Basic Navigation
Movement
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
h / ← | Go to parent directory |
j / ↓ | Move cursor down |
k / ↑ | Move cursor up |
l / → | Enter directory or open file |
g | Go to top of file list |
G | Go to bottom of file list |
J | Scroll preview pane down |
K | Scroll preview pane up |
Selection
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
Space | Toggle selection on current file |
v | Enter visual mode (arrow keys to select range) |
V | Enter visual mode (select all from cursor to top/bottom) |
Esc | Clear selection or exit visual mode |
File Operations
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
y | Yank (copy) selected files |
p | Paste yanked files into current directory |
d | Move selected files to trash |
D | Permanently delete selected files (bypasses trash) |
a | Create a new file |
r | Rename selected file |
. | Toggle display of hidden files |
~ | Go to home directory |
Search
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
s | Search files by name (requires fd) |
S | Search file contents (requires ripgrep) |
After pressing s or S, type your query and press Enter. Navigate results with j/k, press Enter to open, or Esc to cancel.
Filter
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
f | Filter the current file list in real time |
While filtering, type a substring to instantly narrow the visible files. Press Esc to clear the filter.
Sorting
Sorting is controlled by a key prefix followed by the sort method:
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
, (comma) | Enter sort prefix mode, then press a sort key |
,n | Sort by name (default) |
,m | Sort by modification time |
,e | Sort by extension |
,s | Sort by size |
,r | Reverse current sort order |
Press , again (or Esc) to exit sort mode without changing.
Tabs
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
t | Create a new tab |
1–9 | Switch to tab by number |
[ | Move to previous tab |
] | Move to next tab |
{ | Swap current tab with the one to its left |
} | Swap current tab with the one to its right |
Ctrl-c | Rename current tab |
Ctrl-w | Close current tab |
Tab Management
Tabs are independent — each has its own directory, file list, and preview pane. Tab state can be persisted across restarts when configured in yazi.toml:
~/.config/yazi/yazi.toml
[tabs]
show_tab_rename_modal = true # prompt for name when renaming
tip
Combine tabs with the y shell wrapper: open a tab for each project directory, navigate freely, and when you quit Yazi your shell lands in the last-visited directory.