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BackwardKillWord bound to Escape,Backspace not working #5170
Description
Prerequisites
- Write a descriptive title.
- Make sure you are able to repro it on the latest released version
- Search the existing issues.
- Refer to the FAQ.
- Refer to Differences between Windows PowerShell 5.1 and PowerShell.
Steps to reproduce
I believe this is a default KeyHandler, but ESC-Backspace is no longer working for me. The other handlers using Escape all seem to work (ESC-u and ESC-l to upper/lowercase a word, ESC-b and ESC-f to move forward/backword by word, ESC-d to forward kill a word, etc.). But ESC-Backspace just does ... nothing.
I set a new handler for 'Escape,Delete' to do a BackwardKillWord and that works, so it seems the problem is something with my Escape key.
My backspace in a normal terminal sends a Ctrl-H. It's been that way for years, but this stopped working a couple months ago.
Expected behavior
Pressing Escape,Backspace should delete the word before the current cursor location.Actual behavior
Nothing happens.Error details
No error is produced.Environment data
PS> get-psReadLineKeyHandler -Chord "Escape,Backspace"
Basic editing functions
=======================
Key Function Description
--- -------- -----------
Escape,Backspace BackwardKillWord Move the text from the start of the current
or previous word to the cursor to the kill
ring
PS> $PSVersionTable
Name Value
---- -----
PSVersion 7.6.2
PSEdition Core
GitCommitId 7.6.2
OS macOS 14.8.7
Platform Unix
PSCompatibleVersions {1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0…}
PSRemotingProtocolVersion 2.4
SerializationVersion 1.1.0.1
WSManStackVersion 3.0
Visuals
No response
Activity
nemws1 commentedon May 31, 2026
I should add ... I'm running in an XTerm. I tried the normal Mac Terminal app and ESC-Backspace IS working correctly there. Again, this worked fine in my Xterm a few months ago and I haven't changed anything in Xquartz/Xterm.
Powershell 7.6.2 and PSReadLine 2.4.5
Is there any way I get Powershell to report what it thinks I'm pressing when I'm pressing Backspace?
kilasuit commentedon Jun 3, 2026
Dongbo Wang (@daxian-dbw) Should this be in the PRReadline repo? if such can we move this across to that repo please?