Complete fzf keyboard shortcuts reference — 16 shortcuts across 2 categories. Quick reference cheat sheet for Windows & Mac.
fzf is a blazing-fast command-line fuzzy finder used for history search, file selection, and interactive filtering in the shell. Learning its keyboard shortcuts can dramatically speed up your workflow — studies show shortcut users save an average of 8 days per year compared to mouse-only users.
This page covers all 16 fzf shortcuts across 2 categories: Shell Integration (4), Inside the Finder (12). Each shortcut includes a description to help you understand when and how to use it effectively.
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + R | Fuzzy history search |
| Ctrl + T | Insert file path |
| Alt + C | cd into directory |
| Tab | Fuzzy completion |
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + J | Move down |
| Ctrl + K | Move up |
| Enter | Accept selection |
| Tab | Toggle + down |
| Shift + Tab | Toggle + up |
| PageUp | Page up |
| PageDown | Page down |
| Ctrl + U | Clear query |
| Ctrl + W | Delete word |
| Ctrl + A | Start of query |
| Ctrl + E | End of query |
| Esc | Abort |
fzf's 16 shortcuts on this page are organized into 2 categories: Shell Integration (4), Inside the Finder (12). Inside the Finder is the largest group with 12 shortcuts — a good place to focus first if you're building muscle memory from scratch.
A few of these aren't fzf-specific — they're shared across tools: Ctrl + R (Fuzzy history search, also in Excel); Ctrl + T (Insert file path, also in Chrome); Alt + C (cd into directory, also in Amazon Q). Learning them here pays off well beyond fzf itself.
New to fzf? Start with Shell Integration above — it's usually where the shortcuts you'll reach for constantly live. Once those feel automatic, work through Inside the Finder to round out your workflow.
Want this on paper? The printable cheat sheet turns these 16 shortcuts into a one-page PDF you can pin above your desk. Prefer to learn by doing? Shortcut Speedrun turns memorization into a timed typing challenge with a global leaderboard, so you find out which fzf shortcuts you actually remember under pressure.
The most essential fzf shortcuts are: Ctrl + R (Fuzzy history search), Ctrl + T (Insert file path), Alt + C (cd into directory). These cover the most frequent actions and can significantly speed up your workflow.
fzf has 16 keyboard shortcuts across 2 categories on shortcut-tools.com.
Simply press the key combination while fzf is focused. Most shortcuts work immediately. On Mac, replace Ctrl with Cmd and Alt with Option for most shortcuts.
The fzf shortcut for fuzzy history search is Ctrl + R.
fzf includes 12 Inside the Finder shortcuts, including Ctrl + J (Move down) and Ctrl + K (Move up). See the full list in the Inside the Finder section above.
Print the fzf cheat sheet and keep it next to your keyboard for the first week, then switch to active recall: open Shortcut Speedrun and practice fzf shortcuts against the clock until they're automatic.
Yes — use My Stack to combine fzf shortcuts with any other platform on this site into one printable reference, which is useful if your daily workflow spans several tools.
Most do not — the underlying key is the same, but fzf (like most software) maps Ctrl on Windows/Linux to Cmd on Mac for standard operations. Where a shortcut is platform-specific, this page notes the Mac variant next to the Windows one.
Start with the essentials: Learn Ctrl + R (Fuzzy history search) and Ctrl + T (Insert file path) first — these are the most commonly used.
Practice daily: Pick 2–3 new shortcuts each day and consciously use them instead of the mouse. Within a week, they become muscle memory.
Print this cheat sheet: Keep a reference nearby until shortcuts become automatic. Focus on the Inside the Finder category first.
CLI tip: Create shell aliases for the commands you use most. Combine them with these shortcuts for maximum efficiency.