nnn
is a full-featured file manager for low-end devices and the regular desktop. It's extremely light and fast.
nnn
is also a disk usage analyzer, a fuzzy app launcher, a batch file renamer and a (neo)vim picker. 20+ plugins are available to extend its power. Custom plugins are easy to add.
It runs on Linux, macOS, Raspberry Pi, BSD, Cygwin, Linux subsystem for Windows and Termux on Android.
nnn
works seamlessly with DEs and GUI utilities. It's nearly zero-config (with sensible defaults) and can be setup in less than 5 minutes. Quickstart and see how nnn
simplifies workflows.
3 modes of nnn (light with filter, detail, du analyzer) with memory usage. Click for a demo video.
- Modes
- Detail (default), light
- Disk usage analyzer (block/apparent)
- File picker, (neo)vim plugin
- Navigation
- Navigate-as-you-type with dir auto-select, wild load
- 4 contexts (aka tabs/workspaces)
- Bookmarks; pin and visit a directory
- Familiar, easy shortcuts (arrows, ~, -, @)
- Sorting
- Case-insensitive version (aka natural) sort
- Sort by file name, modification time, size
- Search
- Instant filtering with search-as-you-type
- Regex and substring match
- Subtree search to open or edit files (using plugin)
- Mimes
- Open with desktop opener or specify a custom app
- Create, list, extract archive (needs (p)atool/bsdtar)
- Option to open all text files in EDITOR
- Information
- Detailed file information
- Media information (needs mediainfo/exiftool)
- Convenience
- Needs minimal configuration
- Rich set of plugins
- Select files across dirs; all/range selection
- Copy, move, delete, archive, link selection
- Batch rename selection or dir entries
- FreeDesktop compliant trash (needs trash-cli)
- SSHFS mounts (needs sshfs)
- Mouse support
- Create, rename files and directories
- Show copy, move progress on Linux (needs avdcpmv)
- Per-context directory color (default: blue)
- Spawn a shell in the current directory
- Launch applications, run a command
- Run current file as executable
- Change directory at exit (easy shell integration)
- Edit file in EDITOR or open in PAGER
- Take quick notes
- Lock the terminal (needs a locker)
- Shortcut reference a keypress away
- Unicode support
- Follows Linux kernel coding style
- Highly optimized, static analysis integrated code
- Minimal library dependencies
- Available on many distros
nnn
needs a curses library with wide character support (like ncursesw), libreadline and standard libc. It's possible to drop libreadline using the Makefile target norl
.
Dependency | Installation | Operation |
---|---|---|
xdg-open (Linux), open(1) (macOS), cygstart (Cygwin) | base | desktop opener |
file, coreutils (cp, mv, rm), findutils (xargs) | base | file type, copy, move and remove |
atool / bsdtar | needed | create, list and extract archives |
mediainfo / exiftool | if needed | multimedia file details |
sshfs, fusermount(3) | if needed | mount, unmount over SSHFS |
trash-cli | optional | trash files (default action: delete) |
vlock (Linux), bashlock (macOS), lock(1) (BSD) | optional | terminal locker (fallback: cmatrix) |
advcpmv (Linux) (integration) | optional | copy, move progress |
$VISUAL (else $EDITOR ), $PAGER , $SHELL |
optional | fallback vi, less, sh |
- Alpine Linux (
apk add nnn
) - Arch Linux (
pacman -S nnn
) - CRUX (
prt-get depinst nnn
) - Debian (
apt-get install nnn
) - Fedora (
dnf install nnn
) - FreeBSD (
pkg install nnn
) - Gentoo (
emerge nnn
) - macOS/Homebrew (
brew install nnn
) - MacPorts (
port install nnn
) - Milis Linux (
mps kur nnn
) - NixOS (
nix-env -i nnn
) - OpenBSD (
pkg_add nnn
) - openSUSE (and packages for several other distros) (
zypper in nnn
) - pkgrsc (
pkg_add nnn
) - Raspbian Testing (
apt-get install nnn
) - Slackware (
slackpkg install nnn
) - Solus (
eopkg install nnn
) - Source Mage (
cast nnn
) - Termux (
pkg in nnn
) - Ubuntu (
apt-get install nnn
) - Void Linux (
xbps-install -S nnn
)
Packages for Arch Linux, CentOS, Debian, Fedora and Ubuntu are available with the latest stable release.
To cook yourself, download the latest stable release or clone this repository (risky). Then install the dependencies and compile (e.g. on Ubuntu 16.04):
$ sudo apt-get install pkg-config libncursesw5-dev libreadline6-dev
$ make
$ sudo make strip install
PREFIX
is supported, in case you want to install to a different location.
- Compilation notes for Raspberry Pi
- Instructions for Cygwin
Option completion scripts for Bash, Fish and Zsh can be found in respective subdirectories of misc/auto-completion/
. Please refer to your shell's manual for installation instructions.
- Install the utilities you may need based on your regular workflows.
- Configure cd on quit.
