Cannot select multiple lines of text in Eclipse 2025-09 on macOS Tahoe 26.1

[marcoscmdev]

After updating to macOS Tahoe 26.1, text selection in Eclipse 2025-09 (Build 4.37.0.20250905-1455) stopped working properly.

• Mouse drag does not select multiple lines.
• Shift + Arrow keys do not expand selection.
• Works fine in other macOS apps (TextEdit, VS Code, etc.)
• Happens even with fresh workspace and no plugins.

Steps to reproduce:

1. Open any Java or text file.
2. Try to select multiple lines using the mouse or Shift + ↓.
3. No visible selection is made.

Expected behavior: • Normal multi-line text selection with mouse and keyboard works as intended.

Actual behavior: • Selection is restricted to a single line. • Crashes occur intermittently with Java 1.8 and the Genuitec plugin.

[bschuhmann]

Same here - however in my case it's still possible to select multiple lines of text, only the visual feedback isn't working.

[johnchurchill]

The text selection is made, but there is some problem with showing the selected text (blue highlight). To see that text is actually selected, drag across (or shift-up/down) several lines and then type something, the part that was invisibly selected is replaced.

[marcoscmdev]

After further testing, I’ve confirmed that text selection does occur, but the highlighting is not visually rendered. The selected region is actually active — typing or deleting after an invisible selection correctly replaces or removes all the intended lines.

Currently, I’m using block selection mode (Cmd + Opt + A) as a temporary workaround, since this mode still shows proper visual feedback when selecting text with the mouse.

Given that one of the recent UI changes in macOS Tahoe 26.1 introduced system-wide transparency and compositing effects for icons and interface layers, this could be affecting Eclipse’s rendering pipeline — possibly related to SWT’s use of Metal or Core Animation surfaces on macOS.

It seems the issue is not input-related but rather a UI rendering regression introduced by the latest macOS update.

[rrooggiieerr]

Duplicate of #2621, and according to that issue a fix has been implemented and scheduled for the next release

[vnuta9]

Facing the same issue since a couple of days and scratching my head(already bald :))

[chandrakantabhuyan]

How can we fix the multiline select issue in eclipse, it still didnt work after i update the mac. can someone please provide the solution if anyone has.

[merks]

Has anyone tried updating to the content of this site?

https://download.eclipse.org/eclipse/updates/4.38-I-builds/

[vnuta9]

Thanks folks ! I could download eclipse-SDK-I20251105-2310-macosx-cocoa-aarch64 I have yet to check whether it is working as expected or not. Hopefully it will. Appreciate for you kind help again.

[vnuta9]

Hello Folks! The file is more than 300MB and wants to replace the existing Eclipse app on the mac system. Could we allow it to replace the existing app ? Or should we allow both of them to exist side by side ? Just asking before I ruin my workspace and lose some more time because of this new thing ?

Thanks for your reply.

[merks]

Have you tried adding https://download.eclipse.org/eclipse/updates/4.38-I-builds/ to here and Help -> Check for Updates?

[Daniel-Byrne]

This is not specific to 2025-09. I got this issue this morning using 2014-12, and updated to 2025-09 hoping for a fix.

I am also using Tahoe 26.1.

[mohamedibnelazzouzi]

Have you tried adding https://download.eclipse.org/eclipse/updates/4.38-I-builds/ to here and Help -> Check for Updates?

It works for me

[vnuta9]

I tried adding the above suggested URL https://download.eclipse.org/eclipse/updates/4.38-I-builds/ by adding it as 4.38.1build. It showed so many inconsistencies and errors at the end in my 4.36 build(now it shows as 4.37). Final result is that it is NO good, meaning it has NOT resolved the text selection issue.

Back to the original issue and my specific question: The file **[eclipse-SDK-I20251105-2310-macosx-cocoa-aarch64.dmg]** is more than 300MB and wants to replace the existing Eclipse app on the mac system. Could we allow it to replace the existing app ? Or should we allow both of them to exist side by side ? Just asking before I ruin my workspace and lose some more time because of this new thing ?

[merks]

Okay, I assumed, stupidly, that people are on the most recent release.

[nitind]

Starting with the 2025-12 M2 download and with the aforementioned update site added to the Available Update Sites preference page, checking for and applying the updates seems to clear the issue up for me.

[merks]

Thanks @nitind

That suggests that updating to https://download.eclipse.org/releases/2025-09/ and then updating using https://download.eclipse.org/eclipse/updates/4.38-I-builds/ should do the trick too, if you don't already have 2025-09 installed.

As for the question about replacing an installation, most likely you installed on of the packages:

https://www.eclipse.org/downloads/packages/

In that case, yes you will lose a lot of functionality replacing it with the Eclipse SDK. You won't run the workspace, but your installation will have fewer features installed, some of which may be important to you.

[vnuta9]

@merks and @nitind Dear Folks: May be because I am backed up in my work, my brain is not working. Would you please elaborate the installation sequence a little bit more. Presently, my eclipse shows

Eclipse IDE for Enterprise Java and Web Developers (includes Incubating components)
Version: 2025-09 (4.37.0)
Build id: 20250905-1456
OS: Mac OS X, v.26.1, aarch64 / cocoa
Java vendor: Eclipse Adoptium
Java runtime version: 21.0.9+10-LTS
Java version: 21.0.9

What is the sequence of updating ? Is it first to 2025-09 to 4.38.1 ? What are the navigation steps?

