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Keyboard Shortcuts

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Mehdi edited this page Sep 2, 2026 · 3 revisions

Keyboard Shortcuts

SSH Pilot is designed for efficient keyboard navigation. Every shortcut is fully customizable.

Open the shortcuts reference at any time by pressing Ctrl+? (Cmd+? on macOS).

Platform Differences

Platform Primary modifier
Linux Ctrl
macOS Cmd (Command key)

The shortcuts below show both platforms where they differ.

General Application

Action Linux macOS
Quit Ctrl+Shift+Q Cmd+Shift+Q
Settings Ctrl+, Cmd+,
Keyboard Shortcuts Ctrl+? Cmd+?
Documentation F1 F1

Connection Management

Action Linux macOS
New Connection Ctrl+Shift+N Cmd+N
Open or Focus Connection Enter Enter
Force Open in New Tab Ctrl+Enter Cmd+Enter
Search Connections Ctrl+F Cmd+F
Focus Connection List Disabled by default Cmd+Shift+L
Copy Key to Server Ctrl+Shift+K Cmd+Shift+K
SSH Config Editor Disabled by default Cmd+Shift+E
Manage Files Ctrl+Shift+O Cmd+Shift+O
Delete Connection Delete or Backspace Delete
Toggle Sidebar F9 F9 or Cmd+B

Terminal

Action Linux macOS
Copy Ctrl+Shift+C Cmd+C
Paste Ctrl+Shift+V Cmd+V
Select All Ctrl+Shift+A Cmd+A
Search in Terminal Ctrl+Shift+F Cmd+Shift+F
Find Next Match Ctrl+G or Enter Cmd+G or Enter
Find Previous Match Ctrl+Shift+G or Shift+Enter Cmd+Shift+G or Shift+Enter
Dismiss Search Escape Escape
Zoom In Ctrl+= Cmd+=
Zoom Out Ctrl+- Cmd+-
Reset Zoom Ctrl+0 Cmd+0
Local Terminal Ctrl+Shift+T Cmd+Shift+T
Broadcast Command Ctrl+Shift+B Cmd+Shift+B

Tab Management

Action Linux macOS
Next Tab Ctrl+Page Down Ctrl+Page Down
Previous Tab Ctrl+Page Up Ctrl+Page Up
Move Tab Left Ctrl+Shift+Page Up Ctrl+Shift+Page Up
Move Tab Right Ctrl+Shift+Page Down Ctrl+Shift+Page Down
Close Tab Ctrl+Shift+W Cmd+Shift+W
Tab Overview Ctrl+Shift+Tab Cmd+Shift+Tab
New Split View Tab Disabled by default Cmd+Shift+S

Split View

These are disabled by default. Assign your own keys in Settings > Shortcuts > Split View.

Action Description
Focus pane left/right/up/down Move focus between panes
Resize pane left/right/up/down Resize panes with keyboard
Side-by-side layout Switch to horizontal split
Top/bottom layout Switch to vertical split
Add pane Add a new terminal pane

File Manager

Action Linux macOS
Focus path entry Ctrl+L Cmd+L
Refresh directory F5 or Ctrl+R F5 or Cmd+R
Copy Ctrl+C Cmd+C
Cut Ctrl+X Cmd+X
Paste Ctrl+V Cmd+V
Paste as move Ctrl+Shift+V Cmd+Shift+V
Delete Delete or Shift+Delete Delete or Shift+Delete

Connection List Navigation

When the sidebar has focus:

  • Up/Down arrow -- Move between connections and groups
  • Enter -- Connect to the selected server
  • Ctrl+Enter -- Force open a new tab
  • Ctrl+click -- Select multiple connections
  • Delete or Backspace -- Delete selected connection(s)

Omni-search

Press Shift+Shift (double-tap Shift) to open the global search. This searches:

  • Connections by name and hostname
  • Snippets and commands
  • Actions (new connection, preferences, etc.)

Customizing Shortcuts

Step 1 -- Open the Shortcuts Editor

Press Ctrl+? (Cmd+? on macOS), or go to Settings > Shortcuts.

Step 2 -- Find the Shortcut

Browse the list or use the search bar to find the action you want to change.

Step 3 -- Change It

  1. Click the current shortcut next to the action
  2. Press your new key combination
  3. SSH Pilot will warn you if it conflicts with another shortcut

Step 4 -- Reset (optional)

Click the reset button on any row to restore the default shortcut.

Shortcuts are saved per user and persist across application restarts.

Terminal Pass-through Mode

If you use text expanders (like Espanso), tiling window managers, or terminal programs that need function keys (F10 for htop, F9 for mc):

  1. Go to Settings > Terminal > Keyboard
  2. Enable Terminal Shortcut Pass-through

This disables all SSH Pilot keyboard shortcuts and passes every keystroke directly to the terminal. You can still use the header bar buttons with the mouse.

Tips

Tip: F9 (or Cmd+B on macOS) toggles the sidebar and F11 toggles fullscreen. If a remote program uses these keys (like htop), unassign them in Settings or enable pass-through mode.

Tip: F10 is not bound by SSH Pilot. GTK's default "open application menu" accelerator is cleared so F10 can be used by programs like htop or mc.

Next Steps

  • Settings -- Customize every aspect of SSH Pilot
  • Terminal -- Learn about terminal features
  • Main Window -- Understand the interface layout

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