Basic Movement
If you're familiar with Vim, you'll feel right at home. The classic hjkl keys work alongside arrow keys:
| j or ↓ | Move cursor down |
| k or ↑ | Move cursor up |
| h or ← | Go to parent directory |
| l or → | Open file/folder (same as Enter) |
Note: Vim keys and arrow keys work simultaneously. Use whichever feels natural.
Jumping Around
Move quickly to the top or bottom of the file list:
| gg | Jump to first item (press g twice quickly) |
| G | Jump to last item |
| Home | Jump to first item |
| End | Jump to last item |
| Page Up | Move up one page |
| Page Down | Move down one page |
The gg sequence must be typed within 500ms to register.
Screen Position Jumps
Jump the cursor relative to the visible screen area, just like Vim's H/M/L:
| Shift+H | Jump to top of visible screen |
| M | Jump to middle of visible screen |
| Shift+L | Jump to bottom of visible screen |
Tip: Combine with visual mode - press Shift+V, then Shift+L to select everything from the cursor to the bottom of the screen.
Scroll Control
Reposition the view without moving the cursor, matching Vim's scroll commands:
Cursor-Relative Scrolling
| zz | Scroll so cursor is at center of screen |
| zt | Scroll so cursor is at top of screen |
| zb | Scroll so cursor is at bottom of screen |
Line-by-Line Scrolling
| Ctrl+E | Scroll view down one line (cursor stays) |
| Ctrl+Y | Scroll view up one line (cursor stays) |
These are useful for peeking at nearby files without losing your place in the list.
Visual Selection Mode
Select multiple files using Vim-style visual mode:
Entering Visual Mode
- Press Shift+V to enter visual selection mode
- The current file is selected and the cursor changes to indicate visual mode
- Navigate with j/k or arrow keys to extend the selection
- All files between your start position and cursor are selected
Exiting Visual Mode
- Press Shift+V again to exit and keep selection
- Press Escape to exit and clear selection
- Perform an action (copy, move, delete) to exit automatically
Actions in Visual Mode
Once you've selected files, use standard operations:
| F5 | Copy selected files |
| F6 | Move selected files |
| F8 | Delete selected files |
| Delete | Delete selected files |
Tip: Visual mode is perfect for selecting a range of files without holding Shift and clicking.
Quick Filter
Filter the file list by typing:
| / | Start typing to filter (like Vim's search) |
| n | Jump to next filter match |
| N | Jump to previous filter match |
| Escape | Clear filter |
Press / and start typing to instantly filter the file list. Only matching files are shown. Use n/N to cycle through matches, just like Vim's search navigation. Press Escape to clear the filter and show all files again.
Pane Navigation
Work efficiently with dual panes:
| Tab | Switch to other pane |
| Ctrl+h | Focus left pane |
| Ctrl+l | Focus right pane |
File Operations
Standard F-key operations familiar to Norton Commander and Total Commander users:
| F2 | Rename file |
| F3 | View file |
| F4 | Edit file |
| F5 | Copy to other pane |
| F6 | Move to other pane |
| F7 | Create new folder |
| F8 | Delete |
| F9 | Visual diff |
| F10 | Quit |
Selection Without Visual Mode
You can also select files the traditional way:
| Space | Toggle selection and move down |
| Insert | Toggle selection and move down |
| Cmd+A | Select all files |
| Cmd+Shift+A | Deselect all |
Combining Techniques
For maximum efficiency, combine these techniques:
- Press / to filter files by name
- Press gg to jump to top
- Press Shift+V to enter visual mode
- Press G to select all filtered files
- Press F5 to copy them all