File Operations

Creating, copying, moving, deleting, and managing files in Yazi

Yazi provides powerful file operation commands with a Vim-like yank-paste model.

Opening Files

Key	Command	Description
o / <Enter>	open	Open selected files with default application
O / <S-Enter>	open --interactive	Open with application chooser

Yazi will open files using your system’s default applications, or you can configure custom openers in yazi.toml.

Creating Files and Directories

Press a to create new files or directories:

1. Press `a`

   Activate the create command

2. Enter name

   Type the file or directory name

3. Create directory

   End the name with / to create a directory instead of a file

Examples:

# Create a file
a → "newfile.txt" → <Enter>

# Create a directory
a → "newfolder/" → <Enter>

# Create nested directories
a → "path/to/directory/" → <Enter>

Yank (Copy) and Cut

Yazi uses a yank-paste model similar to Vim:

Yank Commands

Key	Command	Description
y	yank	Yank (copy) selected files
x	yank --cut	Cut selected files for moving
Y / X	unyank	Cancel the yank/cut operation

Copy Workflow

1. Select files

   Select one or more files (see Selection)

2. Yank

   Press y to copy files to the yank buffer

3. Navigate

   Navigate to the destination directory

4. Paste

   Press p to paste the files

Move Workflow

1. Select files

   Select one or more files

2. Cut

   Press x to cut files to the yank buffer

3. Navigate

   Navigate to the destination directory

4. Paste

   Press p to paste (move) the files

Paste Operations

Key	Command	Description
p	paste	Paste yanked files
P	paste --force	Paste and overwrite existing files

Using P (paste with force) will overwrite files with the same name at the destination without confirmation.

Symbolic and Hard Links

Create links to yanked files:

Key	Command	Description
-	link	Create symbolic link (absolute path)
_	link --relative	Create symbolic link (relative path)
<C-->	hardlink	Create hard link to yanked files

Link workflow:

# 1. Yank the source file
y

# 2. Navigate to destination
cd /path/to/destination

# 3. Create link
-    # Absolute symlink
_    # Relative symlink
<C-->  # Hard link

Deleting Files

Yazi supports both trash and permanent deletion:

Key	Command	Description
d	remove	Move selected files to trash
D	remove --permanently	Permanently delete files (cannot be undone)

Permanent deletion (D) bypasses the trash bin and cannot be recovered. Use with caution!

Renaming Files

Press r to rename files:

r  # Opens rename input with cursor before the file extension

The rename --cursor=before_ext command positions the cursor intelligently:

• For document.txt, cursor appears after “document” and before “.txt”
• For files without extensions, cursor appears at the end

Yazi also supports bulk renaming through external editors. Check the plugins documentation for advanced renaming options.

Copy Path/Name

Copy file information to the clipboard:

Keybinding	Command	Description
cc	copy path	Copy absolute file path
cd	copy dirname	Copy parent directory path
cf	copy filename	Copy filename with extension
cn	copy name_without_ext	Copy filename without extension

Example output:

cc → /home/user/documents/report.pdf
cd → /home/user/documents
cf → report.pdf
cn → report

Shell Commands

Execute shell commands on selected files:

Key	Command	Description
;	shell --interactive	Run shell command (async)
:	shell --block --interactive	Run shell command (block until finished)

Interactive Shell (`;`)

Non-blocking shell execution. Yazi continues running while the command executes.

;  # Opens shell prompt
→ echo "Processing..." && sleep 5
# Yazi remains interactive

Blocking Shell (`:`)

Blocking shell execution. Yazi waits for the command to complete.

:  # Opens shell prompt
→ git status
# Yazi waits for output

Hidden Files

Toggle visibility of hidden files:

.  # Toggle hidden files on/off

File Selection Preview

When files are selected or in the yank buffer, Yazi displays:

• Yellow highlight: Files in the yank buffer (copied)
• Red highlight: Files in the cut buffer (cut for moving)
• Visual selection: Files selected in visual mode