[nitind]

@vnuta9 It's nothing complicated, just working with the Available Software Sites preference page in Eclipse for the most part. When you open the Preferences dialog, there's a search text field on the left you can use to get there if you don't want to go down into the Install/Update category directly. You can also get there using the Cmd+3 keyboard shortcut by typing the name of the preference page into the popup's text field (mind the sorting order of what is shown), just like when using Spotlight.

• If you're not on 2025-09 or newer, go to the Available Software Sites preference page and add https://download.eclipse.org/releases/latest to the list of sites. Check for Updates from the Help menu, and apply any it finds.

• Once you are on 2025-09 or newer, add the https://download.eclipse.org/eclipse/updates/4.38-I-builds/ to the list of available sites on that Available Software Sites preference page, Check for Updates from the Help menu, and apply any that are found. The relevant update to the Eclipse Platform should be among them.

[vnuta9]

@nitind and @merks Dear Nitin; As my eclipse is already at 2025-09 (4.37.0)

I did go to Help --> Install New Software --> Manage --> add a new site 4.38.1 --> https://download.eclipse.org/eclipse/updates/4.38-I-builds/

then Help--> check for Updates which updated few packages and showed a status as

_ Cannot complete the request. See the error log for details. "Jakarta Annotations API" will be ignored because a newer version is already installed. "Terminal Feature" will be ignored because it is already installed. _

and finally updated eclipse build number showing as

Version: 2025-12 M2 (4.38.0 M2) Build id: 20251030-0646

Final result: NOT good. Multi word/line copy or paste highlighting is not working yet, even though copy/paste functionality is working as reported.

EASY approach Proposal: How about deleting the current Eclipse and downloading the latest and using it with the current workspace. So that it will keep the projects and minimum disruption with highlighting working as expected.

Thanks a million for the advise.

[nitind]

@vnuta9 Are there more details from the log about that error message? Other than the original download, have you installed or changed anything?

[merks]

I really get the impression that he tried install new software with the 4.38 site and not simply add the site to the preferences and the check for updates. The latter doesn’t tell you about things it cannot or will not update.

[vnuta9]

@merks and @nitind Dear Ed Merks; I have done both as you I can see 4.38 site as well in my list of sites.

As I am eager to put this issue behind me with out bothering you further: EASY approach Proposal: How about deleting the current Eclipse and downloading the latest and using it with the current workspace. So that it will keep the projects and minimum disruption with highlighting working as expected.

Thanks a million for the advise

[pomelolee]

wish fix at 2025-09 (4.3.7),if up 2025-12,lombok not work

[bagerman]

I am on 2025-12 M2 (4.38.0 M2) / Tahoe 26.1versions and experience the same issue.

It appears that it only affects "text editors" as I can highlight selection when comparing files. Also, selecting "Selected lines" in Find/Replace dialog lights up selected lines and makes selection visible

I tried to revert to the previous eclipse version but it did not help.

The workaround would be really helpful. Thanks

[svenschwarz]

"How about deleting the current Eclipse and downloading the latest and using it with the current workspace"

Did that actually help for anybody? I'm currently trying to update eclipse to the newest version, but it takes forever and I did not (yet) delete whatever crap on my filesystem. A "fresh, new" download from eclipse just gave me the september version (2025-09), the update in the annoying "update information view" (Install in this IDE) tried to install the 2025-12 M2 but failed, so I'm currently trying to update via eclipse via Help/Check for updates etc. - but this takes forever with around 20kB/s...

It would help to know what actually helps. If I have to scratch all eclipse stuff and that would help, then I would also do that. Currently I cannot work with eclipse any more. No selections, no coding.

EDIT: Update to 2025-12 M2 (4.38.0 M2) is done, but (without any purging or whatnot) this does not help: I still cannot select across line breaks. :-(

EDIT2: It is a blocker when it comes to usability and efficiency! I can still select blindly, i.e., selecting (mouse or keyboard still works, you just have to select without seeing it. Copy/cut/delete still works.

[brucej72gg]

I don't think this is an Eclipse problem. The same issue existing in DBeaver (which is also a Java application)

[merks]

https://marketplace.eclipse.org/content/dbeaver

[svenschwarz]

You are right. Same in dbeaver. The last MacOS Update (last night) broke it, whatever it did.

[merks]

FYI, I have updated SimRel so that it (the staging repository) now contains the fix

https://download.eclipse.org/staging/2025-12/

In principle it should be possible to update a 2025-09 installation using this site. ( Caveat, that site is unstable and subject to being overwritten by new content at any time so you probably don't want to leave that site in your preferences permanently .)

I've also kicked off this build:

https://ci.eclipse.org/packaging/job/epp/job/master/

If and when it completes, the following folder will contain packages (like the ones on the main download page) with the fix (and with all m2 and early m3 updates):

https://download.eclipse.org/technology/epp/staging/

Note that the mac *.dmg packages are not notarized (and that *.tar.gz versions of those are also available):

ETA 2.5 - 3.5 hours.

[svenschwarz]

Awesome. Sorry for the stupid question: Would I get an update including your fix via the eclipse update (Help/Check for updates?) or would I have to download and unzip something somewhere?