1NNN(1) BSD General Commands Manual NNN(1)
2
4 nnn — The unorthodox terminal file manager.
5
7 nnn [-aAcCdDeEfgHJKnQrRSuUVxh] [-b key] [-F val] [-l val] [-p file]
8 [-P key] [-s name] [-t secs] [-T key] [PATH]
9
11 nnn (Nnn's Not Noice) is a performance-optimized, feature-packed fork of
12 noice http://git.2f30.org/noice/ with seamless desktop integration, sim‐
13 plified navigation, type-to-nav mode with dir auto-enter, disk usage ana‐
14 lyzer mode, bookmarks, contexts, application launcher, familiar naviga‐
15 tion shortcuts, subshell spawning and much more. It remains a simple and
16 efficient file manager that stays out of your way.
17 nnn opens the current working directory by default if PATH is not speci‐
19 fied.
20
22 Press ‘?’ in nnn to see the list of keybinds.
23
25 nnn supports the following options:
26 -a
28 auto-setup temporary NNN_FIFO (described in ENVIRONMENT section)
29 -A
31 disable directory auto-enter on unique filter match
32 -b key
34 specify bookmark key to open
35 -B
37 use bsdtar for archives (default: atool)
38 -c
40 indicates that the opener is a cli-only opener (overrides -e)
41 -C
43 8-color scheme - color directories by context, disable file col‐
44 ors
45 -d
47 detail mode
48 -D
50 show directories in context color with NNN_FCOLORS set
51 -e
53 open text files in $VISUAL (else $EDITOR, fallback vi) [prefer‐
54 ably CLI]
55 -E
57 use $EDITOR for internal undetached edits
58 -f
60 use readline history file
61 -F val
63 fifo notification mode
64 0: notify as previewer, 1: notify as explorer
65 -g
67 use regex filters instead of substring match
68 -H
70 show hidden files
71 -i
73 show current file information in info bar (may be slow)
74 -J
76 disable auto-advance on selection
77 (eg. selecting an entry will no longer move cursor to the next
78 entry)
79 -K
81 test for keybind collision and exit
82 -l val
84 number of lines to move per mouse wheel scroll
85 -n
87 start in type-to-nav mode
88 -o
90 open files only on Enter key
91 -p file
93 copy (or pick) selection to file, or stdout if file='-'
94 -P key
96 specify plugin key to run
97 -Q
99 disable confirmation on quit with multiple contexts active
100 -r
102 show cp, mv progress
103 (Linux-only, needs advcpmv; '^T' shows the progress on BSD/macOS)
104 -R
106 disable rollover at edges (eg. pressing down while on the last
107 entry will no longer move cursor to the first entry and
108 vice-versa)
109 -s name
111 load a session by name
112 -S
114 persistent session
115 -t secs
117 idle timeout in seconds to lock terminal
118 -T key
120 sort order
121 keys: 'a'u / 'd'u / 'e'xtension / 'r'everse / 's'ize / 't'ime /
122 'v'ersion
123 capitalize to reverse (except 'r')
124 -u
126 use selection if available, don't prompt to choose between selec‐
127 tion and hovered entry
128 -U
130 show user and group names in status bar
131 -V
133 show version and exit
134 -x
136 show notifications on selection cp, mv, rm completion (requires
137 .ntfy plugin)
138 copy path to system clipboard on selection (requires .cbcp
139 plugin)
140 show xterm title (if non-picker mode)
141 -h
143 show program help and exit
144
146 There is no configuration file. Associated files are at
147 ${XDG_CONFIG_HOME:-$HOME/.config}/nnn/
149 Configuration is done using a few optional (set if you need) environment
151 variables. See ENVIRONMENT section.
152 nnn uses xdg-open (on Linux), open(1) (on macOS), cygstart on (Cygwin)
154 and open on (Haiku) as the desktop opener. It's also possible to specify
155 a custom opener. See ENVIRONMENT section.
156
158 Open multiple locations with 4 contexts. The status is shown in the top
159 left corner:
160 - the current context is in reverse video
162 - other active contexts are underlined
163 - rest are inactive
164 A new context copies the state of the previous context. Each context can
166 have its own color. See ENVIRONMENT section.
167
169 Sessions are a way to save and restore states of work. A session stores
170 the settings and contexts. Sessions can be loaded at runtime or with a
171 program option.
172 - When a session is loaded at runtime, the last working state is saved
174 automatically to a dedicated "auto session" session file. Session option
175 restore would restore the "auto session".
176 - The persistent session option is global. If it is used, the last active
177 session will be updated with the final state at program quit.
178 - The "auto session" is used in persistent session mode if no session is
179 active.
180 - Listing input stream and opening a bookmark by key have a higher prior‐
181 ity to session options (-s/-S).
182 All the session files are located by session name in the directory
184 ${XDG_CONFIG_HOME:-$HOME/.config}/nnn/sessions
186 "@" is the "auto session" file.
188
190 Filters are strings (or regex patterns) to find matching entries in the
191 current directory instantly (search-as-you-type). Matches are case-insen‐
192 sitive by default. The last filter in each context is persisted at run‐
193 time or in saved sessions.
194 When there's a unique match and it's a directory, nnn auto enters the di‐
195 rectory. Use the relevant program option to disable this.