- Optionally open all text files in
$EDITOR
(fallback vi):export NNN_USE_EDITOR=1
- For additional functionality install plugins and the GUI app launcher
nlaunch
.
- Don't memorize keys. Arrows, / and q suffice. Press ? for help on keyboard shortcuts anytime.
- When you are ready for more, start hacking
nnn
. - To set
nnn
as the default file manager, follow these instructions.
nnn
supports the following environment variables for configuration. All of them are optional (set if you need). There is no config file. Any associated files are stored under ${XDG_CONFIG_HOME:-$HOME/.config}/nnn/
.
Example export |
Description |
---|---|
NNN_BMS='d:~/Documents;D:~/Docs archive/' |
specify bookmarks (max 10) |
NNN_USE_EDITOR=1 |
open text files in $VISUAL (else $EDITOR , fallback vi) |
NNN_CONTEXT_COLORS='1234' |
specify per context color [default: '4444' (all blue)] |
NNN_SSHFS_OPTS='sshfs -o reconnect,idmap=user' |
specify SSHFS options |
NNN_NOTE=/home/user/Dropbox/notes |
path to note file [default: none] |
NNN_OPENER=mimeopen |
custom file opener |
NNN_IDLE_TIMEOUT=300 |
idle seconds before locking terminal [default: disabled] |
NNN_COPIER='/absolute/path/to/copier' |
system clipboard copier script [default: none] |
NNN_NO_AUTOSELECT=1 |
do not auto-select matching dir in nav-as-you-type mode |
NNN_RESTRICT_NAV_OPEN=1 |
open files on ↵, not → or l |
NNN_TRASH=1 |
trash files to the desktop Trash [default: delete] |
NNN_OPS_PROG=1 |
show copy, move progress on Linux |
usage: nnn [-b key] [-d] [-e] [-i] [-l] [-p file]
[-s] [-S] [-v] [-w] [-h] [PATH]
The missing terminal file manager for X.
positional args:
PATH start dir [default: current dir]
optional args:
-b key open bookmark key
-d show hidden files
-e use exiftool for media info
-i nav-as-you-type mode
-l light mode
-p file selection file (stdout if '-')
-s string filters [default: regex]
-S du mode
-v show version
-w wild load
-h show help
Press ? in nnn
to see the list anytime.
NAVIGATION
↑ k Up PgUp ^U Scroll up
↓ j Down PgDn ^D Scroll down
← h Parent dir ~ ` @ - HOME, /, start, last
↵ → l Open file/dir . Toggle show hidden
Home g ^A First entry G ^E Last entry
/ Filter Ins ^T Toggle nav-as-you-type
b Pin current dir ^B Go to pinned dir
Tab ^I Next context d Toggle detail view
, ^/ Leader key N LeadN Context N
Esc Exit prompt ^L Redraw/clear prompt
^G Quit and cd q Quit context
Q ^Q Quit ? Help, config
FILES
^O Open with... n Create new/link
D File details ^R Rename entry
⎵ ^K / Y Select entry/all r Batch rename
K ^Y Toggle selection y List selection
P Copy selection X Delete selection
V Move selection ^X Delete entry
f Create archive m M Brief/full mediainfo
^F Extract archive F List archive
e Edit in EDITOR p Open in PAGER
ORDER TOGGLES
^J Disk usage S Apparent du
^W Random s Size t Time modified
MISC
! ^] Spawn SHELL C Execute entry
R ^V Pick plugin L Lock terminal
c SSHFS mount u Unmount
^P Prompt ^N Note = Launcher
Note: Help & settings, file details, media info and archive listing are shown in the PAGER. Use the PAGER-specific keys in these screens.
Mouse click | Function |
---|---|
Left single | Select context or entry |
Left double | Select context or open file/directory |
Middle single | Visit parent directory |
The Leader key provides a powerful multi-functional navigation mechanism. It is case-sensitive and understands contexts, bookmarks and location shortcuts.
Key | Function |
---|---|
1-4 | Go to/create selected context |
>, . | Go to next active context |
<, , | Go to previous active context |
key | Go to bookmarked location |
~ ` @ - | Go to HOME, / , start, last visited dir |
q | Quit context |
Contexts serve the purpose of exploring multiple directories simultaneously. 4 contexts are available. The status of the contexts are shown in the top left corner:
- the current context is in reverse
- other active contexts are underlined
- rest are inactive
To switch to a context press the Leader key followed by the context number (1-4).
The first time a context is entered, it copies the state of the last visited context. Each context remembers its last visited directory.
When a context is quit, the next active context is selected. If the last active context is quit, the program quits.
Each context can have its own directory color specified:
export NNN_CONTEXT_COLORS='1234'
colors: 0-black, 1-red, 2-green, 3-yellow, 4-blue (default), 5-magenta, 6-cyan, 7-white
Use ^K to select the file under the cursor.
