In the newest versions of Ubuntu, Unity is the default user interface for GNOME. It introduces the controversial feature of a Mac OS X like menu bar. This menu bar is triggered by the F10 key shortcut; however, this shortcut is used in some desktop applications, for instance for the "step" functionality of Qt Creator's debugger.

To change or disable this shortcut, follow these steps:

  • open a terminal an launch gconf-editor
  • browse the tree to / > apps > compiz-1 > plugins > unityshell > screen0 > options
  • edit the value of the "panel_first_menu" key to another key (for example F12).

The new configuration should be immediately applied.