/2 "2015-02-16T15:57:28Z")

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Hello Anadin,

Thank your for your report. I will make this aware to the developers so we can get a fix implemented.

If you have any other questions or need assistance let us know.

Regards,

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**Author:** ![anonymous\_user\_cdc732a3](https://d3kjluh73b9h9o.cloudfront.net/original/4X/2/8/5/28502927f1d97ba1051b3b47ccfe17233bf41ef0.png) [@anonymous\_user\_cdc732a3](https://forums.unrealengine.com/u/anonymous_user_cdc732a3)\
**Post date:** [March 30, 2015, 7:11pm UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/4-7p7-mac-cmd-w-closes-editor-rather-than-tab/307076/3 "2015-03-30T19:11:51Z")

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Just got hit with this one myself! 4.7.3

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**Author:** ![AnadinX](https://d1ap1mz92jnks1.cloudfront.net/user_avatar/forums.unrealengine.com/anadinx/32/1008648_2.png) [@AnadinX](https://forums.unrealengine.com/u/AnadinX)\
**Post date:** [March 30, 2015, 11:46pm UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/4-7p7-mac-cmd-w-closes-editor-rather-than-tab/307076/4 "2015-03-30T23:46:15Z")

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Yup still there and still annoying 🙂

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**Author:** ![anonymous\_user\_6e7b421a](https://d3kjluh73b9h9o.cloudfront.net/original/4X/2/8/5/28502927f1d97ba1051b3b47ccfe17233bf41ef0.png) [@anonymous\_user\_6e7b421a](https://forums.unrealengine.com/u/anonymous_user_6e7b421a)\
**Post date:** [March 31, 2015, 2:38pm UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/4-7p7-mac-cmd-w-closes-editor-rather-than-tab/307076/5 "2015-03-31T14:38:20Z")

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Hey guys,

I made a bug report not long after this post was made with the tag UE-9919. We are working to resolve this issue and appreciate your patience while we address its importance and when a fix will be implemented.

Thank you,

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**Author:** ![anonymous\_user\_cdc732a3](https://d3kjluh73b9h9o.cloudfront.net/original/4X/2/8/5/28502927f1d97ba1051b3b47ccfe17233bf41ef0.png) [@anonymous\_user\_cdc732a3](https://forums.unrealengine.com/u/anonymous_user_cdc732a3)\
**Post date:** [April 1, 2015, 11:48pm UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/4-7p7-mac-cmd-w-closes-editor-rather-than-tab/307076/6 "2015-04-01T23:48:20Z")

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Just discovered, accidentally, a facet of this little annoyance: it turns out that it actually closes the ?uppermost? window. In my case, I’d dragged the Content Browser into it’s own window and left it on a secondary screen, then I kept working in the main window. When I then forgot and hit CMD-W, the Content Browser window closed, but my main window stayed open.

Now, I don’t yet know if it’s the most foreground window, as the Content Browser likes to keep on top of other windows, or if it is the most recently opened window.

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**Author:** ![anonymous\_user\_c46749cc](https://d3kjluh73b9h9o.cloudfront.net/original/4X/2/8/5/28502927f1d97ba1051b3b47ccfe17233bf41ef0.png) [@anonymous\_user\_c46749cc](https://forums.unrealengine.com/u/anonymous_user_c46749cc)\
**Post date:** [October 11, 2015, 5:35pm UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/4-7p7-mac-cmd-w-closes-editor-rather-than-tab/307076/7 "2015-10-11T17:35:17Z")

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I am also having this problem please fix it. It has been 2 major versions since then. 4.9.2

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**Author:** ![anonymous\_user\_6e7b421a](https://d3kjluh73b9h9o.cloudfront.net/original/4X/2/8/5/28502927f1d97ba1051b3b47ccfe17233bf41ef0.png) [@anonymous\_user\_6e7b421a](https://forums.unrealengine.com/u/anonymous_user_6e7b421a)\
**Post date:** [October 11, 2015, 7:51pm UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/4-7p7-mac-cmd-w-closes-editor-rather-than-tab/307076/8 "2015-10-11T19:51:22Z")

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The issue has been reported, but it was somewhat lower on our list of priorities due to resources being dedicated elsewhere.

With that in mind, I have gone ahead and updated the bug report to reflect the community’s interest in getting this issue fixed, and made sure it has been marked as affecting 4.8.3 and 4.9.2 engine versions.

Let me know if you have further questions.

