Yazi
Terminal file manager written in Rust, using asynchronous I/O for speed.
- Stars
- 43.2k
- Forks
- 1.1k
- Licence
- MIT
- Language
- Rust
- Last update
- 4 days ago
- Type
- App
What it is
Yazi is a file manager that runs inside a terminal window, so you browse, copy, move, and preview files with the keyboard instead of a graphical window. It is written in Rust and does its input and output work asynchronously, which the project says keeps it responsive. It adds features such as tabs, image and file previews, bulk rename, archive extraction, and a plugin system written in Lua.
- Browse project folders quickly and preview code, images, PDFs, or archives without opening them
- Rename or create many files at once using the bulk rename feature
- Move files between directories with multi-tab support and cross-directory selection
- Manage files on a remote server through the virtual filesystem
- Install and update community plugins and themes with the built-in package manager
Great for
- People who already spend time in a terminal and want a faster way to browse folders
- Developers who want file previews, Git status, and integration with tools like ripgrep, fd, fzf, and zoxide
- Users who work with remote files and want to try the virtual filesystem feature
- Anyone who wants a customizable file manager with themes and plugins
Not ideal for
- People who prefer a graphical file manager with drag-and-drop-first workflows and no terminal use, since Yazi is terminal-only
- Users who need a stable, unchanging tool, because the README says the project is in heavy development and expects breaking changes
- Users whose terminal does not support an image protocol, who will only get fallback previews unless they install extra tools such as Chafa
How to get it
- 1
Download the app
You'll need: Optional: Überzug++ for image preview on X11 or Wayland · Optional: Chafa 1.16.0 or newer for the ASCII fallback preview
Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/sxyazi/yazi.git - 2
Run it
- Install Yazi using the release file or method described in the official documentation
- Open a terminal and run yazi in a folder you want to browse
- Use the keyboard to move between files and open tabs
- Check the official docs for keybindings and configuration
- 3
Get the most out of it
- Install Chafa or Überzug++ if your terminal lacks a supported image protocol, to get image previews
- Add the plugins for Git and mount management from the project's plugins repository
- Connect ripgrep, fd, fzf, and zoxide, which the README lists as integrations
- Use the package manager to install and pin plugins and themes
Downloads
Strengths
- The README describes asynchronous I/O and multi-threaded CPU work, which supports its speed claims
- Supports many terminals for image preview, including kitty, iTerm2, WezTerm, Ghostty, and Windows Terminal
- Released under the MIT license, which permits free use and modification
Trade-offs
- The README says the project is in public beta and expects breaking changes, so updates may require config changes
- Some features, such as image preview on X11 or Wayland and the fallback renderer, depend on separate tools like Überzug++ or Chafa
- The README is truncated here, so detailed setup steps and platform notes must be checked in the official documentation
How it compares
| Project | Stars | Type | Level | Updated | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| yazi (this) | 43.2k | App | intermediate | 4 days ago | People who already spend time in a terminal and want a faster way to browse folders |
| nylas-mail | 24.7k | App | advanced | 4 months ago | Developers curious about how an extensible Electron and React desktop app is structured |
| super-productivity | 23.4k | App | beginner | 4 days ago | People who want a personal task list with built-in time tracking |
| popcorntime | 10.7k | App | intermediate | 2 months ago | People who want one app to browse movies and TV shows across platforms |
| inshellisense | 10.8k | Dev tool | beginner | 7 days ago | Developers who spend a lot of time in the terminal and want suggestions for unfamiliar command options |
| atom | 60.7k | App | beginner | 3.8 years ago | Developers who want a desktop code editor they can customize with packages |
Stats synced from GitHub. The assessment above was drafted with AI from the project's README on 2026-10-29 and may miss recent changes — check the README before relying on a command. MIT licence: free to use, modify and distribute, including commercially, as long as you keep the copyright notice.