Extract
Formats
.zip .7z .rar .tar .tar.gz / .tgz .tar.xz / .txz .tar.bz2 / .tbz2 / .tbz .tar.zst / .tzst - Encrypted ZIP, 7z, and RAR5 archives prompt for a password when needed.
- RAR extraction uses external 7-Zip.
File operations
Manage archives, open files, use Trash, and copy paths.
ARCHIVES
Archive management
C creates an archive from the focused item or selection. e extracts the focused archive into a new folder.
Create
Formats
.zip .7z .tar .tar.gz / .tgz .tar.xz / .txz .tar.bz2 / .tbz2 / .tbz - Choose the archive name.
- Add password protection to ZIP or 7z archives.
OPEN
Opening files and folders
elio opens items with the default app, or lets you choose one.
| Key | Behavior |
|---|---|
Enter | Enter folders, or open files/active selection with the default app. |
o | Open the focused item or active selection with the default app. |
O | Show matching apps for the focused item. |
Platform launchers
| Platform | Default launcher |
|---|---|
| macOS | open |
| Windows | cmd /c start |
| Linux / BSD desktop sessions | gio, with xdg-open as fallback |
Open With works for files and folders. It shows a chooser when multiple matching apps are found. If there is only one match, it opens it directly. If no match is found, or on platforms without app discovery, elio falls back to the default opener.
TRASH
Trash and restore
Trash behavior depends on the platform. Use d to move entries to Trash, D to delete selected entries permanently, and r to restore entries from the Trash view.
| Platform | Behavior |
|---|---|
| Linux | Uses gio trash when available, then falls back to the Freedesktop Trash layout. |
| BSD | Uses the Freedesktop Trash layout. |
| macOS | Moves items to ~/.Trash and stores restore metadata for items trashed by elio. |
| Windows | Moves items to the Recycle Bin. The Recycle Bin is not shown as a browsable Trash view yet. |
Freedesktop filename collisions
On Freedesktop Trash systems, the stored filename may change to avoid collisions, for example photo.jpg.2. elio reads the matching .trashinfo metadata, so the file is still shown, previewed, opened, and restored as the original photo.jpg.
CLIPBOARD
Copy to clipboard
c opens a menu to copy names, paths, or directory paths for the focused item or selection.
| Environment | Clipboard method |
|---|---|
| Terminal | OSC52 when supported |
| Wayland | wl-copy |
| X11 | xclip or xsel |
| macOS | pbcopy |
| Windows | clip |