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Is there some sort of known logic behind Apple's choice to make the enter key rename a file/folder, rather than open it as is standard on Windows and Linux?

For those of you coming here for the substitute key combination, ⌘-O and ⌘-down arrow both work. And I fully understand ⌘-down, since ⌘-up goes "up" in the directory tree. But couldn't they have made some other key combination the rename key, and allowed enter to be the "standard" open action?

I understand this is a point of view question, and you could argue Windows and Linux are the weird ones, but "enter" or "return" is, at least in my mind and experience with others, the universal "okay" key. When a dialog pops up, you can smack the enter key for the default action. When you finish typing your password, hit the enter key to submit the form and log in. In terminal, type a command and hit enter. So then why is it browse to the file, select it, and hit enter... to rename?

o0'.
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Ricket
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    Because a programmer coded it that way? – Robert S Ciaccio Jan 22 '11 at 00:18
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    This really just boils down to "You're used to Windows." doesn't it? – Ryan Wersal Jan 22 '11 at 06:32
  • I suspect this "issue" is one of the reasons people "hate" the Finder. Perhaps I need to use Path Finder before I really state this, but I ultimately have no real problems with the Finder. – Jason Salaz Jan 22 '11 at 06:54
  • i guess i always thought the return key as being an "enter" key, as "enter a door" or "enter at your own risk". I think it's odd that the company that can't stray away from a one button mouse makes us use two buttons to open a file on the keyboard. Seems kind of flawed logic to me. –  Mar 03 '11 at 01:50
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    @compulsionstar - FYI, it's been several years since Apple last shipped a one button mouse. – Dori Mar 03 '11 at 03:58
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    Magic mouse is technically one button... – Ricket Mar 03 '11 at 13:46
  • I found this weird too, coming from the well-known Windows->Linux->OSX path... Although, I'm acustomed to it now. What I consider useful about this behaviour is that there's no way you open a huge file by mistake. – Ignacio Aug 08 '11 at 18:09
  • What do the spacebar, return and control-O do on windows? The spacebar is for spotlight, command-O is already second nature for opening so why have a second key for that duplicate functionality? Keys are scarce so wasting on on duplicate functionality seems like a poor choice even if it means newcomers have to remap things or adjust. – bmike Aug 15 '11 at 23:25
  • @bmike I'm not following... In Windows, spacebar and ctrl-O both do nothing... In Mac, spacebar is for quick look (also cmd+Y - hey look, a duplicate key for a common function) (cmd+spacebar is spotlight). The whole point of asking this question is that Cmd+O is not second nature - enter (or return) is. – Ricket Aug 16 '11 at 18:41
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    I look back and my answer was trying to help - but as you point out - my reasoning doesn't hold up in general. Perhaps I've been drinking the water too long. Your points seem better made than mine. I should have said - we can't know without asking the Apple people in the room who made the decisions. Since that's not a timely option - I fell into the trap of speculating. Thanks for calling it - you saw through my attempt to reason it out. :-) – bmike Aug 16 '11 at 18:47
  • This question is purely speculative and unanswerable. Therefore, it is not a good fit for Stack Exchange or Ask Different. – Philip Regan Aug 16 '11 at 19:08
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    @Philip It's also 8 months old. But gee, thanks for closing it. It is possible that an answer could have involved facts, so I frankly disagree that it's unanswerable. An answer might be speculative but I asked for a reason that Apple made this decision, hoping to uncover some sort of sense behind it. – Ricket Aug 16 '11 at 19:18
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    The question was flagged by @bmike. I noticed the date after the fact. Either way, it's a speculative question and those were never a good fit. – Philip Regan Aug 16 '11 at 19:52
  • Some questions I flag I'm glad to see them go, this almost managed to dissuade me from flagging. Id love it if you made it into something less about the why and more about the what can be done to change it or adapt - something that can have a real answer here in the SE meaning of "real" - you could edit it and there is a reopen button if enough why is removed and some good what remains – bmike Aug 16 '11 at 20:02
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    Ahh ...it is so frustrating to always see this kind of questions being commented away along the lines of "this is the Apple way, deal with it", and sometimes being closed. IMO Ricket did a thorough job in trying to explain why he thought this question is not speculative and that he took his potential other-OS prejudice into consideration before posting. – Rabarberski Oct 07 '11 at 20:58
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    @bmike This question is totally not speculative, there might reasons why they decided to do that, and they might be public. Of course, if those reasons aren't public, the answer is likely "we don't know", however there still might be the chance that some ux expert analysed that behaviour and wrote an essay about that. – o0'. Aug 14 '14 at 07:25
  • http://www.folklore.org/StoryView.py?project=Macintosh&story=A_Floppy_named_lsadkfjalhkjh.txt&topic=The%20Launch&sortOrder=Sort%20by%20Date&detail=high&showcomments=1 is such an answer, but the question attracts terrible speculative answers and doesn't solve a real problem. – Daniel Aug 14 '14 at 12:36
  • @Lohoris We're not the place for UI/UX experts to debate the best design of software. We're not even the place on how to ask how to develop software once the designers are done. Those sites exist on Stack Exchange. Ask Different is the place to ask about using OS X so unless this gets edited to clearly ask how to use the softeare I see it as off-topic. Best to open a thread on [meta] to discuss / debate the merits of this question. If there is consensus there, I have no problems reopening this but don't feel it's currently on topic. – bmike Aug 14 '14 at 13:25
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    So from the link Daniel gives, it sounds like the shortcut is convoluted on purpose, to prevent people from accidentally opening something. Similar to the qwerty keyboard I guess. – Ricket Aug 16 '14 at 03:02
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    My professional opinion as a software developer and technology expert is:

