Terminal Guide
lf
Lightweight and fast terminal file manager.
Official WebsiteFeatures
Installation
brew install lfpacman -S lfWhy use lf?
Lightweight & Fast
Single binary written in Go. Works without dependencies, starts very quickly, uses minimal memory.
Highly Customizable
Simple config file allows full customization of keybindings, commands, and preview methods.
Shell Integration
Execute shell commands directly. Supports pipes and redirects, combine with existing tools.
Cross-Platform
Supports Linux, macOS, and Windows. Use the same config file in any environment.
Installation
# Homebrew (macOS/Linux)
brew install lf
# Pacman (Arch Linux)
sudo pacman -S lf
# Install directly with Go
go install github.com/gokcehan/lf@latest
# Download binary directly
# https://github.com/gokcehan/lf/releasesScreen Layout
lf uses a simple two-pane (or custom ratio) layout. File list on the left, preview on the right.
┌─ lf ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ ~/.config/lf │ │ │ │ .. │ │ colors │ │ icons │ │ > lfrc # lf config file │ │ preview.sh # Preview script │ │ │ │ set hidden true │ │ set icons true │ │ set preview true │ │ ... │ │ │ ├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ 5 items | ~/.config/lf │ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Basic Operations
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
h | Go to parent directory |
j / k | Move up/down |
l / Enter | Enter directory / Open file |
gg / G | Go to start / end |
/ | Search |
: | Command mode |
$ | Execute shell command |
q | Quit |
File Operations
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
Space | Select/deselect file |
v | Invert selection |
y | Copy |
d | Cut |
p | Paste |
c | Clear selection |
r | Rename |
D | Delete (requires configuration) |
Configuration & Customization
Configure lf using ~/.config/lf/lfrc. Simple syntax for defining keybindings and custom commands.
# ~/.config/lf/lfrc
# Basic settings
set hidden true # Show hidden files
set icons true # Show icons
set ignorecase true # Ignore case in search
set preview true # Enable preview
set ratios 1:2:3 # Pane ratios
# Shell settings
set shell bash
set shellopts '-eu'
set ifs "\n"
# Custom commands
cmd open ${{
case $(file --mime-type "$f" -bL) in
text/*|application/json) $EDITOR "$f";;
image/*) sxiv "$f";;
video/*) mpv "$f";;
application/pdf) zathura "$f";;
*) xdg-open "$f" ;;
esac
}}
# Create directory
cmd mkdir %{{
printf "Directory Name: "
read ans
mkdir -p "$ans"
}}
# Create file
cmd touch %{{
printf "File Name: "
read ans
touch "$ans"
}}
# Move to trash
cmd trash %{{
files=$(printf "$fx" | tr '\n' ';')
while [ "$files" ]; do
file=${files%%;*}
trash-put "$(basename "$file")"
if [ "$files" = "$file" ]; then
files=''
else
files="${files#*;}"
fi
done
}}Keybinding Configuration
# ~/.config/lf/lfrc (Keybinding configuration)
# Basic operations
map <enter> open
map o open
map e $$EDITOR "$f"
# File operations
map D delete
map T trash
map a push :touch<space>
map A push :mkdir<space>
# Navigation
map gh cd ~
map gd cd ~/Documents
map gD cd ~/Downloads
map gc cd ~/.config
map gr cd /
# Selection
map <space> toggle
map u unselect
map U clear
# Copy & Move
map y copy
map d cut
map p paste
# Search
map / search
map n search-next
map N search-prev
# Display toggle
map zh set hidden!
map zr set reverse!
map zn set info
map zs set info sizePreview Functionality
lf preview is fully customizable with shell scripts. Below is an example of a common preview script.
#!/bin/bash
# ~/.config/lf/preview.sh
case "$1" in
*.tar*) tar tf "$1";;
*.zip) unzip -l "$1";;
*.rar) unrar l "$1";;
*.7z) 7z l "$1";;
*.pdf) pdftotext "$1" -;;
*.jpg|*.jpeg|*.png|*.gif)
chafa -f sixel -s "${2}x${3}" "$1" 2>/dev/null ||
chafa "$1" -s "${2}x${3}"
;;
*) bat --color=always --style=plain "$1" 2>/dev/null ||
cat "$1";;
esacMake the preview script executable: chmod +x ~/.config/lf/preview.sh
Icon Settings
Install a Nerd Font to display icons based on file types.
# ~/.config/lf/icons
# Directory
di
# File
fi
# Link
ln
# Executable
ex
# Images
*.jpg
*.jpeg
*.png
*.gif
# Documents
*.pdf
*.doc
*.txt
# Code
*.js
*.ts
*.py
*.go
*.rs
# Archives
*.zip
*.tar
*.gzTips
Shell Integration
To preserve current directory when exiting, add this function to your shell:lfcd() { cd "$(command lf -print-last-dir "$@")" }
fzf Integration
Launch a shell with $ and use fzf for search. You can also implement fzf jump with custom commands.
Image Preview
Image preview is available with chafa, ueberzug,kitty icat and others.
Server Mode
Start server mode with lf -serverto share copy/paste state between multiple clients.