Search

Yazi provides multiple search methods for finding files and content, with deep integration into popular command-line tools.

Quick Find

Find files by name in the current directory:

Forward and Backward Search

Key	Command	Description
`/`	`find --smart`	Find next file (forward search)
`?`	`find --previous --smart`	Find previous file (backward search)
`n`	`find_arrow`	Jump to next match
`N`	`find_arrow --previous`	Jump to previous match

Start search

Press / (forward) or ? (backward)

Type pattern

Enter the search pattern (smart case matching)

Navigate matches

Press n to go to next match
Press N to go to previous match
Matches are highlighted with indicators

Cancel search

Press <Esc> or <C-s> to exit search mode

Smart Case Matching

The --smart flag enables smart case sensitivity:

Lowercase pattern: Case-insensitive matching
- /readme matches “README”, “readme”, “ReadMe”
Mixed case pattern: Case-sensitive matching
- /ReadMe only matches “ReadMe”

Filter

Filter files in the current directory to show only matches:

f  # Start filter with smart case

Filter vs Find:

Filter
Find

Hides non-matching files

f        # Start filter
*.rs     # Only Rust files visible

Changes what files are displayed
Useful for focusing on specific file types
Affects operations like select all

Jumps between matches

/        # Start find
config   # Jumps to matches
n        # Next match

All files remain visible
Highlights matching files
Quick navigation between results

Filtered files are temporarily hidden but not deleted. Clear the filter with <Esc> to show all files again.

Search with fd

Search for files using fd (faster alternative to find):

s  # Search files via fd

The search --via=fd command:

Recursively searches from the current directory
Respects .gitignore by default
Supports regex patterns
Much faster than traditional find

Example patterns:

s → *.toml           # Find all TOML files
s → README           # Find files named README
s → ^test            # Files starting with "test"

fd Features

Fast: Uses parallel directory traversal
Smart: Ignores hidden files and .gitignore patterns
Colorful: Syntax-highlighted results
Regex: Full regular expression support

Search with ripgrep

Search file contents using ripgrep:

S  # Search file contents via ripgrep (capital S)

The search --via=rg command:

Searches inside file contents
Extremely fast, even on large codebases
Respects .gitignore
Returns files containing the pattern

Example searches:

S → TODO             # Files containing "TODO"
S → fn main          # Rust files with main function
S → "error handling" # Files with exact phrase

fd (filename)
ripgrep (content)

s  # Search by filename

Use when you:

Know the filename
Want to find specific file types
Need path-based matching

S  # Search by content

Use when you:

Remember file contents but not name
Want to find code/text patterns
Need to search across many files

Jump with fzf

Fuzzy find files and directories using fzf:

z  # Jump to file/directory with fzf

The fzf integration provides:

Fuzzy matching: Type partial names in any order
Interactive preview: See file contents as you search
Fast filtering: Real-time results as you type
Multi-select: Select multiple files with <Tab>

fzf Workflow

Launch fzf

Press z to open the fzf interface

Type query

Enter fuzzy search terms (spaces for AND logic)

src main rs  # Matches "src/main.rs"
cfg toml     # Matches config.toml, yazi.toml, etc.

Navigate results

<Up>/<Down> or <C-j>/<C-k> to move
<Tab> to select multiple files
<Enter> to confirm

Result action

Single file: Navigates to it or opens it
Directory: Changes to that directory
Multiple selections: Toggles them in Yazi

fzf with Selection

If files are already selected when launching fzf:

<Space>  # Select some files
<Space>
z        # Launch fzf with selected files as input

This lets you:

Further filter your selection
Remove specific files from selection
Add to existing selection

The fzf plugin is implemented in /home/daytona/workspace/source/yazi-plugin/preset/plugins/fzf.lua:11. It uses multi-select mode (-m flag) by default.

