Filed under: Mac 101
Mac 101: Using the Up Arrow in Finder
It's no surprise to most Mac users that you can use arrow keys to navigate through Finder windows. Arrow-key presses work in all three window styles: icon view, list view and column view. What many new Mac users don't realize though is that there are Command versions of these arrow keys.
When viewing folders using icon view or list view, both Command-Up-arrow and Command-Down-arrow play a special role. Command-Up-arrow moves you up to the parent folder of the currently-displayed folder. So if you are in, say, /Users/ericasadun/Pictures/Family, Command-Up-arrow would take you to /Users/ericasadun/Pictures. Press Command-Up-arrow again and you move to /Users/ericasadun. You can check your current folder by command-clicking the icon at the top of the folder window.
Command-Down-arrow only works when the selected item is a folder, and, like Command-Up-arrow, only in icon and list views. Pressing Command-Down-arrow opens and selects the current folder. So it essentially does the opposite of Command-Up-arrow. It moves you further down in the folder hierarchy as opposed to Command-Up-arrow which moves you up the folder tree.
These are useful shortcuts to have at hand when you prefer to use the keyboard to navigate through your files rather than the mouse.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
John said 4:08PM on 10-01-2007
Command-down arrow doesn't just work on folders. It will also launch an app or open a file.
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jason mark said 4:31PM on 10-01-2007
best tip ever!
jason
http://www.gravityswitch.com
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MB_User said 4:45PM on 10-01-2007
These shortcuts were one of the first things I looked for when switching from Windows and I use them all the time. You can also use command + [ or command + ] to go forwards and backwards in Finder.
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Aron Trimble said 4:55PM on 10-01-2007
John is correct, I frequently use command-down to launch applications and open files.
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Frankentosh said 5:46PM on 10-01-2007
Brilliant!
And I dare to call myself a Power User with +7 Quicksilver Fu. All these years and I didn't know that simple trick straight from the Cupertino Mothership!
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Will said 9:04PM on 10-01-2007
Is there a list on how to navigate the Save As dialog? I still don't know how to go up and down folders in that thing -- very annoying.
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Margus said 3:53AM on 10-02-2007
"Is there a list on how to navigate the Save As dialog?" -- The same shortcuts apply to save dialogs as well. Command + up/down arrows move around nicely.
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bazzlevi said 12:00PM on 10-08-2007
"Command-Down-arrow only works when the selected item is a folder..."
That's not entirely true. Command-Down-arrow serves to OPEN whatever file is highlighted. Do this to a Word document, and it launches Word and opens the document, etc. This keyboard shortcut does what hitting Enter does in Windows Explorer.
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Jesse said 6:09PM on 10-02-2007
MB_User, thank you! I've known about the shortcuts listed in the article for awhile now, but I never found a forward/backward shortcut, and it would always drive me crazy. That's one I used all the time in the Windows world.
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mark said 1:44PM on 10-04-2007
Command-Up-arrow is *not* limited to icon and and list views. I use it in column view all the time.
(Do you guys research these things thoroughly before posting?) :-)
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DeltaNick said 11:54AM on 10-13-2007
It would sure be nice if the "End" key worked. In the Mac Classic days, there used to be a drop-in module that actually made those 6 keys above the arrow keys do what they say, but I can't find one for OS X. I refer to the keys marked "Insert," "Home," "End," etc. Often, I correct a URL that I mistyped, and because the "End" key doesn't work, I've either got to use my mouse or wait for an arrow key to SLOWLY stroll to the end of the line, before I can hit the "Enter" key to activate the URL. If Apple is going to make keyboards that say "Insert" or "End," then they ought to at least give us the capability to make those keys do what they say, via Preferences. I love the Mac and hate Windows, but there really are a few things Windows does better out of the box, and this is one of them. It frustrates me no end, since I regularly hit the "End" key and nothing happens. This is beyond silly, and a no-brainer.
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Serge said 11:02AM on 10-17-2007
This is not really related with arrow keys but it does ask questions abut Finder.
1) Is there a way, after resizing the Finder window, to keep it that size next time I launch it??
2) How do I re-arrange my icons? After dragging apps to the Application folder, they are all in disarray with no semblance of order. Can I re-arrange alphabetically?
3) How do I uninstall an app? Is there something similar to "Add / Remove software" like on Windows?
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