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FAQ Overview

Why Is Yazi So Fast?​

Yazi is built on async Rust using the tokio runtime. All file I/O operations — reading directories, generating previews, copying files, searching — run as non-blocking async tasks. The UI thread never waits:

  • Directory listings are streamed asynchronously
  • Preview generation happens in background tasks
  • File operations (copy, move, delete) run concurrently
  • The UI stays interactive during all operations

This is the same architecture used by high-performance network services and databases.

How Do I Edit Files Inside Yazi?​

Press o or Enter on a file to open it with the system default handler. To open in a specific editor:

# yazi.toml
[opener]
edit = [
  { run = "vim \"$@\"", block = true, desc = "Edit in vim" },
]

Then bind a key in keymap.toml:

{ on = "e", run = "open --edit", desc = "Open file in editor" }

File Preview Is Not Working​

Check these common causes:

  1. Missing file command — Yazi requires file for type detection
  2. Missing preview dependencies — install the relevant tools from the prerequisites list
  3. File too large — Yazi skips preview for files exceeding preview.max_file_size in yazi.toml
  4. Binary file with no previewer — not all binary formats have built-in previewers; add a custom previewer
  5. Check the log — run yazi --debug or check ~/.cache/yazi/ for log files

Icons Are Not Displaying​

Yazi uses Nerd Fonts for file type icons. If icons appear as missing characters or boxes:

  1. Install a Nerd Font (e.g. JetBrainsMono Nerd Font, FiraCode Nerd Font)
  2. Configure your terminal to use the Nerd Font as its primary font
  3. Restart your terminal and Yazi
tip

Run echo "\uf489" in your terminal. If you see a folder icon, Nerd Fonts are working. If you see a box or question mark, configure the font.

Color Scheme Issues on Windows Terminal​

Windows Terminal applies its own color overrides by default, which can clash with Yazi's theme. To fix:

  1. Open Windows Terminal settings (Ctrl+,)
  2. Navigate to Profile > Appearance
  3. Disable "Use colors from terminal" or set the color scheme to a neutral one
  4. Restart the terminal

Alternatively, use a Yazi flavor that is designed for Windows Terminal's default palette.

Tmux Image Preview Setup​

Image preview over tmux requires Überzug++ and specific tmux configuration:

# Install Überzug++
pip install überzugpp

# ~/.tmux.conf — enable passthrough
set -g allow-passthrough on
set -ga update-environment TERM
set -ga update-environment COLORTERM

In yazi.toml:

[preview]
images = true
info

Kitty protocol does not work through tmux. Use sixel or Überzug++ when running Yazi inside tmux.

Windows: file.exe Requirement​

On Windows, Yazi requires the file command or an equivalent for file type detection. Install it via:

# Using winget
winget install file

Or via MSYS2 / Cygwin. Without file.exe, Yazi cannot determine MIME types and many preview features will not work.