    *NO.*: There is no discernible logic in this convention, by any means, and it truly does only serve to frustrate and impair the user. Apple... You dun f'kd up.

     – Steve Benner Nov 05 '16 at 10:54
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    @SteveBenner True dat` homes – Kellen Stuart Nov 09 '16 at 02:00
  • Maybe it's because in the olden days, you used the keyboard to mainly edit text. So return was a way to enter text editing mode, as opposed to a shortcut to perform an otherwise GUI operation (double clicking on a file object). – deed02392 Nov 13 '18 at 01:51
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    In my humble opinion, that is a very stupid combination! How many times do you actually rename a file!? But you would want to access a directory or open a file almost every time ! Doesn't make any sense to me. – Hassen Ch. Apr 12 '19 at 12:14
  • There might be a strategic defensive marketing reason: To deliberately frustrate users who are trying Windows after having been familiar with Mac. If you're used to "Enter" resulting in rename, and then when you're trying out Windows, you press "Enter" and it unexpectedly opens the file, you'll form the perception that ~'Windows is non-intuitive (relative to Mac)'. From Apple's marketing dept. perspective, having their long-time, highly-profitable customers forming such perceptions of their competitor product would be desirable. Of course, it has the opposite effect on Win->Mac users. – Justas Jul 13 '19 at 16:53

5 Answers5

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"enter" or "return" is, at least in my mind and experience with others, the universal "okay" key. When a dialog pops up, you can smack the enter key for the default action.

In the Finder, the default action is file management. The Finder is not a launcher. You have a bunch of files you want to rename, or move, or whatever. What percentage of files do you actually open regularly from the Finder? Why should the default action in the Finder be "Open"?

You can learn to use the navigation standard of OS X instead of ENTER/RETURN. The navigation standard is:

  1. ⌘ + ↑ - goes to Parent Folder
  2. ⌘ + ↓ - goes to Child Folder.

Over time I have found these key operations better than Windows navigation where you have to switch between ENTER and Alt+Up.

