Yazi

Blazing fast terminal file manager written in Rust with async I/O, image preview, plugin system, and multi-tab support.

Installation

Package Managers

Command	Description
`brew install yazi ffmpegthumbnailer unar jq poppler fd ripgrep fzf zoxide imagemagick`	Full install on macOS with all preview dependencies
`brew install yazi`	Minimal install on macOS
`cargo install --locked yazi-fm yazi-cli`	Install from crates.io
`pacman -S yazi ffmpegthumbnailer unarchiver jq poppler fd ripgrep fzf zoxide`	Full install on Arch Linux
`scoop install yazi`	Install on Windows with Scoop
`winget install sxyazi.yazi`	Install on Windows with winget
`nix-env -i yazi`	Install on NixOS
`snap install yazi --classic`	Install on Ubuntu via Snap

Launch & Version

Command	Description
`yazi`	Launch Yazi in current directory
`yazi /path/to/dir`	Open Yazi in specific directory
`yazi --version`	Show installed version
`ya --version`	Show CLI helper version
`yazi --cwd-file=/tmp/cwd`	Save last directory on exit

Shell Wrapper (cd on exit)

# Bash/Zsh — add to ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc
function y() {
  local tmp="$(mktemp -t "yazi-cwd.XXXXXX")" cwd
  yazi "$@" --cwd-file="$tmp"
  if cwd="$(command cat -- "$tmp")" && [ -n "$cwd" ] && [ "$cwd" != "$PWD" ]; then
    builtin cd -- "$cwd"
  done
  rm -f -- "$tmp"
}

# Fish — add to ~/.config/fish/config.fish
function y
  set tmp (mktemp -t "yazi-cwd.XXXXXX")
  yazi $argv --cwd-file="$tmp"
  if set cwd (command cat -- "$tmp"); and [ -n "$cwd" ]; and [ "$cwd" != "$PWD" ]
    builtin cd -- "$cwd"
  end
  rm -f -- "$tmp"
end

Basic Movement

Command	Description
`j` or `↓`	Move cursor down
`k` or `↑`	Move cursor up
`h` or `←`	Go to parent directory
`l` or `→` or `Enter`	Enter directory or open file
`g g`	Go to first item
`G`	Go to last item
`~`	Go to home directory
`Backspace`	Go to parent directory
`Ctrl + u`	Scroll half page up
`Ctrl + d`	Scroll half page down
`Ctrl + b`	Scroll full page up
`Ctrl + f`	Scroll full page down

Jump & History

Command	Description
`z`	Jump to directory with zoxide
`Z`	Jump with zoxide (interactive fzf)
`-`	Go to previous directory
`Ctrl + o`	Go back in navigation history
`Ctrl + i`	Go forward in navigation history

File Operations

Open & Execute

Command	Description
`o`	Open file with default program
`O`	Open file interactively (choose program)
`Enter`	Open file or enter directory
`q`	Quit Yazi
`Q`	Quit without writing cwd-file

Copy, Cut, Paste

Command	Description
`y`	Yank (copy) selected files
`x`	Cut selected files
`p`	Paste yanked/cut files
`P`	Paste with overwrite
`Y` or `X`	Cancel yank/cut
`-` then `p`	Paste as symlink (absolute)
`_` then `p`	Paste as symlink (relative)
`Ctrl + p`	Paste as hardlink

Create, Delete, Rename

Command	Description
`a`	Create new file or directory (trailing `/` = dir)
`r`	Rename selected file
`c`	Rename with cursor at end
`d`	Trash selected files
`D`	Permanently delete selected files
`.`	Toggle hidden files visibility

File Operations Examples

Creating files and directories:
  a myfile.txt      → Creates a new file
  a mydir/          → Creates a new directory (trailing slash)
  a path/to/file    → Creates nested structure

Bulk rename:
  Select multiple files → r → Opens $EDITOR
  Each line = one filename, edit and save to rename all

Selection & Marks

Selection

Command	Description
`Space`	Toggle selection on current file
`V`	Enter visual (multi-select) mode
`Ctrl + a`	Select all files
`Ctrl + r`	Invert selection
`Escape`	Clear selection

Bookmarks

Command	Description
`m`	Save current directory as bookmark
`'`	Jump to a bookmark
`"`	Delete a bookmark

