Do you know any way to avoid 3ds Max to default continuously to move tool instead selection tool?

Altea

It is quite irritating as I don't want to move accidentally objects or sub objects when I want only select them
The problem arise that even when I have the selection tool when I swap to another , extend or step build, as soon I leave the mode pressing the same button or the Q button instead selection it becomes move. Quite annoying when I just have pressed Q, that is the selection tool.
This is only a example and the move tool keeps appearing when unwanted in other cases.
By the way the Q I use is the one that avoid the cycle between different selection modes.

PolyHertz

afaik the only thing that happens if you press Q more then once is the drag selection method changes (rectangle marquee, lasso, paint, etc.), but that can be turned off by switching the hotkey to "Select Object".

That said, I haven't tried Max 2018 yet, so no idea if it's any different in that version.

Altea

Yes, I use "select object" instead the default one, another annoying default from MAX as swaps to unwanted selection modes.
Anyway  I don't think this affects the tendency that has Max to "move tool" mode even if you choose "select object" Q when coming from other modes. This is MAX 2017 but I think 2018 is the same and older versions of MAX.

The second time you press Q then it goes to "select object" mode. It is as if the first click of Q when leaving other tools is only for canceling the other tool and going to default "move tool". And this even before you was using "select object" instead "move tool".

monster

Looks like PolyTools.ms in the install folder sets the move tool in line 3556. I commented it out, and it seems to return to the previous tool like Select, Rotate, or Scale.

You need to Run as Admin to edit the file, but I can't guarantee it won't break anything else.