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Navigation
Shortcut Action
↑ / K Move cursor up ↓ / J Move cursor down ← / H / Backspace Go to parent directory → / L / Enter Enter directory / Open file Page Up / ⌃U Page up Page Down / ⌃D Page down Home / gg Jump to first item End / G Jump to last item ` (backtick)Go to home directory ⌘/ Go to root (/) ⌘G Go to path...
Selection
Shortcut Action
Space / Insert Toggle selection and move down ⇧V Visual selection mode (Vim-style) ⌘A Select all ⌘⇧A Deselect all ⌘⌥I Invert selection
Visual Mode: Press ⇧V to enter visual selection mode. Navigate with hjkl or arrows to extend selection. Press ⇧V again or Esc to exit.
Panes
Shortcut Action
Tab Switch between panes = Sync inactive pane to current path ⌘U Swap panes
Tabs
Shortcut Action
⌘T New tab ⌘W Close tab ⌘] Next tab ⌘[ Previous tab
File Operations
Shortcut Action
F5 / ⌘⇧C Copy to other pane F6 / ⌘M Move to other pane F7 / ⌘⇧N Create new folder F8 / ⌘Backspace Move to Trash F2 / R Rename ⌘⇧R Batch rename ⌘C Copy to clipboard ⌘X Cut to clipboard ⌘V Paste from clipboard ⌘Z Undo last operation ⌘⇧Z Redo operation
View
Shortcut Action
F3 View file F4 Edit file ⌘Y Quick Look preview ⌘I Get Info ⌘R Refresh ⌘. Toggle hidden files ⌃⌘1 List view ⌃⌘2 Icon view ⌃⌘3 Column view
Archives
Shortcut Action
⌘⇧A Create archive ⌘⇧E Extract archive
Search
Shortcut Action
/ Quick filter (type to search) N / ⇧N Next / Previous filter match ⌘F Find in current directory ⌘⇧F Full search panel Escape Clear filter / Cancel ⌘P Quick Open (command palette)
Terminal
Shortcut Action
` / ⌘` Toggle terminal panel
Git
Shortcut Action
⌘⇧G Git Panel
Connections
Shortcut Action
⌘K Connect to SFTP Server
Bookmarks
Shortcut Action
⌘B Show bookmarks ⌘D Add to bookmarks ⌘1-9 Quick jump to bookmark 1-9
Other
Shortcut Action
⌘⌥S Toggle split orientation F1 Show keyboard shortcuts help Escape Close overlay / Cancel
Customizing Shortcuts
You can customize any keyboard shortcut:
Open Settings (⌘, )
Go to the Keyboard Shortcuts tab
Click on any shortcut to record a new key combination
Use Reset to restore default shortcuts
Your custom shortcuts are automatically saved and will be reflected in the F1 help panel.
Vim-Style Navigation
Captain's Deck supports Vim-style navigation keys:
h - Left / Go to parentj - Downk - Upl - Right / Enter directorygg - Jump to first item (press g twice quickly)G (Shift+G) - Jump to last item⇧H - Jump to top of visible screenM - Jump to middle of visible screen⇧L - Jump to bottom of visible screen⇧V - Visual selection mode⌃U - Page up⌃D - Page down⌃E - Scroll view down one line⌃Y - Scroll view up one linezz / zt / zb - Scroll cursor to center / top / bottom/ - Quick filter (like Vim's search)n / N - Next / Previous filter match
These work alongside the standard arrow keys, so you can use whichever you prefer.
For more, see the Vim Power User Guide .
Retro Theme Column View Navigation
When using Norton Commander or Midnight Commander themes, files are displayed in a multi-column layout (top-to-bottom, then left-to-right). Navigation adapts to this column-based view:
Shortcut Action
↑ / K Move cursor up within column ↓ / J Move cursor down within column ← / H Move to previous column → / L Move to next column Enter Open file / Enter directory Backspace Go to parent directory Space / Insert Toggle selection (then move down) Tab Switch between panes / Quick filter Page Up / ⌃U Page up (move up by column height) Page Down / ⌃D Page down (move down by column height)
Note: In column view, h /← and l /→ navigate between columns rather than entering/exiting directories. Use Enter to enter directories and Backspace to go up.