CTRL key slowing down?

A 7-second delay when opening a Finder contextual menu would be longer than normally expected. 

Apple identifies Control-click as a way to open shortcut menus in Finder. Apple: Control-click on Mac

Your iMac20,1 has a 3.8 GHz 8-core Intel Core i7 and 128 GB of memory. 

Those specifications do not, by themselves, indicate the reason for the delay.

First, determine whether the delay is specific to Finder and to Control-click. 

In Finder, test Control-click on the desktop, a folder, and a file. 

Then open a contextual menu using a normal secondary click without holding Control. 

Also try Control-clicking in another application. 

If only Control-click is delayed, that points the testing toward the keyboard/modifier-key path; if every contextual menu is delayed, Finder itself becomes more relevant.

Because the Control key is involved, test another keyboard if available. 

Compare an Apple keyboard connected by cable and Bluetooth, and a third-party keyboard connected by cable or Bluetooth. 

Also check for third-party keyboard or key-mapping software that modifies modifier keys, shortcuts, or keyboard input. Temporarily disable that software and retest.

Check System Settings > Accessibility > Keyboard and make sure Slow Keys and Sticky Keys are disabled. 

Apple documents that Slow Keys changes how long a key must be held before it is recognized, while Sticky Keys changes how modifier keys operate. (Apple Support)

If the contextual menu itself is slow, review System Settings > General > Login Items & Extensions > Extensions > Finder. 

Finder extensions can add functions such as Quick Actions to contextual menus. 

Temporarily disabling non-Apple Finder extensions and retesting can help determine whether an extension is contributing to the delay. (Apple Support)

If the problem remains, test in Safe Mode. 

Because your iMac is Intel-based, Apple specifies holding Shift during startup to enter Safe Mode. Apple: Use Safe Mode on your Mac 

If the delay is absent there, this provides evidence that something loaded during a normal startup may be involved, although it does not identify the specific component.

You can then test the same operation in another macOS user account. 

If the delay occurs there as well, it is not confined to the original account. If it occurs only in the original account, subsequent troubleshooting can focus on that account.

Finally, review System Settings > General > Login Items & Extensions, including Background App Activity, for keyboard utilities, input-related software, and other third-party background components. 

macOS allows applications to continue running background tasks even when their main application is not open. (Apple Support)

Before resetting Finder preferences or deleting files, I would complete these tests. 

They distinguish among a general Finder contextual-menu delay, the Control modifier/keyboard path, keyboard-mapping software, Accessibility settings, Finder extensions, the user account, and software loaded during normal startup.

Since you are running macOS Tahoe 26.6.2, also check System Settings > General > Software Update. Apple currently lists macOS Tahoe 26.7 as an available Tahoe update and recommends it for Tahoe users. (Apple Support)

davidmiller wrote:

Why does my iMac take 7 seconds when you press the CTRL key before the New File option appears

On a healthy Mac, the contextual menu should open immediately.

Did this slowness just recently start...?

Does it happen part of the time or all of the time...?

EtreCheckPro is good tool for determining if your issue is software or hardware related.

Download and run the free version of EtreCheckPro, from > https://etrecheck.com/en/index.html

Then post back here with your Report, as per > How to use the Add Text Feature When Post… - Apple Community

You can use the virtual keyboard / accessibility keyboard to see when a keypress is registered, too:

• Use the Accessibility Keyboard on Mac - Apple Support

[The Control modifier key alone doesn’t do anything in Finder, so I too will assume there’s more than the Control.]