Keyboard shortcuts
Every shortcut ShellCanvas implements, by area. On macOS, Cmd works wherever Ctrl is listed, except in the Terminal, which has its own rules.
Availability
Shortcuts act on the focused window, and only where the action itself is available: a key that deletes a file does nothing without file permissions or a connection. Menu labels throughout the app show the Windows spelling even on macOS, where Cmd is what actually works.
Interface
Files
| Keys | Action |
|---|---|
| Ctrl+L | Focus the path field |
| F5 | Refresh the folder |
| Alt+← | Back |
| Alt+↑ | Parent folder |
| Enter | Open a folder, or preview a file |
| Space | Select the focused row |
| ↑ ↓ Home End | Move and select; hold Ctrl to move focus without selecting |
| Shift+click, Ctrl+click | Select a range, or toggle one item |
| Ctrl+A | Select all visible items |
| Esc | Cancel a clipboard preparation, clear the selection, or clear the file clipboard |
| Ctrl+C | Copy the selection, the folder path when nothing is selected, or the preview text |
| Ctrl+X | Cut the selected item |
| Ctrl+V | Paste into the current folder |
| F2 | Rename |
| Delete | Delete, with confirmation |
| Shift+F10 or Menu | Open the context menu |
Terminal
| Keys | Action |
|---|---|
| Ctrl+Shift+C | Copy the selection |
| Ctrl+Shift+V | Paste |
| Cmd+C / Cmd+V | Copy and paste on macOS |
| Ctrl+C | Sent to the remote program as an interrupt |
| Shift+F10 or Menu | Terminal menu |
Editor
| Keys | Action |
|---|---|
| Ctrl+S | Save |
| Ctrl+Shift+S | Save As |
| Ctrl+F | Find; Enter for the next match, Esc to close |
| Ctrl+Z | Undo |
| Ctrl+Shift+Z or Ctrl+Y | Redo |
| Tab | Insert the configured indent |
Windows and the desktop
| Keys | Action |
|---|---|
| F6 / Shift+F6 | Focus the next or previous window's title bar |
| Shift+F10 | Window actions menu, from a focused title bar |
| Arrow keys | Move or resize in keyboard adjustment mode, in 16 px steps |
| Shift+arrows | 1 px steps |
| Enter | Finish a keyboard move or resize |
| Esc | Cancel it and restore the previous position |
| Double-click the title bar | Maximize or restore |
Launcher and menus
| Keys | Action |
|---|---|
| Esc | Close the launcher, a menu or a dialog |
| ↓ from the search box | Move into the app grid |
| Enter in search | Open the first match |
| Arrow keys | Move through apps or menu items, wrapping at the ends |
| Home / End | First or last menu item |
| Ctrl+Home / Ctrl+End | First or last host in the host picker |
| Tab | Cycle focus, which stays inside an open dialog |
Examples
A few combinations worth learning as a unit:
- Copy a path into a command: Ctrl+C on a file in Files (nothing selected copies the folder path), then Ctrl+Shift+V in the Terminal.
- Move a file between folders: open a second Files window, Ctrl+X in one, Ctrl+V in the other, Esc to abandon it.
- Tidy the desktop without the mouse: F6 to a title bar, Shift+F10 for the menu, arrows to move, Enter to finish.
Errors
When a shortcut seems to do nothing:
- Focus is elsewhere. Shortcuts act on the focused window; click it, or use F6.
- The action is unavailable. Without a connection, or without the capability, the matching menu item is disabled too.
- The window is busy. Closing and disconnecting are blocked during a transfer or a save.
- Ctrl+C in a terminal interrupts rather than copies; that is deliberate.
Lifecycle and permissions
Shortcuts are not a separate permission surface: they trigger the same actions as the menus, with the same checks. Keyboard access is meant to be complete — every action in this list is also reachable from a menu or button, and context menus open from the keyboard with Shift+F10.
Related guides
- Browse and manage files — what the Files keys do in context.
- Terminal sessions — clipboard rules in a shell.
- Edit and save remote files — editing and saving.
- The desktop at a glance — windows and the launcher.