deed02392
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ghoppe
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    Actually, I rename files significantly less than I open them, and I rename directories significantly less than navigating into a directory. Isn't part of file management to navigate inside directories? Since Apple designs revolve thrive on user intuition, most people "intuitively" expect the return key to open a file. This is why I found the action surprising. I think the real answer is in the fact that "that's the way it has always been." And it is not worth changing. – Josh Hibschman Jan 21 '11 at 16:15
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    @JoshHibschman I think the only people who "intuitively" expect the return key to open a file are Windows users. Ask most people and they would say "i double-click to open a file." I realize that people have different usage patterns, but I rarely open files in the Finder. If it's stuff I use often, it's on the Dock. Otherwise, I use a launcher utility like Launchbar or Alfred. – ghoppe Jan 21 '11 at 18:43
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    +1 ghoppe's response. Try switching to Windows after using Mac OS, and expecting a rename operation when you hit enter. Only to find that it opens stuff. Crazy-making. – Harv Jan 21 '11 at 21:29
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    @Harv I would be happy if it was a single keystroke on OS X. Windows = F2 to rename a file, enter to open a file. OS X you have to press two keys to open a file or dir... I would rather it was one. Of course, it is not a big deal, but an annoyance. – Josh Hibschman Jan 21 '11 at 22:43
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    It's entirely unfair to compare expectations coming from another OS. If everything only took one key to activate, the usability experience would be miserable, one slipped key and you could undertake a completely different action than you meant to. – Jason Salaz Jan 22 '11 at 06:53
  • @ghoppe I'd add the built-in launcher Spotlight to the list. If you're looking for something specific, why browse when you can search. – Jari Keinänen Jan 22 '11 at 13:00
  • Coming from Windows, I've noticed two distinctly different workflows of working with files. Seems they apply to mac users as well. Workflow 1: I always use the workflow where I consistently us the Finder/Explorer to go finding specific files and then open them (by pressing Enter [Windows] or cmd-o [OSX]). Related files are nearby in the Finder and quickly opened as well. Workflow 2: The alternative is to start from the application (Word processor, image editor) and use File > Open to go searching for files. For a second application, you need to do the browsing again. Inconvenient to me... – Rabarberski Oct 07 '11 at 20:47
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    So, to summarize, while I think your answer is very good, the statement 'The Finder is not a launcher.' really depends on your workflow. In my case, it is a launcher. – Rabarberski Oct 07 '11 at 21:00
  • → ghoppe: I agree with the key part of your argument. I can't agree with "Of course the real answer is that it is convention.". The choice of the function associated with the "return" key was computed: "What is the function which should be the fastest to access to make an efficient File manager?", "What access nightmare makes a File Manager a failure?", "What is the key sign of a failing File Manager?". This is ergonomics :). – dan Aug 14 '14 at 13:13
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    Linux is same as Windows, the bloody key is called "Enter" which is exactly what I want to do when I'm focused on a folder. And for your information - most super users don't use the freakin mouse for most of the stuff. – YemSalat Oct 15 '14 at 01:25
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    @YemSalat The key is also labelled "return" on Macintosh keyboards. By your logic, do you also expect it to go back to the previous folder? – ghoppe Oct 15 '14 at 20:02
  • @YemSalat Regarding your second point: Citation please. I doubt most people use the keyboard to navigate (not search) the Finder — that's quite different than navigating the filesystem using the command line. – ghoppe Oct 15 '14 at 20:04
  • @ghoppe: if the back button is in focus - I would expect it to return when I press the button. But you probably would agree that if I asked you to press 'Enter' - you would know which key I mean. And I didn't say 'most people', I said most super users (power users), I don't have any citation for that and I don't think it's needed, just google "keyboard > mouse". PS I'm not talking specifically finder, I mean any GUI file manager, pros prefer to use keyboard cause it is MUCH faster – YemSalat Oct 16 '14 at 07:49
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    I'm willing to bet that files are more often opened than renamed. Why is Finder not a launcher? I can certainly "launch" things from Finder. – Phillip Jun 17 '15 at 20:01
  • @Phillip In recent versions of OS X, Apple has supplied a dedicated launcher inspired by iOS: Launchpad. The first comment in this thread made the same argument you have and I addressed it in the second comment. – ghoppe Jun 18 '15 at 15:06
  • @ghoppe seems to apply only to apps though. To my point, a text file, e.g., is probably opened more often than it is renamed. Granted, it really would be great to have a real set of backing statistics for discussions like this. – Phillip Jun 19 '15 at 15:05
  • @Phillip Indeed, I can only speak for myself, as everyone has different usage patterns. I very rarely open documents using the Finder. Usually I open the application first and use the Open dialog. Those times I do use the Finder, I don't use the keyboard, so i'm double-clicking the files. If I want to navigate the filesystem with the keyboard, it's simply faster and more efficient to use ZSH/bash in the terminal. – ghoppe Jun 19 '15 at 15:34
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    I downvoted because your answer is opinionated and plebeian, and personally strikes me as oddly mundane and ineffectual in terms of creating solution or providing educative material. Please remove at once. – Steve Benner Nov 05 '16 at 10:52
  • @SteveBenner Apple's OS is opinionated, and I was trying to express what assumptions were made that made it so. Since this is a five year old answer on a question that was closed because it is opinion-based, I don't see the point of deleting the answer. Frankly, I'm a tad baffled why you find it so offensive when the person asking the question (with a clearly opposing view) deemed it worthy of a checkmark. – ghoppe Nov 07 '16 at 16:30
  • I'm pretty sure the reason is because macOS Finder originates from the NextStep file manager, which used the "columns" view that macOS still supports. I don't know what the hotkeys were there, but I guess that they were adapted to the column view and that it made more sense to have enter "edit" (rename) the current file, and use a special command to launch. I could imagine yet another key was used to open folders (e.g. right arrow). (Note: it is unfortunate the question is closed. Someone could find a design document stating why they chose that shortcut - but now nobody will search.) – jdm Aug 30 '17 at 15:13
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    What percentage of files do you actually open regularly from the Finder? A: On Windows and Linux? Nearly 100%. I almost never open a file from anything but the "Finder" (Windows Explorer/File manager). – Gabriel Staples Dec 05 '17 at 00:25
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    "Over time I have found these key operations better than Windows navigation where you have to switch between ENTER and Alt+Up." Use Enter and backspace on windows. Single keys right next to each other. cant get better than this. – Henning Sep 01 '19 at 09:30
  • Yeah and than you need to use Finder as a dialog when selecting a file and suddenly opening is now ENTER and not CMD+Down. So when you want to rename a file while choosing it, you're done, have to reach for the mouse (and yes, I do that often) – Ev0oD Mar 02 '20 at 09:51
  • "File manager not a launcher" is one of the most ridiculous nonsensical explanations and makes no sense for the vast majority of users who don't care about pedantic technical definitions. Managing a file includes opening it. How else are you supposed to find and open a specific file? – Mani Gandham Nov 05 '20 at 00:36
  • Enter renames on the desktop too which most certainly is a launcher. – Rory Harvey Feb 19 '24 at 16:40
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Because ⌘+o opens it.

