Skip to main content

Keyboard shortcuts

Purrchiver uses standard macOS keyboard conventions. If you’ve used Finder, Mail, or any other native Mac app, most of these will feel familiar.

All shortcuts are remappable in System Settings → Keyboard → Keyboard Shortcuts → App Shortcuts. Purrchiver doesn’t ship a custom shortcut UI — macOS already has one.

File

ShortcutAction
⌘OOpen Archive…
⌘NCreate Archive… (opens a Staging session)
⌘WClose window (system default)
⌘,Settings… (system default)
⌘QQuit Purrchiver (system default)

Archive

ShortcutAction
⌘⇧EExtract All… (only when an archive is loaded)

View

ShortcutAction
⌘⌥SToggle Pane Mode (single ↔ dual pane)
⌘FFocus the search / filter field (handled by the active session view)

Window

ShortcutAction
⌘0Activity window (global job-queue monitor)
⌘`Cycle through Purrchiver windows (system default)
⌘⇧WClose all tabs in the current window (system default)
⌘MMinimize window (system default)

Help

ShortcutAction
⌘?Purrchiver Help (opens purrchiver.app/help/ in your default browser)

In the archive pane (selection)

ShortcutAction
⌘ASelect all entries (system default, inherited by the table)
⌘CCopy in-archive paths to the clipboard
↑ / ↓Move selection up / down one entry
Return on a folderEnter that folder
EscClear selection / cancel

In the Create Archive sheet

ShortcutAction
TabMove to next field
⇧TabMove to previous field
ReturnCreate the archive (if the Create button is enabled)
EscCancel and close the sheet

In the password prompt

ShortcutAction
ReturnSubmit password
EscCancel
⌘.Cancel (alternative — common macOS pattern)

Tips

  • ⌘O is the universal entry point. From Welcome or from an open session, ⌘O always opens an archive.
  • ⌘N is for compress. Mnemonic: “new archive.”
  • ⌘⌥S flips between single-pane (just the archive) and dual-pane (filesystem on the left, archive on the right). The View menu surfaces the same toggle if you’d rather click than remember the shortcut.
  • ⌘0 opens the Activity window — useful for keeping an eye on a batch extract or several concurrent operations.

Remapping a shortcut

  1. System Settings → Keyboard → Keyboard Shortcuts → App Shortcuts.
  2. Click +.
  3. Pick Purrchiver from the Application dropdown.
  4. Type the exact menu item name (e.g., “Open Archive…”).
  5. Press your new shortcut.
  6. Click Done.

The shortcut applies immediately, no relaunch required.