Install & launch

Sheru is a Finder-class macOS file browser with one defining feature: a real terminal that's always one keystroke away (⌘J), over pluggable storage so a cloud bucket or a SaaS service browses just like a local folder. The name is シェル (sheru) — the Japanese rendering of the English word "shell."

This page covers getting the app onto your Mac, the navigation keys you'll use every day, staying up to date, and the optional sheru command-line launcher.

Download and install

  1. Download the disk image: https://dl.sheru.app/Sheru-latest.dmg
  2. Open it and drag Sheru into your Applications folder.
  3. Launch it from Applications or Spotlight.

That's the whole install. There's nothing else to download, no helper to set up, and no system-level changes — Sheru is a single, self-contained app, and remote storage works without mounting anything into macOS.

Requirements

Sheru requires macOS 26 (Tahoe) or later. It won't launch on earlier versions.

Native mode, and Themed Mode

Sheru is free, and both looks ship with it. Native mode is a real Finder-class browser built from system controls: native file icons, localized file kinds, open-in-app, trash with undo, search, favorites and recents, and the integrated terminal. Nothing in everyday file management is held back.

Themed Mode repaints every window, chrome and all, in an OS-retro look: Mac OS X Aqua, Windows 98, Windows XP, Windows 7, or XFCE. It changes only the appearance; the app works exactly the same underneath.

Switch between them from View ▸ Use Themed Mode. Every open window reopens in place in the other look. The theme menu is available only while Themed Mode is on. The rest of this page describes native mode — everything here applies equally in Themed Mode.

First launch and navigation

On first launch, Sheru opens on your ~/code folder if you have one, otherwise your home folder. From there it behaves like Finder:

Action Shortcut Menu
Open the selection / enter a folder Double-click or ⌘O File ▸ Open
Back ⌘[ Go ▸ Back
Forward ⌘] Go ▸ Forward
Enclosing (parent) folder ⌘↑ Go ▸ Enclosing Folder
New Tab ⌘T File ▸ New Tab
New Window ⌘N File ▸ New Window
Settings ⌘, Sheru ▸ Settings…
Show / Hide Terminal ⌘J View ▸ Show/Hide Terminal

Each tab is its own browser with its own terminal session, so opening, navigating, or toggling the terminal in one tab never disturbs another. ⌘J raises an inline terminal already pointed at the folder you're looking at — see the terminal for the full story. A local folder opens a local shell, and an SSH connector opens a terminal on the remote machine; other remote filesystems and service connectors are read over the network and have no shell.

Staying up to date

Sheru updates itself in place. Choose Sheru ▸ Check for Updates… to look for a new release immediately, or let the app check on its own in the background and offer the update when one is ready. You don't need to re-download the disk image for routine upgrades.

The optional sheru command

Like VS Code's code command, Sheru can install a small sheru command into your shell so you can open folders straight from the terminal:

Install it from Settings ▸ Connectors. Because the command is placed in a shared system location, macOS asks for your password the first time. If you cancel that prompt, nothing is installed and you can try again any time — the button simply reads "Install" or "Reinstall."

Where to go next