Jump with zoxide

Jump to frequently used directories with zoxide:

Z  # Jump via zoxide (capital Z)

zoxide features:

Frecency algorithm: Ranks by frequency and recency
Smart matching: Type partial directory names
Learning: Automatically tracks your navigation patterns

Example:

Z → proj     # Jumps to ~/projects (if frequently visited)
Z → conf     # Jumps to ~/.config
Z → doc      # Jumps to ~/Documents

Cancel Search

Stop ongoing searches:

<C-s>  # Cancel the ongoing search
<Esc>  # Exit search mode or clear filter

Context	`<Esc>` behavior	`<C-s>` behavior
Active search	Exit search mode	Cancel search operation
Filter active	Clear filter	N/A
Find results	Clear highlights	Clear highlights

Search Methods Comparison

Method	Key	Tool	Scope	Use Case
Find	`/`	Built-in	Current directory	Quick file jumps
Filter	`f`	Built-in	Current directory	Focus on file subset
fd	`s`	fd	Recursive	Find files by name
ripgrep	`S`	ripgrep	Recursive content	Find by file contents
fzf	`z`	fzf	Recursive	Fuzzy interactive search
zoxide	`Z`	zoxide	Database	Jump to frequent directories

Search Tips

Performance
Patterns
Integration

fd and ripgrep are extremely fast even on large directories
Filter is instant since it only processes visible files
fzf builds an index on-demand for responsive searching

Use * for wildcards in filter: *.md
Use ^ for start of line in fd/rg: ^test
Fuzzy matching in fzf doesn’t require exact patterns

Search results can be selected in bulk with <C-a>
Combine searches: filter first, then find within results
Use fzf multi-select (<Tab>) to build selections

Advanced Search Examples

Example 1: Find and Select All Markdown Files

f        # Start filter
*.md     # Show only .md files
<C-a>    # Select all visible files
<Esc>    # Clear filter (selection persists)
y        # Yank selected .md files

Example 2: Search Code for TODOs

S        # Search with ripgrep
TODO     # Find all TODOs
# Yazi shows files containing TODO
<Enter>  # Open first file

Example 3: Complex fd Search

s                    # fd search
^(test|spec).*\.rs$  # Find Rust test files

Example 4: Multi-Tool Workflow

Z        # Jump to project directory with zoxide
S        # Search for "FIXME" in code
z        # Use fzf to narrow down results
<Tab>    # Multi-select files in fzf
<Enter>  # Files are now selected in Yazi
o        # Open all selected files

Make sure fd, ripgrep, fzf, and zoxide are installed on your system for their respective search features to work.

Get Started

Usage

Configuration

Features

Plugins

Quick Find

Forward and Backward Search

Smart Case Matching

Filter

Search with fd

fd Features

Search with ripgrep

Jump with fzf

fzf Workflow

fzf with Selection

Jump with zoxide

Cancel Search

Search Methods Comparison

Search Tips

Advanced Search Examples

Example 1: Find and Select All Markdown Files

Example 2: Search Code for TODOs

Example 3: Complex fd Search

Example 4: Multi-Tool Workflow

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Get Started

Usage

Configuration

Features

Plugins

Documentation Index

​Quick Find

​Forward and Backward Search

​Smart Case Matching

​Filter

​Search with fd

​fd Features

​Search with ripgrep

​Jump with fzf

​fzf Workflow

​fzf with Selection

​Jump with zoxide

​Cancel Search

​Search Methods Comparison

​Search Tips

​Advanced Search Examples

​Example 1: Find and Select All Markdown Files

​Example 2: Search Code for TODOs

​Example 3: Complex fd Search

​Example 4: Multi-Tool Workflow

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Quick Find

Forward and Backward Search

Smart Case Matching

Filter

Search with fd

fd Features

Search with ripgrep

Jump with fzf

fzf Workflow

fzf with Selection

Jump with zoxide

Cancel Search

Search Methods Comparison

Search Tips

Advanced Search Examples

Example 1: Find and Select All Markdown Files

Example 2: Search Code for TODOs

Example 3: Complex fd Search

Example 4: Multi-Tool Workflow