Photoshop tilde key while using the Eraser is a powerful and useful shortcut. The tilde key allows you to erase using the same brush preset you have set while painting.

I was on my 2nd tutorial that referenced this shortcut and I was frustrated I couldn’t get it to work correctly. This is supposed to be a simple and easy to use function. Why isn’t it working? Why am I having this problem?

In my browser I type the tilde key. Check, the keyboard is function correctly. So of course I immediately looked on Google for a quick answer. I found other users had the same issue. I found videos describing how awesome and easy to use. Not the information I was looking for. I found a Reddit page describing the issue I was having (Tilde key [~] is not working.), no solution. I found a Adobe Support Community page (Redefine Tilde Key Eraser?). This answer was close looking back in retrospect. Ok, no solution yet.

As an experienced user I hit Alt+Shift+Ctrl+K to finger mash directly into the Keyboard Shortcuts menu. Then I used the drop down to change Shortcut For: to Tools. I sort through all the possibilities listed. Top to bottom. No luck finding a tool that I may change to a different shortcut key and the ` or tilde wasn’t being currently used by any other tool.

My next thought is “I’m definitely using the eraser tool (E shortcut) and I am pressing the tilde key at the same time and this is not working.”

I then get the wild idea to go back to the brush tool and hold the tilde key down while painting! That’s it. Don’t use the Eraser tool thinking the tilde [`] key will work with it, use the Brush (B shortcut) and hold the tilde key and the Brush will Erase using the last Brush setting. Wow. That was simple.

Creative people think differently and this can be a blessing or a curse depending on your perspective. I just hope this helps someone else in the future avoid the frustration I experienced getting tilde or [`] erase function to work with the Brush (B) tool.