Help overlay
?Press ? to see the current bindings, including your overrides.
Close or cancel
EscCloses the overlay, cancels prompts, or clears selection depending on context.
USING ELIO
Default controls
Common keys, fixed controls, and rebinding notes. Press ? in elio for the live list.
SHORTCUTS
Checking bindings in elio
DEFAULTS
Default controls
| Use case | Keys | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Move around | ↑/↓j/kPgUp/PgDn | Move through the current folder. |
| Enter and leave folders | Enter→/l←/h/Backspace | Enter folders, open files, or go to the parent folder. |
| Open files | oShift+O | Open with the default app, or choose an app. |
| Select items | SpaceCtrl+A | Select items or select everything in the current folder. |
| Cancel / clear | Esc | Close overlays, cancel prompts, or clear selection depending on context. |
| Copy, cut, paste, clipboard | yxpc | Copy or move files, or copy names and paths. |
| Create / rename | arF2 | Create files or folders, or rename one or many items. |
| Trash | dShift+Dr | Trash files, delete permanently, or restore from Trash. |
| Search | fCtrl+F | Search folders or files in the current tree. |
| Jump | gz | Jump to common places or use zoxide history. |
| Shell here | ! | Open your shell in the current folder, then return to elio. |
| Preview pane | Shift+J/KShift+H/L[ / ] | Scroll previews or step through documents. |
| View | v+ / -.s | Switch view, zoom, show dotfiles, or sort. |
| Help | ? | Open the live help overlay. |
| Quit | qShift+Q | Quit, or quit without changing the parent shell directory. |
MOUSE
Mouse controls
Pointer
- Click selects an item.
- Double-click opens or enters the clicked item.
Scrolling
- Scroll moves the browser or preview.
Shift+ScrollScrolls the preview sideways.
REBINDING
Rebindable controls
Rebinding keys
Add custom shortcuts under [keys] in config.toml.
Most browser actions are rebindable, including file operations, search, zoxide, shell, opening files, sorting, view toggles, hidden files, and preview scrolling.
Invalid or conflicting keys are ignored with a warning, so elio can keep using the defaults. See Configuration for the config path and examples.
Fixed controls
| Area | Examples |
|---|---|
| Movement | Arrow keys, vim keys, Enter, Backspace, PageUp/PageDown, Tab, history keys |
| Selection | Space, Ctrl+A, Esc |
| Prompts | Text editing keys such as Ctrl+←/→, Ctrl+Backspace, Ctrl+Del, Ctrl+W, Alt+D |
| Preview/page stepping | [ / ], + / - |
| Help | ? / Esc |