bahamat
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I've used Mac OS X on and off for sometime now, and I still can't get my head wrapped around the "enter to rename" functionality. In windows you press F2 to rename a file, because you're performing a function, and that makes sense! Back in OS 7 (what I used for 5+ years before switching to windows) I strongly recall using enter to open things.

I'm going to try ReturnOpen which only works on 10.3 - 10.5, so far it seems to work just fine.

http://www.returnopen.com/

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    RE: ".. In windows you press F2 to rename a file, because you're performing a function, and that makes sense!" - Actually I am a long time DOS / Windows user that switched to Mac OSX 4 years ago, and I find that pressing ENTER to enter / rename text FAR MORE common sense. Most of the time I am renaming files that I have just created from video conversion operations onto the desktop, and I am renaming files far more than I am executing applications on the desktop (which, instead, I use spotlight and the Dock explicitly for launching apps). – user1556373 Aug 16 '11 at 10:10
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    You can also Remap F2 to Rename with mac karabiner key remapper. – Eric Leschinski Sep 06 '16 at 14:19
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It's standard on Windows and Linux, not OS X. Doesn't mean it "should" be standard on OS X. :-)

I think it's simply because that's the way it's always been, since as far back as I remember.. I think even OS 6 had this. I know 7/8/9 definitely had it that way. So I suppose they wanted old users to feel comfortable making the switch to X.

Harv
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    +1 My answer too. Just because it works that way on Windows (and some linux), doesn't mean its a standard! Also, you are correct, earlier Mac OS did have this. Therefore its standard to me that enter renames something vs enter opens a file/folder. – jmlumpkin Jan 21 '11 at 13:21
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    Yeah sure. Why would I open if I can rename it – Magesh Kumaar Aug 08 '16 at 07:20
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    I checked and to 9 of 10 ppl I asked the main interaction with an entity in Finder (95% of times) is open a file rather than rename it. So it just boils down to a bad user experience. Putting the "standard" aside - it's madness that you need to click 2 keys for what you're doing 95% of the times and only one key for the other 5%. That's quite ironic because Microsoft does this awful ux design in many of their products – refaelio Aug 10 '22 at 12:12
  • @refaelio you're comparing apples and oranges. If you sat down at a unix terminal would you expect to be able to type a filename and for enter to open the file, and would you then complain that it should work that way because that's your expectation? – Harv Sep 09 '22 at 06:20
  • @Harv Well, statistically speaking, the UX experience is bad. My expectations are irrelevant. Moreover, Apple used the same logic to flip the apple icon on their macbooks upside down. – refaelio Nov 06 '22 at 15:44
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I'm with @ghoppe. Plus, you get the added bonus of avoiding the mindless or accidental opening of an application (to open a file) or executing code when you're really meaning to just browse your filesystem and, well, "Find" stuff.

Merchako
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    Why would you 'just' want to browse your filesystem. If I browse it, it is to find something and perform an action on it, which is most of the time to open it. – Rabarberski Oct 07 '11 at 20:44
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    @Rabarberski, see ghoppe's response. Finder isn't a launcher, it's a file manager (despite the name _Find_er). – Merchako Oct 21 '11 at 21:02
  • @Merchako Enter renames on the desktop too which most certainly is a launcher. – Rory Harvey Feb 19 '24 at 16:41