Why does Alt+Z type the character ˀ instead of toggling word wrap in VS Code on macOS?

I'm using VS Code (actually Cursor, a VS Code fork) on macOS and noticed that pressing Alt+Z doesn't toggle word wrap as expected. Instead, it inserts a strange character: ˀ (U+02C0).

I checked my keybindings and confirmed that:

• Alt+Z is bound to editor.action.toggleWordWrap
• There are no other conflicting bindings on Alt+Z.

Later, I check it even outside of VS Code (e.g., in TextEdit or Terminal), pressing Alt+Z still types ˀ

So, on investigating it further, I found that the issue is caused by the ABC - India keyboard layout on macOS.

This layout modifies how the Option (Alt) key behaves — it’s designed to support extended characters like ₹ (rupee symbol) and other Unicode symbols. In this layout:

• Alt+Z (or ⌥ Option+Z) produces the character ˀ (U+02C0 Modifier Letter Glottal Stop)

• As a result, VS Code or Cursor receives a character input, not a keyboard shortcut trigger

Solution: Use a standard layout

To fix this, switch to the ABC or U.S. keyboard layout:

Steps:

1. Go to System Settings → Keyboard → Input Sources

2. Click + and add:

   • ABC

   • or U.S. (depending on your preference)

3. Remove or move ABC - India to the bottom (or deactivate it)

4. Ensure ABC or U.S. is the active input source (check from menu bar)

After switching:

• Alt+Z should no longer type ˀ

• It will now correctly trigger editor.action.toggleWordWrap in VS Code

Tip:

If you want to keep using ABC - India for typing but still need the shortcut, consider remapping word wrap to a different keybinding like:

{ "key": "alt+w", "command": "editor.action.toggleWordWrap" }

Or use the Command Palette (Cmd+Shift+P → Toggle Word Wrap) as a fallback.