Tabs

Command	Description
`t`	Create new tab in current directory
`Ctrl + c`	Close current tab
`1` - `9`	Switch to tab by number
`[`	Switch to previous tab
`]`	Switch to next tab
`{`	Swap tab with previous
`}`	Swap tab with next

Search & Filter

Search

Command	Description
`/`	Search files in current directory
`?`	Search files backwards
`n`	Go to next search match
`N`	Go to previous search match

Filter & Find

Command	Description
`f`	Filter files (show only matching)
`s`	Search files using fd (recursive)
`S`	Search file contents using ripgrep
`:` then type command	Open command mode

Search Examples

File search with fd (press 's'):
  Recursively finds files by name pattern
  Uses fd under the hood for fast searching
  Results shown in picker — Enter to jump

Content search with ripgrep (press 'S'):
  Searches file contents recursively
  Uses ripgrep for fast text search
  Results show file + matching line

Preview System

Built-in Previews

Command	Description
Preview pane shows file contents	Automatic for supported types
`Tab`	Toggle preview pane visibility
`Ctrl + Shift + =`	Increase preview pane width
`Ctrl + Shift + -`	Decrease preview pane width

Supported Preview Types

Type	Requirement
Text files	Built-in with syntax highlighting
Images (PNG, JPG, GIF)	Kitty, iTerm2, or Sixel protocol
SVG files	ImageMagick
PDF documents	Poppler (`pdftoppm`)
Video thumbnails	ffmpegthumbnailer
Archives (zip, tar, etc.)	unar or 7z
Markdown	Built-in rendering
JSON/YAML	Built-in formatting
Directories	Built-in listing

Terminal Protocol Support

Image preview protocols (auto-detected):

Kitty    — Kitty terminal (best quality)
iTerm2   — iTerm2, WezTerm, Mintty
Sixel    — Many terminals (foot, mlterm, etc.)
X11/Wayland — Via ueberzugpp (fallback)

Set protocol manually in yazi.toml:
  [preview]
  image_quality = 75

Sorting & Layout

Command	Description
`,m`	Sort by modified time
`,M`	Sort by modified time (reversed)
`,c`	Sort by created time
`,C`	Sort by created time (reversed)
`,e`	Sort by extension
`,E`	Sort by extension (reversed)
`,s`	Sort by size
`,S`	Sort by size (reversed)
`,n`	Sort by name (natural)
`,N`	Sort by name (reversed)
`,r`	Random sort
`w`	Toggle tasks manager
`T`	Toggle layout (1/2/3 columns)

Configuration

Config File Locations

File	Purpose
`~/.config/yazi/yazi.toml`	Main configuration
`~/.config/yazi/keymap.toml`	Custom key bindings
`~/.config/yazi/theme.toml`	Color theme
`~/.config/yazi/init.lua`	Lua init script (plugins)

Main Configuration (yazi.toml)

# ~/.config/yazi/yazi.toml

[manager]
ratio = [1, 4, 3]          # Column ratios (parent, current, preview)
sort_by = "natural"         # natural, modified, created, extension, size
sort_sensitive = false       # Case-sensitive sorting
sort_reverse = false         # Reverse sort order
sort_dir_first = true        # Directories before files
linemode = "size"           # none, size, permissions, mtime
show_hidden = false          # Show hidden files
show_symlink = true          # Show symlink targets

[preview]
tab_size = 2                # Tab width in previews
max_width = 600             # Max preview width
max_height = 900            # Max preview height
image_quality = 75          # JPEG quality for image previews
sixel_fraction = 15         # Sixel resolution fraction

[opener]
edit = [
  { run = '${EDITOR:-vi} "$@"', block = true, for = "unix" },
  { run = 'code "%*"', orphan = true, for = "windows" },
]

[tasks]
micro_workers = 10          # Small file operations
macro_workers = 25          # Large file operations
bizarre_retry = 5           # Retry on error

Custom Key Bindings (keymap.toml)

# ~/.config/yazi/keymap.toml

[[manager.prepend_keymap]]
on = ["g", "d"]
run = "cd ~/Downloads"
desc = "Go to downloads"

[[manager.prepend_keymap]]
on = ["g", "p"]
run = "cd ~/projects"
desc = "Go to projects"

