Actions and default shortcuts

Fundamentals of Midnight Commander shortcuts

Explanation to the description of key combinations

Keyboard combinations are selected by modifiers. Following modifiers are used in mc:

• Ctrl - "Control" key or "Ctrl";
• Meta - "Alternate" key, or "Alt", or "Meta", also can be replaced with a single "Esc" or "Escape";
• Esc - "Escape" key or "Esc";
• Shift - "Shift" key. It may also appear on the keyboard as a pointer showing up below the keys "Caps Lock" or below the key "Enter".

The simultaneous pressing of several keys

If you need to press multiple keys simultaneously, then that pressing is described as the summation. For example, if you need to press "Control" and "r", it would be described as:

Ctrl+r

If you need to press the keyboard combination with uppercase letters (for example Ctrl and R):

Ctrl+Shift+r

keyboard key combination with Meta modificator described similarly:

Meta+r
Meta+Shift+r

Simultaneous pressing does not mean literally the same time - you must press the modifier, then the required key, then release the key modifier. For example, to enter the combination of Meta+r:

• Push Alt key and not released it;
• Push the r key and immediately released it;
• Release Alt key.

In the case of adding a Shift modifier (Meta + Shift + R, for example), the steps that:

• Push Alt key and not released it;
• Push Shift key and not released it;
• Push r key and immediately released it;
• Release Shift key;
• Release Alt key.

Successive pressing of several keys

If you need to press a first key (or keyboard combination) and then the second such action is recorded as a sequence, separated by commas. For example, press a Ctrl+p a combination, and then further to press "p", it would be described as follows:

Ctrl+p,p

Or, if you need to click twice Ctrl+p:

Ctrl+p,Ctrl+p

Several shortcuts on one action

Each keyboard combination for some one action is described with a new line. Below are tables of keyboard combinations, and actions to which they are linked

File manager actions

File panel actions

Common dialog actions

Input line actions

Listbox actions

Help viewer actions

Internal viewer actions

Internal editor actions

Internal diffviewer actions