nnn - Supercharge your productivity!
icons and colors asciicast
[](https://www.youtube.com/embed/-knZwdd1ScU)
`nnn` (_n³_) is a full-featured terminal file manager. It's tiny and nearly 0-config with an [incredible speed](https://github.com/jarun/nnn/wiki/Performance).
It is designed to be unobtrusive with smart workflows to match the trains of thought.
`nnn` can analyze disk usage, batch rename, launch apps and pick files. The plugin repository has tons of plugins and documentation to extend the capabilities further e.g. [preview](https://github.com/jarun/nnn/wiki/Live-previews), (un)mount disks, find & list, file/dir diff, upload files.
There are 2 independent (neo)vim plugins - [nnn.vim](https://github.com/mcchrish/nnn.vim) and [vim-floaterm nnn wrapper](https://github.com/voldikss/vim-floaterm#nnn).
It runs smoothly on the Pi, [Termux](https://www.youtube.com/embed/AbaauM7gUJw) (Android), Linux, macOS, BSD, Haiku, Cygwin, WSL, across DEs and GUI utilities or a strictly CLI environment.
Expand for some nnn magic! :dark_sunglasses:
- Instantly load, sort, filter thousands of files
- Type to navigate with automatic dir selection
- List input stream and pick entries to stdout or file
- find/fd/grep/ripgrep/fzf from nnn and list in nnn
- Never lose context - start where you quit
- Mount any cloud storage service in a few keypresses
- Select files from anywhere (not just a single dir)
- Unlimited bookmarks, plugins, cmds with custom hotkeys
- Write a plugin in any language you know
- Edit and preview markdown, man page, html
- Open a file and auto-advance to the next
- Filter filtered entries, export list of visible files
- Configure the middle mouse click to do anything
- Fuzzy search subtree and open a file (or its parent dir)
- Load four dirs with custom settings at once
- Notifications on cp, mv, rm completion
- Auto-sync selection to system clipboard
- Access selection from another instance of nnn
- Open text files detached in another pane/tab/window
- Mount and modify archives
- Create files/dirs/duplicates with parents (like mkdir -p)
- Toggle hidden with ., visit HOME with ~, last dir with -
- Mark a frequently visited dir at runtime
- Sort by modification, access and inode change time
- Compile out/in features with make variables
- Watch matrix text fly or read fortune messages
- Configure in 5 minutes!
## Features
- Frugal
- Typically needs less than 3.5MB resident memory
- Works with 8 colors (and xterm 256 colors)
- Disk-IO sensitive (few disk reads and writes)
- No FPU usage (all integer maths, even for file size)
- Minimizes screen refresh with fast line redraws
- Tiny binary (typically around 100KB)
- 1-column mode for smaller terminals and form factors
- Hackable - compile in/out features and dependencies
- Portable
- Language-agnostic plugins
- Static binary available (no need to install)
- Minimal library deps, easy to compile
- No config file, minimal config with sensible defaults
- Plugin to backup configuration
- Widely available on many packagers
- Touch enabled, comfortable on handhelds too!
- Unicode support
- Quality
- Privacy-aware (no unconfirmed user data collection)
- POSIX-compliant, follows Linux kernel coding style
- Highly optimized, static analysis integrated code
- Modes
- Light (default), detail
- Disk usage analyzer (block/apparent)
- File picker, (neo)vim plugin
- Navigation
- *Type-to-nav* mode with dir auto-select
- Contexts (_aka_ tabs/workspaces) with custom colors
- Sessions, bookmarks with hotkeys; mark and visit a dir
- Remote mounts (needs sshfs, rclone)
- Familiar shortcuts (arrows, ~, -, @), quick look-up
- CD on quit (*easy* shell integration)
- Auto-advance on opening files
- Search
- Instant filtering with *search-as-you-type*
- Regex (POSIX/PCRE) and string (default) filters
- Subtree search plugin to open or edit files
- Sort
- Ordered pure numeric names by default (visit _/proc_)
- Case-insensitive version (_aka_ natural) sort
- By name, access/change/mod (default) time, size, extn
- Reverse sort
- Mimes
- Preview hovered files in FIFO-based previewer
- Open with desktop opener or specify a custom opener
- File-specific colors (or minimal _dirs in context color_)
- Icons (customize and compile-in)
- Plugins for image and video thumbnails
- Create, list, extract, mount (FUSE based) archives
- Option to open all text files in EDITOR
- Information
- Detailed file information
- Media information plugin
- Convenience
- Run plugins and custom commands with hotkeys
- FreeDesktop compliant trash (needs trash-cli)
- Cross-dir file/all/range selection
- Create (with parents), rename, duplicate files and dirs
- Batch renamer for selection or dir
- List input stream of file paths from stdin or plugin
- Copy (as), move (as), delete, archive, link selection
- Dir updates, notification on cp, mv, rm completion
- Copy file paths to system clipboard on select
- Launch apps, run commands, spawn a shell, toggle exe
- Access hovered file as `$nnn` at prompt or spawned shell
- Lock terminal after configurable idle timeout
- Basic support for screen readers and braille displays
## Quickstart
1. [Install](https://github.com/jarun/nnn/wiki/Usage) `nnn` and any dependencies you need. All files are opened with the desktop opener by default.
