Description: Explains how to change the selected file and how to change the folder that is shown in the view.
Keywords: views, navigation, zoom, focus, select, hover, selection, lock, unlock, selection focus, display focus, quick look, open, reveal, delete

# Navigating views

You can select files and folders in a view window by hovering over the view with your mouse. The item under the mouse cursor is selected and marked by a highlighted rectangle; the folders in which the item resides are similarly marked. The name and size of the selected item are shown underneath the view.

## Locking and unlocking the selection

Clicking inside the view locks the selection so that it does not change when you move the mouse. Click once more, anywhere in the view, to unlock the selection.

## Changing the selection focus

You can move the selection from an item to the folder in which it resides by changing the focus. This way you can see the size of folders.

You can change the focus using:

- the Focus controls in the toolbar (when the selection is locked),
- the scrollwheel of your mouse,
- the keyboard shortcuts ⌘[ and ⌘], or
- the View > Selection Focus menu.

When you change the focus, it will remain at that level in the file hierarchy until you explicitly move it up or down. If you move the focus back down again to a file, the selection will again stick to files.

## Changing the display focus

The display focus controls which items are shown in the view, depending on their depth in the folder hierarchy. By default, all items are shown. When you move the display focus upwards, the view will not show items that are below the focus depth. This can help to get a high-level overview.

The default display focus can be configured in the Preferences. You can change the display focus using:

- the Focus controls in the toolbar (when the selection is unlocked), or
- the View > Display Focus menu.

## Keyboard navigation

When the selection is locked, you can use the arrow keys to change the selected item. For example, pressing the right arrow key moves the selection to an item to the right of the current selection.

This may jump over very small items. You can zoom in if you want to be able to select those via the keyboard.

## Zooming in and out

When the selection is locked you can zoom in or out using:

- the Zoom controls in the toolbar,
- the keyboard shortcuts ⌘+ and ⌘-, or
- the View > Zoom menu.

This changes the folder that is shown in the view. By zooming in, you descend into the first subfolder on the path to the selected file. You can continue zooming in, until you've reached the file itself. Zooming out will take you back up again, one level at the time.

## Actions

When the selection is locked you may also use the toolbar to apply the following actions to the selected file or folder:

- Open opens the selected file using the default application that is associated with it in Finder.

- Quick Look (also accessible via the Spacebar) previews the selected file in the Quick Look panel.

- Reveal shows the selected file or folder in Finder. There you can examine it, view more detailed info, rename it, move it, etc.

- Delete moves the selected file or folder to Trash. The view will be updated to show the freed space. By default, the control is disabled to reduce the chance of accidental file deletion. Deletion can be enabled from the Preferences.

  Beware: Deleting folders will move the entire folder to the Trash, including any files in the folder that are not shown in the view. A file may not be shown because it was masked or filtered, it could not be scanned because of insufficent permissions, or it appeared in the folder after the scan was made. In short, you should be very careful when deleting folders.

These actions are also available from the Selection menu.