File Commander has a keyboard shortcut for a lot of what you click every day. Here are 36 that work on Windows, grouped by what you’re trying to do.
We checked every one against File Commander on GitHub (official project) on October 21, 2026.
File Operations
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
| F3 | View the selected file |
| Shift + F3 | View the selected file as plain text |
| F4 | Edit the selected file in your editor |
| F5 | Copy the selected files to the other panel |
| F6 | Move the selected files to the other panel |
| F7 | Create a new folder |
| Shift + F7 | Create a new file |
| Delete | Move the selected files to the Recycle Bin |
| F8 | Move the selected files to the Recycle Bin |
| Shift + Delete | Delete the selected files permanently |
| Ctrl + Shift + X | Copy the full paths of the selected items |
Navigation
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
| Alt + Left Arrow | Go back |
| Alt + Right Arrow | Go forward |
| Ctrl + / | Go to the root of the drive |
| Ctrl + Home | Jump to the first file in the list |
| Ctrl + R | Refresh the file list |
Tabs
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + T | Open a new tab |
| Ctrl + W | Close the current tab |
| Ctrl + Shift + T | Reopen the last closed tab |
| Ctrl + Tab | Switch to the next tab |
| Ctrl + Shift + Tab | Switch to the previous tab |
| Ctrl + Up Arrow | Open the folder under the cursor in a new tab |
Find and Select
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + F | Filter the list by name |
| Ctrl + Shift + F | Open the Find dialog |
| Ctrl + B | Show all files in this folder and its subfolders |
| * | Invert the selection |
| Ctrl + Shift + Q | Turn quick view on or off |
Tools and View
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + L | Calculate the space used by the selection |
| Ctrl + Shift + L | Calculate the size of each folder |
| Shift + F2 | Open a console in the current folder |
| Alt + Shift + F2 | Open an admin console in the current folder |
| Ctrl + Enter | Add the selected item’s name to the command line |
| Ctrl + Shift + Enter | Add the selected item’s full path to the command line |
| F11 | Turn full screen mode on or off |
| Ctrl + Alt + P | Open Settings |
| Ctrl + Q | Exit File Commander |
Good to know: This is the free, open-source dual-pane File Commander for Windows, Mac and Linux. The MobiSystems app with the same name is a phone app with no keyboard shortcut list.
Good to know: No separate shortcut page exists. These keys come from the program’s own menus and buttons.
Get the Excel and PDF Version
Everything above is free. Bookmark this page and use it anytime.
If you’d rather have it on your desk, the download below is a sortable Excel file plus a printable one-page PDF of all 36 shortcuts, for $0.99.
Want One Key to Do More?
Built-in shortcuts only work while File Commander is the active window, and you can’t add new ones. These tools let you pick your own hotkeys:
- Prompt Assistant: paste a command you run often into the File Commander command line with a hotkey
- Windows 11 Power User Tools: more of our tools for people who manage lots of files on Windows
