How To Use Enter/Return Key To Open Files/Folders On Mac

On a PC running Windows operating system, you can open a file or folder either by double-clicking on it or selecting the file/folder and then hitting the Enter key.

This is the standard way of opening files and folders in all versions of the Windows operating system.

If you have switched to a Mac, you might have noticed that you cannot use the Enter/Return key to open a file or folder in macOS. Selecting a file/folder and pressing the Return/Enter key invokes the file/folder rename function.

Keyboard shortcut to open files/folders on Mac

Does not macOS support opening files with keyboard shortcuts? Yes, on Macs, to open a file or folder, you can double-click on a file/folder. However, if you prefer to use keyboard shortcuts, the default keyboard shortcut to open the file/folder is Ctrl + O or Ctrl + down arrow, which is not intuitive, especially for users who are used to open files and folders with the Enter key.

The System Preferences (System Settings) > Keyboard > Shortcuts page also does not let you change the default keyboard shortcut to open files and folders. So, the only option is to use a third-party app.

If you are looking for workarounds to enable the Enter/Return key to open files and folders, you will be glad to know that there are a few apps out there that can solve this problem.

While most of the keyboard remapping apps are paid, one app called Karabiner-Elements allows you to use the Enter/Return key to easily open files and folders. Most importantly, it’s a free app.

Use Enter/Return key to open files on Mac using Karabiner-Elements (free)

Step 1: The first step is to download the Karabiner-Elements installer from this official page.

Step 2: Run the installer to install Karabiner-Elements.

Step 3: After installing Karabiner-Elements, you need to make changes to the default security and privacy settings to allow the Karabiner-Elements to make necessary changes to the system.

Go to System Preferences > Security & Privacy. Under the General tab, click on the padlock icon to make changes and select App Store and identified developers option. Then, click on the padlock icon again.

Step 4: Next, go to the Privacy tab. On the left side, select Input Monitoring. Now, click on the padlock icon again to make changes. Select both Karabiner-grabber and Karabiner_observer. Then, click on the padlock icon again.

Step 5: Run the Karabiner Elements app. Under the Complex modifications tab, click on the Add rule button.

Step 6: Click on the Import more rules from the Internet button to open the Karabiner-Elements page in the browser.

Step 7: Click on the Application Specific link.

Step 8: Next, click on the Import button next to the Finder entry.

Step 9: Finally, click on the Enable button next to Use Return as Open. That’s it!

If you have followed the directions without missing any instructions, you should now be able to open files and folders by hitting the Return/Enter key on the Mac.

Our how-to enable Ctrl + C and Ctrl + V shortcuts on Mac guide might also interest you.