Basic Navigation

From the address bar to keyboard shortcuts, here’s everything you need to move around SPAN Finder with confidence.

Table of contents

  1. The address bar
  2. Miller Columns navigation
    1. Mouse navigation
    2. Keyboard navigation
    3. Type-ahead search in columns
  3. Sidebar navigation
  4. Back, forward, and history
  5. Switching view modes
  6. Tabs
  7. Split view
  8. Quick file operations from the keyboard
  9. See also

The address bar

The address bar at the top of each pane shows your current location. Click it (or press Ctrl + L / Alt + D) to type a path directly. Press Enter to navigate.

  • Breadcrumb chips — Each folder segment is clickable; click any ancestor to jump up without losing your place in child columns.
  • Type-ahead — As you type, the address bar suggests matching paths from your history and known locations.
  • Localized names — You can type both the localized display name (“Downloads”) and the raw path (C:\Users\You\Downloads) — both work.
  • Special paths — shell:RecycleBinFolder, shell:Desktop, ftp://, sftp:// are all valid.

Miller Columns navigation

Miller Columns is SPAN Finder’s primary navigation mode (Ctrl + 1). Each column represents one folder level.

Mouse navigation

Action Result
Click a folder Opens it in the next column
Click a file Shows its preview on the right
Double-click a folder Navigates into it (in double-click mode)
Double-click a file Opens it with the default app
Scroll horizontally Pans between columns

Keyboard navigation

Key Action
→ Open selected folder / move to next column
← Move to parent column
↑ / ↓ Move up/down in the current column
Home / End Jump to first / last item
Enter Open folder or file
Backspace Go up to parent folder
Alt + ← Back (history)
Alt + → Forward (history)
Alt + ↑ Navigate to parent directory

Type-ahead search in columns

Start typing any letter while a column is focused and SPAN Finder jumps to the first matching item. Works with:

  • Latin characters (case-insensitive)
  • Korean Hangul chosung (초성 검색) — type ㄷ to jump to 다운로드

The sidebar on the left provides one-click access to common locations:

Section What’s inside
Home Pinned favorites and quick links
Favorites Folders you’ve pinned (drag to reorder)
Recent Recently visited folders
This PC Local drives (C:, D:, USB, etc.)
Cloud OneDrive, iCloud, Dropbox (auto-detected)
Network SMB shares and mapped drives
Remote FTP/SFTP saved connections
Recycle Bin Browse deleted files
Workspaces Saved tab layouts

Tips:

  • Middle-click any sidebar item to open it in a new tab.
  • Right-click to pin/unpin favorites or add a remote connection.
  • Toggle sections on or off via Settings → Sidebar.

Back, forward, and history

SPAN Finder maintains a per-pane navigation history — just like a browser.

Shortcut Action
Alt + ← Back
Alt + → Forward
Right-click the Back button History dropdown (jump to any prior location)

Switching view modes

Shortcut View
Ctrl + 1 Miller Columns
Ctrl + 2 Details (table with size, date, type)
Ctrl + 3 List (dense, multi-column)
Ctrl + 4 Icons (thumbnail grid)

Each tab remembers its own view mode independently.

Tabs

Shortcut Action
Ctrl + T New tab
Ctrl + W Close tab
Ctrl + Tab Next tab
Ctrl + Shift + Tab Previous tab
Ctrl + Enter Open selected folder in new tab

See Tabs for advanced features like tear-off, session restore, and workspaces.

Split view

Press Ctrl + Shift + E to split the window into two independent panes. Use F6 to switch focus between panes. Each pane has its own address bar, navigation history, and view mode.

See Split View for details.

Quick file operations from the keyboard

While browsing, you can do almost everything without touching the mouse:

Shortcut Action
Space Quick Look (instant preview window)
F2 Rename selected item
Delete Move to Recycle Bin
Ctrl + C / X / V Copy / Cut / Paste
Ctrl + Shift + N New folder
Ctrl + F Search in current folder
F5 Refresh

See also