Thanks,

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**Author:** ![anonymous\_user\_dd48c36c](https://d3kjluh73b9h9o.cloudfront.net/original/4X/2/8/5/28502927f1d97ba1051b3b47ccfe17233bf41ef0.png) [@anonymous\_user\_dd48c36c](https://forums.unrealengine.com/u/anonymous_user_dd48c36c)\
**Post date:** [September 17, 2018, 4:42pm UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/4-7p7-mac-cmd-w-closes-editor-rather-than-tab/307076/9 "2018-09-17T16:42:13Z")

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Not sure where to post this, but since I found this thread using a search engine for this particular issue, I thought I’d share it here.

If you’re really itching to do a hack fix to make Cmd+w close only the active tab, you can go to your Activity Monitor \> Disk \> Unreal Editor \> Double Click on it. Then go to the “Open Files and Ports” tab to locate the exact location of the Unreal Editor app file for the version you’re using. For me, this was:

/Users/Shared/Epic Games/UE\_4.15/Engine/Binaries/Mac/UE4Editor.app

The reason for this is because I’m following an old tutorial series.

Anyway, once you have that app location, copy it, and then open System Preferences \> Keyboard\> Shortcuts \> App Shortcuts and add it.

Define the shortcut as just “Close” and rebind it to something you’d never use, like "Cmd+Option+Shift+". Back out and close the window when you’re done.

Now, back in Unreal Editor, rebind your “Close Major Tab” command to “Cmd+W”.

You should be able to close individual tabs in the main window without shutting down the entire app now!

Enjoy 🙂

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**Author:** ![cgdf01](https://d3kjluh73b9h9o.cloudfront.net/original/4X/2/8/5/28502927f1d97ba1051b3b47ccfe17233bf41ef0.png) [@cgdf01](https://forums.unrealengine.com/u/cgdf01)\
**Post date:** [May 22, 2023, 3:13pm UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/4-7p7-mac-cmd-w-closes-editor-rather-than-tab/307076/11 "2023-05-22T15:13:32Z")

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Thankfully I save my map after every change I make because I just tried cmd+w as a shortcut to close a tab and there goes the entire platform. Talk about a design flaw.

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**Author:** ![GroceryRobot](https://d1ap1mz92jnks1.cloudfront.net/user_avatar/forums.unrealengine.com/groceryrobot/32/939206_2.png) [@GroceryRobot](https://forums.unrealengine.com/u/GroceryRobot)\
**Post date:** [September 11, 2023, 7:19am UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/4-7p7-mac-cmd-w-closes-editor-rather-than-tab/307076/12 "2023-09-11T07:19:02Z")

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September 2023, Mac user here reporting that this is STILL a problem. Eight years later and in the 5.0+ realm? C’mon guys. I’m sick of accidentally closing the entire editor because I’m using the shortcut keys properly.

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**Author:** ![esumerfd](https://d1ap1mz92jnks1.cloudfront.net/user_avatar/forums.unrealengine.com/esumerfd/32/951364_2.png) [@esumerfd](https://forums.unrealengine.com/u/esumerfd)\
**Post date:** [July 4, 2024, 12:34am UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/4-7p7-mac-cmd-w-closes-editor-rather-than-tab/307076/13 "2024-07-04T00:34:56Z")

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July 2024. Unreal 5.4.2. Still broken.

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**Author:** ![Sultan\_Vinnie](https://d3kjluh73b9h9o.cloudfront.net/original/4X/2/8/5/28502927f1d97ba1051b3b47ccfe17233bf41ef0.png) [@Sultan\_Vinnie](https://forums.unrealengine.com/u/Sultan_Vinnie)\
**Post date:** [July 5, 2024, 1:26pm UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/4-7p7-mac-cmd-w-closes-editor-rather-than-tab/307076/14 "2024-07-05T13:26:56Z")

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Signal boosting because although this thread was resolved in 2015, a workaround in mac os was posted in 2018 by anonymous\_user\_dd48c36c. I have tested it and it works. (july 2024)

I’m using a macbook air m1 with unreal 5.4.2 and indeed, if the keyboard shortcut for “Close” for UnrealEditor.app is binded to a different key combination, doing that alone freed up cmd+w to close tabs on my device.

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**Author:** ![mengineZZ](https://d3kjluh73b9h9o.cloudfront.net/original/4X/2/8/5/28502927f1d97ba1051b3b47ccfe17233bf41ef0.png) [@mengineZZ](https://forums.unrealengine.com/u/mengineZZ)\
**Post date:** [August 26, 2025, 7:16pm UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/4-7p7-mac-cmd-w-closes-editor-rather-than-tab/307076/15 "2025-08-26T19:16:20Z")

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Boosting this, as it is still an issue to this date.
