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Nautilus

The Most Important Shortcuts:

  • Go to Location Bar (Ctrl+L): Allows you to type a path to navigate directly to it.
  • Search for files and folders (Ctrl+F): Starts a search within the current directory and its subdirectories.
  • Go to Parent Folder (Alt+Up Arrow): Moves you one level up in the directory structure.
  • Go Back (Alt+Left Arrow): Navigates to the previous folder in your history.
  • Go Forward (Alt+Right Arrow): Moves to the next folder in your history.
  • Go to Home Folder (Alt+Home): Takes you directly to your home directory.
  • Open Folder in New Tab (Shift+Enter): Opens the selected folder in a new tab.
  • Open in New Window (Shift+Ctrl+Enter): Opens the selected folder in a new window.
  • Navigate between panes (Tab or F6): Switches focus between the sidebar and the main file list.

File and Folder Operations:

  • Create New Folder (Ctrl+Shift+N): Creates a new, untitled folder in the current directory.
  • Rename Item (F2): Renames the selected file or folder.
  • Show Properties (Alt+Enter or Ctrl+I): Opens the properties window for the selected item.
  • Move to Trash (Delete): Moves the selected items to the trash.
  • Permanently Delete (Shift+Delete): Deletes files or folders immediately, bypassing the trash.
  • Select All (Ctrl+A): Selects all items in the current folder.
  • Create a Link (Ctrl+M): Creates a symbolic link for the selected item.
  • Duplicate a file (Ctrl+drag): While dragging a file, hold Ctrl to create a copy.

View Management:

  • Toggle Hidden Files (Ctrl+H): Shows or hides files and folders that start with a dot (.).
  • Switch to Icon View (Ctrl+1): Displays items as icons.
  • Switch to List View (Ctrl+2): Displays items in a detailed list.
  • Zoom In (Ctrl and +): Increases the size of icons or the text in list view.
  • Zoom Out (Ctrl and -): Decreases the size of icons or the text in list view.
  • Normal Size (Ctrl+0): Resets the zoom level to the default.
  • Toggle Side Pane (F9): Hides or shows the sidebar.
  • Refresh (Ctrl+R): Reloads the current folder to show any changes.

Tabs and Windows:

  • Open New Tab (Ctrl+T): Opens a new tab within the current Nautilus window.
  • Close Tab (Ctrl+W): Closes the current tab.
  • Close All Nautilus Windows (Ctrl+Q or Ctrl+Shift+W): Quits the entire Nautilus application.
  • Go to Previous Tab (Ctrl+PageUp): Switches to the tab on the left.
  • Go to Next Tab (Ctrl+PageDown): Switches to the tab on the right.
  • Move Tab to the Left (Ctrl+Shift+PageUp): Rearranges the current tab to the left.
  • Move Tab to the Right (Ctrl+Shift+PageDown): Rearranges the current tab to the right.
  • Restore Closed Tab (Ctrl+Shift+T): Reopens the last closed tab.

Customization:

  • Keyboard Shortcuts Settings (Ctrl+? or F1): In some versions, this opens the help window which includes a list of shortcuts.
  • GNOME Settings: You can view and sometimes customize keyboard shortcuts by going to the main GNOME Settings and selecting "Keyboard".