To select multiple files:
- press ^Y to enter selection mode. In this mode it's possible to
- cherry-pick individual files one by one by pressing ^K on each entry (works across directories and contexts); or,
- navigate to another file in the same directory to select a range of files
- press ^Y again to save the selection and exit selection mode.
NOTE: If you are on BSD/macOS, please check the BSD terminal issue with ^Y for workaround.
Selected files are visually indicated by a +
before the entries.
The selection can now be listed, copied, moved, removed, archived or linked.
Navigate to a target directory then use V (move) or P (copy) to have the selected files moved or copied.
Absolute paths of the selected files are copied to the temporary file .selection
in the config directory. The path is shown in the help and configuration screen. If $NNN_COPIER
is set the file paths are also copied to the system clipboard.
Filters support regexes (default) to instantly (search-as-you-type) list the matching entries in the current directory.
Common use cases:
- to list all matches starting with the filter expression, start the expression with a
^
(caret) symbol - type
\.mkv
to list all MKV files - use
.*
to match any character (sort of fuzzy search)
There is a program option to filter entries by substring match instead of regex.
In this mode directories are opened in filter mode, allowing continuous navigation. Works best with the arrow keys.
When there's a unique match and it's a directory, nnn
auto selects the directory and enters it in this mode. To disable this behaviour,
export NNN_NO_AUTOSELECT=1
This mode takes navigation to the next level when short, unique keypress sequences are possible. For example, to reach nnn
development directory (located at ~/GitHub/nnn
) from my $HOME
(which is the default directory the terminal starts in), I use the sequence gn.
The wild load option can be extremely handy for users who use this mode constantly. The entries are unsorted when the directory loads. Applying filters sorts the entries (with directories on top). Directory color is disabled in this mode.
The following indicators are used in the detail view:
Indicator | File Type |
---|---|
/ |
Directory |
* |
Executable |
| |
Fifo |
= |
Socket |
@ |
Symbolic Link |
@/ |
Symbolic Link to directory |
b |
Block Device |
c |
Character Device |
? |
Unknown |
External storage devices can be (un)mounted using the plugin nmount.
For auto-mounting external storage drives use udev rules or udisks wrappers.
To connect to and mount remote shares using SSHFS, nnn
requires the ssh configuration file ~/.ssh/config
to have the host entries. sshfs reads this file.
Example host entry for a Termux environment on Android device:
Host phone
HostName 192.168.0.102
User u0_a117
Port 8022
The above host phone
will be mounted at ${XDG_CONFIG_HOME:-$HOME/.config}/nnn/phone
. nnn
creates the directory phone
if it doesn't exist.
If you need to pass options to the sshfs
command, you can do so:
export NNN_SSHFS_OPTS='sshfs -o reconnect,idmap=user,cache_timeout=3600'
The options must be preceded by sshfs
and comma-separated without any space between them.
Notes:
nnn
takes you to the mount point after successful mounts. To jump back to the last directory, press the usual -.nnn
doesn't delete the mount point on unmount to prevent accidental data loss. Please ensure the mount point is not mounted if you are deleting it manually.- More information on SSHFS.
$ nnn -h
$ man nnn
To lookup keyboard shortcuts at runtime, press ?.
nnn
might not handle keypresses correctly when used with tmux (see issue #104 for more details). Set TERM=xterm-256color
to address it.
TLDR: Use the keybind K to toggle selection if you are having issues with ^Y.
By default in OpenBSD & FreeBSD (and probably on macOS as well), stty
maps ^Y to DSUSP
. This means that typing ^Y will suspend nnn
as if you typed ^Z (you can bring nnn
back to the foreground by issuing fg
) instead of entering multi-selection mode. You can check this with stty -a
. If it includes the text dsusp = ^Y
, issuing stty dsusp undef
will disable this DSUSP
and let nnn
receive the ^Y instead.
There is a known issue where if you close the terminal directly with nnn
waiting for a spawned process, a deadlock occurs and nnn
uses 100% CPU. Please see issue #225 for more details. Make sure you quit the spawned process before closing the terminal. It's not a problem if there is no spawned process (nnn
isn't blocked) as nnn
checks if the parent process has exited.
nnn
was initially forked from noice but is significantly different today. I chose to fork because:
- one can argue my approach deviates from the goal of the original project - keep the utility
suckless
.noice
was rudimentary. In my opinion evolution is the taste of time. - I would like to have a bit of control on what features are added in the name of desktop integration. A feature-bloat is the last thing in my mind. Check out the design considerations for more details.
Trivia: The name nnn
is a recursive acronym for the initial words from Noice is Not Noice, a noicer fork..., suggested by a longtime friend.
- FOSSMint
- Hacker News 1
- Hacker News 2
- It's FOSS
- LinuxLinks1
- LinuxLinks2
- Suckless Rocks
- Ubuntu Full Circle Magazine - Issue 135
- Copyright © 2014-2016 Lazaros Koromilas
- Copyright © 2014-2016 Dimitris Papastamos
- Copyright © 2016-2019 Arun Prakash Jana
Contributions are welcome. Please visit the ToDo list.