Quickstart Guide

Learn Yazi basics in under 2 minutes - navigation, file operations, and essential keybindings

This guide will get you up and running with Yazi in under 2 minutes. Let’s learn the essential operations!

Launching Yazi

Open your terminal and run:

yazi

Yazi opens in your current directory. You’ll see a three-column layout:

• Left column: Parent directory
• Center column: Current directory (your files)
• Right column: Preview of selected file

Tip: Launch Yazi in a specific directory: yazi /path/to/directory

Basic Navigation

Yazi uses Vim-like keybindings for navigation:

1. Move Between Files

   Up/Down

   j  # Move down (next file)
   k  # Move up (previous file)
   

   The selected file is highlighted. The preview updates automatically.

2. Enter/Exit Directories

   Left/Right

   l  # Enter directory (go deeper)
   h  # Exit directory (go to parent)
   

   Navigate your file tree naturally - right to go deeper, left to go back.

3. Jump Around

   gg     # Go to top of file list
   G      # Go to bottom of file list
   
   Ctrl-u # Move up half page
   Ctrl-d # Move down half page
   
   Ctrl-b # Move up full page
   Ctrl-f # Move down full page
   

Opening Files

There are multiple ways to open files:

Default Application

Open with the default system application:

Enter  # Open the selected file
o      # Alternative: open file

Yazi detects the file type and opens it with the appropriate application.

Interactive Selection

Choose which application to use:

O           # Open with application picker
Shift-Enter # Alternative: interactive open

A menu appears showing available applications for the file type.

File Operations

Perform common file operations with simple keybindings:

Copy Files

# Yank (copy)
y  # Copy selected file(s)
p  # Paste in current directory
P  # Paste (force overwrite)

Cut/Move Files

# Cut
x  # Cut selected file(s)
p  # Paste (moves files)

Delete Files

# Delete
d  # Move to trash
D  # Permanently delete (careful!)

Create Files

# Create
a  # Create file/directory
   # End name with / for directory

Selection

Select multiple files for batch operations:

Toggle Selection

Space  # Toggle current file selection
       # Automatically moves to next file

The selected files are highlighted. Repeat to select multiple files.

Visual Mode

v      # Enter visual mode (selection mode)
j/k    # Extend selection up/down
Esc    # Exit visual mode

Similar to Vim’s visual mode - move the cursor to extend selection.

Select All

Ctrl-a # Select all files
Ctrl-r # Invert selection
Esc    # Clear selection

Search & Filter

Quickly find files:

Find in Current Directory

/       # Find files by name (forward)
?       # Find files by name (backward)
n       # Jump to next match
N       # Jump to previous match

The external search tools (fd, ripgrep, fzf, zoxide) require separate installation. See Installation for optional dependencies.

Working with Tabs

Yazi supports multiple tabs for working with different directories:

1. Create & Switch Tabs

   t t    # Create new tab in current directory
   1-9    # Switch to tab 1-9
   [      # Switch to previous tab
   ]      # Switch to next tab
   
2. Manage Tabs

   t r      # Rename current tab
   {        # Swap with previous tab
   }        # Swap with next tab
   Ctrl-c   # Close current tab
   

Preview & Scrolling

The right panel shows a preview of the selected file:

J    # Scroll preview down (5 lines)
K    # Scroll preview up (5 lines)

Tab  # Spot mode (detailed preview)
     # Press Tab again to close

Preview supports:

• Text files with syntax highlighting
• Images (in supported terminals)
• Videos (thumbnail)
• PDFs, archives, and more

Additional Operations

Rename Files

r    # Rename file (cursor before extension)

• Opens an input prompt with the current filename
• Cursor is positioned before the file extension
• Type the new name and press Enter
• For multiple files: select them first, then press r for bulk rename

Copy Path Information

c c  # Copy file path
c d  # Copy directory path
c f  # Copy filename
c n  # Copy filename without extension

Useful for pasting file paths into other applications.

Hidden Files

.    # Toggle hidden files visibility

Show or hide files starting with . (dot files).

