Polimake Desktop keyboard shortcuts
Every Polimake Desktop keyboard shortcut: tabs, file explorer, quick look, the player and type-to-search.
On this page
Polimake Desktop works very well from the keyboard. Here are all the shortcuts, grouped by where they work. They're the Windows ones; right-click menus also remind you of each action's shortcut.
Type to search
You don't need a shortcut to search: if you're in Libraries and start typing, search opens with what you typed.
Inside a folder, typing does something else: Polimake jumps to the first file whose name starts with those letters, like Windows File Explorer.
Neither happens if you're typing in a text field or have a menu or dialog open.
Tabs and windows
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
| Ctrl+T | New tab |
| Ctrl+W | Close tab |
| Ctrl+Shift+D | Duplicate tab |
| Ctrl+N | Open in new window |
| Ctrl+Tab | Next tab |
| Ctrl+Shift+Tab | Previous tab |
| Ctrl+1 … Ctrl+9 | Go to tab 1 to 9 |
Switching tabs also works while you're typing in a field.
File explorer
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
| Ctrl+C | Copy |
| Ctrl+X | Cut |
| Ctrl+V | Paste |
| Delete | Delete (to the Windows Recycle Bin) |
| Shift+Delete | Delete permanently, after confirming |
| Enter | Rename |
| Space | Open quick look |
| Ctrl+A | Select all |
| Esc | Clear the selection |
| Alt+← | Back |
| Alt+→ | Forward |
| Alt+↑ | Go up to the parent folder |
| Ctrl++ | Bigger thumbnails |
| Ctrl+- | Smaller thumbnails |
| Ctrl+0 | Normal thumbnail size |
| Ctrl+E | Expand the folder |
Quick look
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
| ← / → | Previous / next file |
| ↑ / ↓ | The same, except in a text file, where they scroll through it |
| + / - | Zoom the image in / out |
| 0 | Original size |
| Esc | Close |
| Space | Close (or pause, if it's a video or audio file) |
Video and audio player
These work in quick look when you open a video or audio file. While it plays, the arrows belong to the player and don't move between files.
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
| Space | Play / pause |
| ← / → | Back / forward (5 s for video, 10 s for audio) |
| ↑ / ↓ | Volume up / down |
| M | Mute |
| F | Full screen (video) |
| C | Subtitles (video) |
| L | Loop (video) |
Frequently asked questions
Can I change the shortcuts?
No. Today there's no setting to change them: they're the ones in this table.
Why isn't a shortcut working?
Check that you're not typing in a text field and that no menu or dialog is open: in those cases the explorer shortcuts don't fire, so they don't get in the way of what you type.
What's the difference between Delete and Shift+Delete?
Delete sends the file to the Windows Recycle Bin, where you can restore it from. Shift+Delete deletes it for good, which is why it asks you to confirm first.