Zentty Docs
Shortcuts
Default keyboard shortcuts, unbound commands, and the shortcut presets Zentty ships for different workflows.
Applies to current public Zentty builds. Last updated May 11, 2026.
Command Palette
Press Shift+Cmd+P to search every command. The command palette includes bound and unbound actions, shows recent commands first, and is the safest place to discover features without leaving the keyboard.
Reading The Tables
A dash means the command is available but has no default shortcut. Use the command palette, bind it in Settings, or apply a preset if you want a keyboard-first layout for that command family.
Keyboard Model
Zentty handles app-level shortcuts first, then passes normal terminal input to the focused shell. Cmd-based bindings usually belong to the app on macOS; terminal-native bindings without Cmd are more likely to reach vim, tmux, shells, and full-screen TUIs.
- If a nested tool also wants a key, Zentty wins when the command is bound at the app layer.
- Rebind in Settings when you want a nested tool to receive the key instead.
- Test pass-through by opening a plain shell and running
cat, then pressing the key sequence.
General
| Action | Default | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Toggle Sidebar | Cmd+S | App-level shortcut; does not pass through to nested shells. |
| Navigate Back | Cmd+[ | Moves through Zentty navigation history. |
| Navigate Forward | Cmd+] | Pairs with Navigate Back. |
| Command Palette | Shift+Cmd+P | Finds bound and unbound commands. |
| Open Settings | Cmd+, | App-level shortcut. |
| New Window | Shift+Cmd+N | |
| Show Bookmarks & Presets | Shift+Cmd+B | |
| Clean Copy | Ctrl+Cmd+C | Strips terminal control artifacts before writing to the clipboard. |
| Copy Raw | — | Bindable command for exact terminal bytes. |
| Open Branch on Remote | — | Bindable command when git remote metadata is available. |
| Reload Configuration | — | Useful when editing config.toml by hand. |
| Task Manager | — | Bindable diagnostics window. |
| Close Window | — | Confirmation depends on close-window settings and live panes. |
| Jump To Latest Notification | Shift+Cmd+U | Focuses the pane that most recently asked for attention. |
Worklanes
| Action | Default | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| New Worklane | Cmd+T | Creates a new durable workspace context. |
| Next Worklane | Ctrl+Tab | Wraps at the end of the visible worklane list. |
| Previous Worklane | Ctrl+Shift+Tab | Wraps at the beginning of the visible worklane list. |
| Move Worklane Up | Ctrl+Cmd+Up | |
| Move Worklane Down | Ctrl+Cmd+Down |
Panes
| Action | Default | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Find | Cmd+F | Pane-local find. |
| Global Find | Shift+Cmd+F | Searches panes in the current window. |
| Use Selection for Find | Cmd+E | Seeds find from the current terminal selection. |
| Find Next | Cmd+G | Moves to the next match in the active find scope. |
| Find Previous | Shift+Cmd+G | Moves backward through matches. |
| Copy Path | Shift+Cmd+C | Copies the focused pane working directory. |
| Add Pane Right | Cmd+D | Creates a visible right split when width allows; otherwise appends horizontally. |
| New Pane Below | Shift+Cmd+D | Stacks below the focused pane in the same column. |
| Close Pane | Cmd+W | Confirmation depends on close-pane settings and live process state. |
| Undo Close Pane | Shift+Cmd+T | Restores the most recent close when enough context was captured. |
| Focus Previous Pane | Option+Cmd+Up | Cycles through pane order. |
| Focus Next Pane | Option+Cmd+Down | Cycles through pane order. |
| Focus Left Pane | Cmd+Left | Stops at the edge; use worklane navigation to move contexts. |
| Focus Right Pane | Cmd+Right | Stops at the edge; hidden columns can be revealed by layout/scroll. |
| Focus Up In Column | Cmd+Up | Moves within the current vertical stack. |
| Focus Down In Column | Cmd+Down | Moves within the current vertical stack. |
| Resize Pane Left | Option+Shift+Cmd+Left | Honors layout constraints and minimum readable sizes. |
| Resize Pane Right | Option+Shift+Cmd+Right | Honors layout constraints and minimum readable sizes. |
| Resize Pane Up | Option+Shift+Cmd+Up | Resizes inside the current column stack. |
| Resize Pane Down | Option+Shift+Cmd+Down | Resizes inside the current column stack. |
| Arrange Width: Full Width | Cmd+1 | Shows one focused column. |
| Arrange Width: Half Width | Cmd+2 | Shows two columns. |
| Arrange Width: Thirds | Cmd+3 | Shows three columns. |
| Arrange Width: Quarters | Cmd+4 | Shows four columns on wide displays. |
| Arrange Height: Full Height | Option+Cmd+1 | One pane per column is visible. |
| Arrange Height: 2 Per Column | Option+Cmd+2 | Two panes per column. |
| Arrange Height: 3 Per Column | Option+Cmd+3 | Three panes per column. |
| Arrange Height: 4 Per Column | Option+Cmd+4 | Four panes per column. |
| Arrange Width: Golden - Focus Wide | Ctrl+Cmd+G | Makes the focused column dominant. |
| Arrange Width: Golden - Focus Narrow | Option+Ctrl+Cmd+G | Keeps focused work visible but gives more room to neighbors. |
| Arrange Height: Golden - Focus Tall | Ctrl+Shift+Cmd+G | Makes the focused pane taller in its stack. |
| Arrange Height: Golden - Focus Short | Option+Ctrl+Shift+Cmd+G | Keeps a shorter focused pane with more peer context. |
| Reset Pane Layout | Option+Ctrl+Cmd+0 | Returns to adaptive defaults. |
| Duplicate This Pane | — | Bindable command; duplicates the current pane context. |
| Move Pane to New Window | — | Bindable command for extracting focused work. |
| Split Right Visibly | — | Forces visible split behavior when width permits. |
| Add Pane Right Without Resizing | — | Preserves current visible column sizes. |
Preset Comparison
| Command Family | Default | Left-hand preset | Right-hand preset |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pane focus | Cmd+Arrow | WASD-style cluster | Arrow-key cluster |
| Pane resize | Option+Shift+Cmd+Arrow | Left-hand variants near focus keys | Right-hand variants near arrows |
| Layout width | Cmd+1 through Cmd+4 | Preserved unless conflicting | Preserved unless conflicting |
| Worklane movement | Ctrl+Tab | Alternative keys near left hand | Alternative keys near right hand |
Presets And Rebinding
Settings includes shortcut editing plus left-hand and right-hand presets. The left-hand preset uses WASD-style navigation. The right-hand preset leans on arrow keys and nearby right-hand letters. Applying a preset replaces current bindings and clears default shortcuts that would conflict.
- Open Settings with Cmd+,.
- Choose Shortcuts.
- Search for the command name or use a category filter.
- Record a new shortcut, then resolve any conflict warning before closing Settings.
Bindable Unbound Commands
These commands ship without defaults because they are powerful, situational, or likely to conflict with existing muscle memory.