Sorting

, m  # Sort by modified time
, M  # Sort by modified time (reverse)
, a  # Sort alphabetically
, A  # Sort alphabetically (reverse)
, s  # Sort by size
, n  # Sort naturally

Change how files are ordered in the list.

Shell Integration

;    # Run shell command
:    # Run shell command (wait for completion)

Execute commands in your current directory:

; git status        # Quick command
: make install      # Wait for completion

Symlinks

-       # Create symlink (absolute path)
_       # Create symlink (relative path)
Ctrl--  # Create hardlink
g f     # Follow symlink to target

Help & Exit

Get Help

~      # Open help menu
F1     # Alternative: open help

# In help menu:
j/k    # Navigate
f      # Filter help items
Esc    # Close help

Quick Reference Card

Here’s a handy reference for the most common operations:

Navigation

• j/k - Up/Down
• h/l - Parent/Enter
• gg/G - Top/Bottom

Files

• Enter - Open
• a - Create
• r - Rename
• d - Delete

Selection

• Space - Toggle
• v - Visual mode
• Ctrl-a - Select all

Copy/Paste

• y - Yank (copy)
• x - Cut
• p - Paste

Search

• / - Find
• f - Filter
• s/S - Search

System

• ; - Shell
• ~ - Help
• q - Quit

Example Workflow

Let’s walk through a complete example:

1. Launch and Navigate

   yazi ~/Documents
   

   Opens Yazi in your Documents folder.

2. Find a File

   /report
   

   Type to find files containing “report”. Press n to cycle through matches.

3. Select Multiple Files

   Space    # Select first file
   j        # Move down
   Space    # Select second file
   

   Or use visual mode: v then move with j/k.

4. Copy to Another Directory

   y         # Yank (copy) selected files
   h         # Go to parent directory
   l         # Enter a different directory
   p         # Paste files
   
5. Done!

   q         # Quit Yazi
   

Tips for Productivity

Use Visual Mode for Quick Selection

Instead of pressing Space multiple times:

1. Press v to enter visual mode
2. Use j/k to extend selection
3. Perform operation (y, x, d, etc.)
4. Press Esc to exit visual mode

Much faster for selecting ranges of files!

Jump with Go Commands

Quick navigation shortcuts:

g h    # Go to home directory (~)
g c    # Go to ~/.config
g d    # Go to ~/Downloads

Add your own in the configuration!

Monitor Task Progress

w      # Open task manager

When copying large files or running operations:

• Press w to see task progress
• x to cancel a task
• Enter to inspect details

Integrate with Your Shell

Use shell commands without leaving Yazi:

; git add .               # Quick git commands
: npm install             # Wait for completion

The current directory is automatically set.

Common Questions

How do I open files in my terminal editor?

Yazi respects your $EDITOR environment variable. Set it in your shell config:

export EDITOR=nvim    # or vim, nano, etc.

Then text files will open in your preferred editor when you press Enter.

Can I change the keybindings?

Yes! All keybindings are customizable. See the Configuration guide.

The default keymap is located at:

~/.config/yazi/keymap.toml

How do I see image previews?

Image preview support depends on your terminal. Yazi has built-in support for:

• kitty (Kitty graphics protocol)
• iTerm2 (Inline images protocol)
• WezTerm (Inline images protocol)
• foot, Windows Terminal (Sixel)

For other terminals, install Überzug++ or Chafa. See Image Preview for setup.

What if I make a mistake?

• Deleted files go to trash by default (press d)
• Use Y or X to cancel a yank/cut operation
• Press Esc to cancel selection or exit modes
• Press Ctrl-c to cancel ongoing operations

To permanently delete (skip trash), press D (capital D).

Next Steps

Now that you know the basics, explore these topics:

Configuration

Customize colors, behavior, and keybindings

Full Keybindings

Complete reference of all keyboard shortcuts

Plugin System

Extend Yazi with Lua plugins

Image Preview Setup

Configure image previews for your terminal

You’re ready to use Yazi! Press ~ anytime in Yazi to see the help menu with all available commands.