[[manager.prepend_keymap]]
on = ["g", "c"]
run = "cd ~/.config"
desc = "Go to config"

# Open terminal in current directory
[[manager.prepend_keymap]]
on = ["!"]
run = 'shell "$SHELL" --block'
desc = "Open terminal here"

# Compress selected files
[[manager.prepend_keymap]]
on = ["C"]
run = 'shell "zip -r archive.zip $@" --block'
desc = "Compress selection"

Theme Configuration (theme.toml)

# ~/.config/yazi/theme.toml

[filetype]
rules = [
  { name = "*/", fg = "#7aa2f7" },           # Directories
  { mime = "text/*", fg = "#c0caf5" },        # Text files
  { mime = "image/*", fg = "#bb9af7" },       # Images
  { mime = "video/*", fg = "#e0af68" },       # Videos
  { mime = "audio/*", fg = "#9ece6a" },       # Audio
  { name = "*.rs", fg = "#ff9e64" },          # Rust files
  { name = "*.py", fg = "#7aa2f7" },          # Python files
  { name = "*.md", fg = "#73daca" },          # Markdown
]

Plugins

Plugin Management

Command	Description
`ya pack -a owner/plugin`	Install a plugin
`ya pack -i`	Install all plugins from package.toml
`ya pack -u`	Update all installed plugins
`ya pack -l`	List installed plugins

Popular Plugins

Plugin	Description
`yazi-rs/plugins:full-border`	Full border around panes
`yazi-rs/plugins:git`	Git status indicators
`yazi-rs/plugins:chmod`	Change file permissions
`yazi-rs/plugins:max-preview`	Maximize preview pane
`yazi-rs/plugins:jump-to-char`	Vim-style jump to character
`DreamMaoMao/searchjump.yazi`	Search and jump to files

Plugin Setup Example

# ~/.config/yazi/package.toml
[plugin]
prepend_previewers = [
  { name = "*.md", run = "glow" },
]

# Install and activate
# ya pack -a yazi-rs/plugins:full-border
# ya pack -a yazi-rs/plugins:git
# ya pack -i

-- ~/.config/yazi/init.lua
-- Activate installed plugins
require("full-border"):setup()
require("git"):setup()

Best Practices

Install all preview dependencies — Install ffmpegthumbnailer, poppler, unar, jq, fd, ripgrep, and imagemagick for the full preview experience. Without them, many file types show raw text.
Use the shell wrapper — Set up the y function wrapper so you cd to the last directory when exiting Yazi, making it a true navigation tool instead of just a viewer.
Add directory bookmarks — Configure custom keybindings for frequent directories (g d for Downloads, g p for projects) in keymap.toml to navigate instantly.
Enable zoxide integration — With zoxide installed, pressing z in Yazi lets you fuzzy-jump to any previously visited directory without navigating manually.
Use tabs for multi-location work — Press t to open new tabs when you need to work across multiple directories, then use 1-9 to switch instantly.
Customize column ratios — Adjust ratio = [1, 4, 3] in yazi.toml to balance parent listing, current directory, and preview pane for your screen size.
Install the git plugin — The yazi-rs/plugins:git plugin shows git status indicators next to files, making it easy to see modified, staged, and untracked files.
Use visual mode for bulk operations — Press V to enter visual mode, then j/k to extend selection, then y/x/d for batch copy/cut/delete.
Configure your theme — Customize theme.toml with colors that match your terminal theme for a cohesive look. Set different colors per file type for quick visual identification.
Use content search — Press S to search file contents with ripgrep — it’s like having grep -r with an interactive file picker built in.

Yazi

Installation

Package Managers

Launch & Version

Shell Wrapper (cd on exit)

Navigation

Basic Movement

Jump & History

File Operations

Open & Execute

Copy, Cut, Paste

Create, Delete, Rename

File Operations Examples

Selection & Marks

Selection

Bookmarks

Tabs

Search & Filter

Search

Filter & Find

Search Examples

Preview System

Built-in Previews

Supported Preview Types

Terminal Protocol Support

Sorting & Layout

Configuration

Config File Locations

Main Configuration (yazi.toml)

Custom Key Bindings (keymap.toml)

Theme Configuration (theme.toml)

Plugins

Plugin Management

Popular Plugins

Plugin Setup Example

Best Practices