Exploring the Yazi console-based file manager
Tutorial – Yazi
This fast and flexible file manager offers command-line speed with some GUI-like conveniences.
Text-based file managers are so fast and flexible that even if every Linux user ran 3D desktops on state-of-the-art hardware, they would still play an important role in every Linux distribution. A great proof of this fact is one of the latest and most promising members of this family, a young multiplatform project called Yazi [1].
There are at least two excellent reasons for using Yazi in this graphics-first age. The first reason is that Yazi is really fast. Sure, processors are powerful and RAM is cheap these days, but a file manager that is light on resources is fully usable even when your computer is performing a resource-heavy task, like ray tracing. A text-based file manager can also serve as a precious disaster recovery tool when things go bad.
Another reason to try Yazi is that it narrows the usability gap between GUI file managers and legacy command-line tools. For instance, Yazi can display thumbnails of images and other files that are not plain text, instead of merely listing the file's (often unhelpful) name.
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.

News
-
Red Hat Releases RHEL 10 Early
Red Hat quietly rolled out the official release of RHEL 10.0 a bit early.
-
openSUSE Joins End of 10
openSUSE has decided to not only join the End of 10 movement but it also will no longer support the Deepin Desktop Environment.
-
New Version of Flatpak Released
Flatpak 1.16.1 is now available as the latest, stable version with various improvements.
-
IBM Announces Powerhouse Linux Server
IBM has unleashed a seriously powerful Linux server with the LinuxONE Emperor 5.
-
Plasma Ends LTS Releases
The KDE Plasma development team is doing away with the LTS releases for a good reason.
-
Arch Linux Available for Windows Subsystem for Linux
If you've ever wanted to use a rolling release distribution with WSL, now's your chance.
-
System76 Releases COSMIC Alpha 7
With scores of bug fixes and a really cool workspaces feature, COSMIC is looking to soon migrate from alpha to beta.
-
OpenMandriva Lx 6.0 Available for Installation
The latest release of OpenMandriva has arrived with a new kernel, an updated Plasma desktop, and a server edition.
-
TrueNAS 25.04 Arrives with Thousands of Changes
One of the most popular Linux-based NAS solutions has rolled out the latest edition, based on Ubuntu 25.04.
-
Fedora 42 Available with Two New Spins
The latest release from the Fedora Project includes the usual updates, a new kernel, an official KDE Plasma spin, and a new System76 spin.