Navigate panes, folders, and tabs

Open a specific location

1. Click the pane you want to change. Commands operate on that pane unless their name explicitly says Other Pane.
2. Press Command-L or Command-Shift-G to edit the path. Enter an existing local folder path, such as ~/Downloads, and confirm.
3. Use Command-Up for the enclosing folder. Use Command-[ and Command-] to move backward and forward through that pane's history.
4. Select a folder and double-click it or press Command-Down to enter it. Return is the rename shortcut, not the open shortcut.
5. Use the breadcrumb path bar to orient yourself before copying, moving, extracting, or creating files. The path bar can be placed at the bottom in Preferences.

Keep useful folders in tabs

1. Activate the intended pane and press Command-T for New Tab. Its initial folder follows your new-tab preference.
2. Navigate the new tab to another folder. Switch tabs without changing the other pane's location.
3. Use Command-Shift-] and Command-Shift-[ to cycle tabs with the default keymap, or click a tab directly.
4. Close an unneeded tab with its close control or Close Tab. Before closing the last tab or a window, finish any work you still need to inspect.
5. In Preferences, adjust where new tabs open and whether they are placed at the end or next to the current tab. Existing tabs are not relocated by changing a default.

Use synchronized browsing intentionally

Sync Browsing is useful for parallel folder trees, such as two project copies with matching subfolders. It is a navigation aid, not a file synchronization or backup command.

1. Open the corresponding starting directories in the two panes.
2. Run Sync Browsing from the command palette. Navigate into a matching child folder and verify both paths before doing any file work.
3. Turn Sync Browsing off when you want the panes to navigate independently. If the other side has no matching child, inspect the displayed paths rather than assuming a match exists.