The Dual-Pane Advantage
Captain's Deck's dual-pane layout makes file operations intuitive:
- Source: The active pane (where your selected files are)
- Destination: The other pane
No need to navigate back and forth - both locations are always visible.
Copying Files (F5)
- Navigate to the source directory in one pane
- Navigate to the destination in the other pane
- Select files to copy (use Space to toggle selection)
- Press F5 or click "Copy" in the function bar
- Confirm the destination in the dialog
- Click Copy
Tip: You can modify the destination path in the dialog before copying.
Moving Files (F6)
Moving works the same as copying, but files are removed from the source:
- Select files in the source pane
- Press F6
- Confirm and click Move
Using Clipboard
You can also use standard clipboard operations:
| Copy files | Cmd+C |
| Cut files | Cmd+X |
| Paste files | Cmd+V |
This works between Captain's Deck and Finder too.
Drag and Drop
Captain's Deck supports drag and drop:
- Between panes: Drag files from one pane to the other
- From Finder: Drag files from Finder into a pane
- To Finder: Drag files from a pane to Finder or Desktop
Hold Option while dragging to force a copy (instead of move).
Progress Dialog
For large operations, a progress dialog shows:
- Current file being copied
- Overall progress percentage
- Transfer speed
- Estimated time remaining
- Cancel button to abort
Conflict Resolution
When a file already exists at the destination, you'll see options:
For Each Conflict:
- Overwrite: Replace the existing file
- Skip: Don't copy this file
- Rename: Keep both (adds number suffix)
Apply to All:
- Overwrite All: Replace all existing files
- Skip All: Skip all conflicts
- Overwrite if Newer: Only replace if source is newer
Copying to System Directories
Some directories require administrator privileges (e.g., /Applications, /Library). Captain's Deck will:
- Detect the permission requirement
- Prompt for Admin Mode activation if not already enabled
- Request your password once to install the privileged helper
- Complete the operation with elevated privileges
See Admin Mode & System Files for details.
Copying to Remote Locations
When one pane shows a remote location (SFTP, S3):
- Copy/move works the same way
- Progress shows upload/download speed
- Large files are transferred in chunks