Skip to main content

Documentation Index

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/sxyazi/yazi/llms.txt

Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

Yazi provides powerful file operation commands with a Vim-like yank-paste model.

​
Opening Files

KeyCommandDescription
o / <Enter>openOpen selected files with default application
O / <S-Enter>open --interactiveOpen with application chooser
Yazi will open files using your system’s default applications, or you can configure custom openers in yazi.toml.

​
Creating Files and Directories

Press a to create new files or directories:
1

Press `a`

Activate the create command
2

Enter name

Type the file or directory name
3

Create directory

End the name with / to create a directory instead of a file
Examples: 
# Create a file
a → "newfile.txt" → <Enter>

# Create a directory
a → "newfolder/" → <Enter>

# Create nested directories
a → "path/to/directory/" → <Enter>

​
Yank (Copy) and Cut

Yazi uses a yank-paste model similar to Vim:

​
Yank Commands

KeyCommandDescription
yyankYank (copy) selected files
xyank --cutCut selected files for moving
Y / XunyankCancel the yank/cut operation
1

Select files

Select one or more files (see Selection)
2

Yank

Press y to copy files to the yank buffer
3

Navigate

Navigate to the destination directory
4

Paste

Press p to paste the files

​
Paste Operations

KeyCommandDescription
ppastePaste yanked files
Ppaste --forcePaste and overwrite existing files
Using P (paste with force) will overwrite files with the same name at the destination without confirmation.
Create links to yanked files:
KeyCommandDescription
-linkCreate symbolic link (absolute path)
_link --relativeCreate symbolic link (relative path)
<C-->hardlinkCreate hard link to yanked files
Link workflow: 
# 1. Yank the source file
y

# 2. Navigate to destination
cd /path/to/destination

# 3. Create link
-    # Absolute symlink
_    # Relative symlink
<C-->  # Hard link

​
Deleting Files

Yazi supports both trash and permanent deletion:
KeyCommandDescription
dremoveMove selected files to trash
Dremove --permanentlyPermanently delete files (cannot be undone)
Permanent deletion (D) bypasses the trash bin and cannot be recovered. Use with caution!

​
Renaming Files

Press r to rename files: 
r  # Opens rename input with cursor before the file extension
The rename --cursor=before_ext command positions the cursor intelligently:
  • For document.txt, cursor appears after “document” and before “.txt”
  • For files without extensions, cursor appears at the end
Yazi also supports bulk renaming through external editors. Check the plugins documentation for advanced renaming options.

​
Copy Path/Name

Copy file information to the clipboard:
KeybindingCommandDescription
cccopy pathCopy absolute file path
cdcopy dirnameCopy parent directory path
cfcopy filenameCopy filename with extension
cncopy name_without_extCopy filename without extension
Example output: 
cc → /home/user/documents/report.pdf
cd → /home/user/documents
cf → report.pdf
cn → report

​
Shell Commands

Execute shell commands on selected files:
KeyCommandDescription
;shell --interactiveRun shell command (async)
:shell --block --interactiveRun shell command (block until finished)
Non-blocking shell execution. Yazi continues running while the command executes.
;  # Opens shell prompt
→ echo "Processing..." && sleep 5
# Yazi remains interactive

​
Hidden Files

Toggle visibility of hidden files: 
.  # Toggle hidden files on/off

​
File Selection Preview

When files are selected or in the yank buffer, Yazi displays:
  • Yellow highlight: Files in the yank buffer (copied)
  • Red highlight: Files in the cut buffer (cut for moving)
  • Visual selection: Files selected in visual mode

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Get started for freeTalk to us