Keyboard Shortcuts

Master all of Termix's keyboard shortcuts for maximum productivity. This comprehensive reference covers every key binding organized by function and context. To view this guide inside the app, press ? at any time.

Quick Reference Card

Essential Shortcuts

Key	Action	Key	Action
↑↓ / kj	Move selection	Enter / l	Open/Enter
Backspace / h	Go up	s	Search
a	Add	r	Rename
y	Yank (Copy)	x	Move/Cut
p	Paste	d	Delete
t	Sort	v	Visual Mode
Y	Yank Path	?	Help Screen
q	Quit	Esc	Cancel/Clear

Navigation Shortcuts

Basic Movement

Key	Action	Description
↑	Move up	Select previous item
↓	Move down	Select next item
k	Move up (Vim)	Vim-style up movement
j	Move down (Vim)	Vim-style down movement
gg	Jump to top	Select first item in list
G	Jump to bottom	Select last item in list
Ctrl+d	Scroll down	Scroll down half a page
Ctrl+u	Scroll up	Scroll up half a page

Directory Navigation

Key	Action	Description
Enter	Open/Enter	Open file or enter directory
l	Open/Enter (Vim)	Alternative key for opening
Backspace	Go up	Move to parent directory
h	Go up (Vim)	Vim-style parent navigation

Preview Pane Control

Key	Action	Description
Alt + ↑	Scroll up	Scroll preview content up
Alt + ↓	Scroll down	Scroll preview content down
Alt + ←	Scroll left	Scroll preview content left
Alt + →	Scroll right	Scroll preview content right

File Operations

Creation and Modification

Key	Action	Description
a	Add	Create new file or directory
r	Rename	Rename selected item
d	Delete	Delete selected item(s) with confirmation

Clipboard and Batch Operations

Key	Action	Description
v	Visual Mode	Enter/Exit mode for selecting multiple items
y	Yank (Copy)	Yank selected item(s) to internal clipboard
x	Cut (Move)	Cut selected item(s) to internal clipboard
p	Paste	Paste from internal clipboard
Y	Yank Path	Yank item's full path to system clipboard

Search and Filter

Search Control

Key	Mode	Action	Description
s	Normal	Start search	Enter search mode
Esc	Search	Apply filter	Finish search, navigate results
Esc	Filtered	Clear filter	Remove filter, show all files
b	Filtered Nav	Back to results	Return to search results after entering a directory

Search Input

Key	Mode	Action
Character keys	Search	Add to query
Backspace	Search	Remove from query
Enter	Search	(Same as Esc) Apply filter

Application Control

Session Management

Key	Action	Description
q	Quit	Exit Termix
?	Help	Show/hide the help screen
Esc	Cancel	Cancel current operation

Special Contexts

Key	Context	Action
y	Delete confirm	Confirm deletion
n	Delete confirm	Cancel deletion
y	Quit confirm	Force quit with operations
n	Quit confirm	Cancel quit
S	Paste Conflict	Skip current file
L	Paste Conflict	Skip All conflicting files
R	Paste Conflict	Replace current file
A	Paste Conflict	Replace All conflicting files

Mode-Specific Shortcuts

Normal Mode

Default mode for navigation and file operations

Category	Keys	Actions
Movement	↑↓kj, gg, G	Navigate through files
Navigation	Enter/l, Backspace/h	Open/close directories
Operations	a, r, y, Y, x, p, d	File operations
Modes	s (Search), t (Sort), v (Visual)	Switch to other modes
App	q (Quit), ? (Help)	Application control

Visual Mode

Active when selecting multiple files for batch operations

Key	Action	Notes
Space	Toggle Selection	Mark or unmark the highlighted item
a	Select All	Select every item in the current view
i	Invert Selection	Deselect all selected and select all unselected
y / x	Yank / Cut	Yank/Cut all selected items to the clipboard
d	Delete	Delete all selected items
v / Esc	Exit Mode	Return to Normal Mode

Search Mode

Active when typing search queries

Key	Action	Notes
Character keys	Add to search	Real-time filtering
Backspace	Remove character	Update results
Esc / Enter	Apply filter	Switch to filtered navigation

Filtered Navigation Mode

Active after applying a search filter

Key	Action	Notes
Navigation keys	Move through results	Only filtered items are shown
b	Back to results	Return to the original search results list
Esc	Clear filter	Show all files and return to Normal Mode
s	New search	Start a fresh search

Paste Conflict Mode

Active when a paste operation encounters a file with a duplicate name

Key	Action
S	Skip
L	Skip All
R	Replace
A	Replace All
Esc	Cancel Paste

Advanced Key Combinations

Vim-Style Navigation

For Vim users, these combinations feel natural:

h j k l    →    ← ↑ ↓ →
h j k l    →    Parent Up Down Enter
gg         →    Go to top of list
G          →    Go to bottom of list
Ctrl+d     →    Scroll down half a page
Ctrl+u     →    Scroll up half a page

Power User Workflows

Search and Batch Delete:

s → .tmp → Esc → v → a → d → y

(Search for .tmp files, enter Visual Mode, Select All, Delete, and Confirm)

Batch Move with Visual Mode:

v → (Space, Space, ...) → x → navigate → p (Enter Visual Mode, select items with Space, cut them, navigate, and paste)

Context-Sensitive Behavior

Esc Key Behavior

The Esc key behaves differently based on context:

Context	Action
Normal mode with filter	Clear active filter
Normal mode with clipboard	Clear clipboard
Visual Mode	Exit Visual Mode
Search mode	Apply filter and enter navigation
Add/Rename mode	Cancel operation
Delete/Quit confirm	Cancel action
Paste Conflict	Cancel paste operation

Memory Aids

Mnemonic Devices

Key	Mnemonic	Action
a	Add	Create new item
r	Rename	Rename item
y	Yank	Yank to clipboard (copy)
x	Cut (eXtract)	Move to clipboard
p	Paste	Paste from clipboard
d	Delete	Delete item
s	Search	Start search
t	Sort	Open sort menu
v	Visual	Enter Visual Mode
q	Quit	Exit application

Troubleshooting Key Issues

Keys Not Working

If shortcuts aren't responding:

1. Check terminal focus: Ensure the terminal window has focus.
2. Verify key support: Some terminals may not support all key combinations (e.g., Alt).
3. Check for conflicts: Other applications might intercept keys.

All essential functions have alternative key bindings that work in any standard terminal.