What it does
Yazi is an asynchronous terminal file manager written in Rust. Its official project describes a preview pane for files and directories, tabs, bulk rename, archive extraction, Git integration, and a plugin system. It can also use companion tools such as fd, fzf, ripgrep, and zoxide for a broader navigation workflow.
After installation, run yazi in the directory you want to browse. The quick start covers keyboard navigation, selection, opening files, and the help menu; its optional y shell wrapper can change the shell’s working directory to the last location you visited before exiting. That is useful when you want to jump into a project folder, inspect files with previews, and continue work in the same shell.
The interface is designed for terminal use, so preview behavior depends on terminal capabilities and the tools installed for particular file types. Yazi is more than a listing command: it supports tabs, selections, bulk operations, and plugins. Its official source repository uses the MIT license; read the installation requirements for your platform before enabling optional previews or integrations.
Strengths
- The quick start documents keyboard navigation, selection, and an optional shell wrapper.
- The project supports tabs, previews, bulk rename, archive extraction, and plugins.
- The official repository uses the MIT license.
Watch out for
- Yazi is a terminal interface, and preview behavior can depend on the terminal and installed helper tools.
- The shell wrapper must be configured for the shell in use.
Best for
- Navigating project folders from a terminal
- Selecting, previewing, and organizing files without switching to a graphical file manager
Sources
- README.md | sxyazi/yazi (Oct 25, 2026)
- Quick Start | Yazi (Oct 25, 2026)
- LICENSE | sxyazi/yazi (Oct 25, 2026)
- Latest release | sxyazi/yazi GitHub API (Oct 25, 2026)