2. Add option `-e` to your alias to open text files in `$VISUAL`/`$EDITOR`/ vi. [Open detached](https://github.com/jarun/nnn/wiki/Basic-use-cases#detached-text) if you wish.
3. Configure [cd on quit](https://github.com/jarun/nnn/wiki/Basic-use-cases#configure-cd-on-quit).
4. [Sync subshell `$PWD`](https://github.com/jarun/nnn/wiki/Basic-use-cases#sync-subshell-pwd) to `nnn`.
5. [Install plugins](https://github.com/jarun/nnn/tree/master/plugins#installation).
6. Use option `-x` to copy selected file paths to system clipboard and show notis on cp, mv, rm completion.
7. For a CLI-only environment, customize and use plugin [`nuke`](https://github.com/jarun/nnn/blob/master/plugins/nuke) with option `-c` (overrides `-e`).
8. Bid _ls_ goodbye! `alias ls='nnn -de'` :sunglasses:
Don't memorize! Arrows (or h j k l), /, q suffice. Tab creates, cycles contexts. ? lists shortcuts.
[](https://github.com/jarun/nnn/wiki)
## Videos
- [nnn file manager on Termux (Android)](https://www.youtube.com/embed/AbaauM7gUJw)
- [NNN File Manager](https://www.youtube.com/embed/1QXU4XSqXNo)
- [This Week in Linux 114 - TuxDigital](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5W9ja0DQjSY&t=2059s)
- [nnn file manager basics - Linux](https://www.youtube.com/embed/il2Fm-KJJfM)
- [I'M GOING TO USE THE NNN FILE BROWSER! 😮](https://www.youtube.com/embed/U2n5aGqou9E)
- [NNN: Is This Terminal File Manager As Good As People Say?](https://www.youtube.com/embed/KuJHo-aO_FA)
- [nnn - A File Manager (By Uoou, again.)](https://www.youtube.com/embed/cnzuzcCPYsk)
## Elsewhere
- [AddictiveTips](https://www.addictivetips.com/ubuntu-linux-tips/navigate-linux-filesystem/)
- [ArchWiki](https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Nnn)
- [FOSSMint](https://www.fossmint.com/nnn-linux-terminal-file-browser/)
- [gHacks Tech News](https://www.ghacks.net/2019/11/01/nnn-is-an-excellent-command-line-based-file-manager-for-linux-macos-and-bsds/)
- Hacker News [[1](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18520898)] [[2](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19850656)]
- [It's FOSS](https://itsfoss.com/nnn-file-browser-linux/)
- [Linux Format Issue 265; Manage files with nnn](https://linuxformat.com/archives?issue=265)
- LinuxLinks [[1](https://www.linuxlinks.com/nnn-fast-and-flexible-file-manager/)] [[2](https://www.linuxlinks.com/bestconsolefilemanagers/)] [[3](https://www.linuxlinks.com/excellent-system-tools-nnn-portable-terminal-file-manager/)]
- [Linux Magazine; FOSSPicks](https://www.linux-magazine.com/Issues/2017/205/FOSSPicks/(offset)/15)
- [Make Tech Easier](https://www.maketecheasier.com/nnn-file-manager-terminal/)
- [Open Source For You](https://www.opensourceforu.com/2019/12/nnn-this-feature-rich-terminal-file-manager-will-enhance-your-productivity/)
- [Suckless Rocks](https://suckless.org/rocks/)
- [Ubuntu Full Circle Magazine Issue 135; Review: nnn](https://fullcirclemagazine.org/issue-135/)
- [Using and Administering Linux: Volume 2: Zero to SysAdmin: Advanced Topics](https://books.google.com/books?id=MqjDDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA32)
- [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nnn_(file_manager))
## Developers
- [Arun Prakash Jana](https://github.com/jarun) (Copyright © 2016-2021)
- [0xACE](https://github.com/0xACE)
- [Anna Arad](https://github.com/annagrram)
- [KlzXS](https://github.com/KlzXS)
- [Léo Villeveygoux](https://github.com/leovilok)
- [Maxim Baz](https://github.com/maximbaz)
- [Todd Yamakawa](https://github.com/toddyamakawa)
- and other contributors
Visit the [ToDo list](https://github.com/jarun/nnn/issues/781) to contribute or see the features in progress.