196 Special keys at filter prompt:
198 -------- + ---------------------------------------
200 Key | Function
201 -------- + ---------------------------------------
202 ^char | Usual keybind functionality
203 Esc | Exit filter prompt but skip dir refresh
204 Alt+Esc | Unfilter, quit context
205 -------- + ---------------------------------------
206 Special keys at empty filter prompt:
208 ------ + ---------------------------------------
210 Key | Function
211 ------ + ---------------------------------------
212 ? | Show help and config screen
213 / | Toggle between string and regex
214 : | Toggle case-sensitivity
215 ^L | Clear filter (if prompt is non-empty)
216 | OR apply last filter
217 Bksp | Stay at filter prompt and refresh dir
218 Del | Stay at filter prompt and refresh dir
219 ------ + ---------------------------------------
220 Common regex use cases:
222 (1) To list all matches starting with the filter expression,
224 start the expression with a '^' (caret) symbol.
225 (2) Type '\.mkv' to list all MKV files.
226 (3) Use '.*' to match any character (sort of fuzzy search).
227 (4) Exclude filenames having 'nnn' (compiled with PCRE lib): '^(?!nnn)'
228 In the type-to-nav mode directories are opened in filter mode, allowing
230 continuous navigation.
231 Additional special keys at empty filter prompt in type-to-nav mode:
233 ------ + ------------------------
235 Key | Function
236 ------ + ------------------------
237 ' | Go to first non-dir file
238 + | Toggle file selection
239 , | Mark CWD
240 - | Go to last visited dir
241 . | Show hidden files
242 ; | Run a plugin by its key
243 = | Launch a GUI application
244 > | Export file list
245 @ | Visit start dir
246 ] | Show command prompt
247 ` | Visit /
248 ~ | Go HOME
249 ------ + ------------------------
250
252 nnn allows file selection across directories and contexts!
253 There are 3 groups of keybinds to add files to selection:
255 (1) hovered file selection toggle
257 - deselects if '+' is visible before the entry, else adds to selec‐
258 tion
259 (2) add a range of files to selection
260 - repeat the range key on the same entry twice to clear selection
261 completely
262 (3) add all files in the current directory to selection
263 A selection can be edited, copied, moved, removed, archived or linked.
265 Absolute paths of the selected files are copied to .selection file in the
267 config directory. The selection file is shared between multiple program
268 instances. Selection from multiple instances are not merged. The last in‐
269 stance writing to the file overwrites earlier contents. If you have 2 in‐
270 stances of nnn open in 2 panes of a terminal multiplexer, you can select
271 in one pane and use the selection in the other pane. The selection gets
272 cleared in the nnn instance where the selection was made on mv/rm (but
273 not on cp).
274 nnn clears the selection after a successful operation with the selection.
276 Plugins are allowed to define the behaviour individually.
277 To edit the selection use the _edit selection_ key. Editing doesn't end
279 the selection mode. You can add more files to the selection and edit the
280 list again. If no file is selected in the current session, this option
281 attempts to list the selection file.
282
284 There are two ways to search and list:
285 - feed a list of file paths as input
287 - search using a plugin (e.g. finder) and list the results
288 File paths must be NUL-separated ('\0'). Paths and can be relative to the
290 current directory or absolute. Invalid paths in the input are ignored.
291 Input processing limit is 16,384 paths or 64 MiB (max_paths x
292 max_path_len) of data.
293 To list the input stream, start nnn by writing to its standard input.
295 E.g., to list files in current directory larger than 1M:
296 find -maxdepth 1 -size +1M -print0 | nnn
298 or redirect a list from a file:
300 nnn < files.txt
302 Handy bash/zsh shell function to list files by mime-type in current di‐
304 rectory:
305 # to show video files, run: list video
307 list ()
309 {
310 find . -maxdepth 1 | file -if- | grep "$1" | awk -F: '{printf "%s ", $1}' | nnn
311 }
312 A temporary directory will be created containing symlinks to the given
314 paths. Any action performed on these symlinks will be performed only on
315 their targets, after which they might become invalid.
316 Right arrow or 'l' on a symlink in the listing dir takes to the target
318 file. Press '-' to return to the listing dir. Press 'Enter' to open the
319 symlink.
320 Listing input stream can be scripted. It can be extended to pick (option
322 -p) selected entries from the listed results.
323
325 There are 2 ways (can be used together) to manage bookmarks.
326 (1) Bookmark keys: See NNN_BMS under ENVIORNMENT section on how to set
328 bookmark keys.
329 The select bookmark key b lists all the bookmark keys set in NNN_BMS
331 in the bookmarks prompt.
332 (2) Symlinked bookmarks: A symlinked bookmark to the current directory
334 can
335 be created with the B key (or manually under ~/.config/nnn/book‐
336 marks).
337 Pressing 'Enter' at the bookmarks prompt takes to this directory.
339 If NNN_BMS is not set, the select bookmark key directly opens it.
340 On entering a bookmark, the directory where the select bookmark key was
342 pressed is set as the previous directory. Press '-' to return to it.
343
345 The minimum file size unit is byte (B). The rest are K, M, G, T, P, E, Z,
346 Y (powers of 1024), same as the default units in ls.
347
349 The SHELL, VISUAL (else EDITOR) and PAGER environment variables are used.
350 A single combination of arguments is supported for SHELL and PAGER.
351 NNN_OPTS: binary options to nnn
353 export NNN_OPTS="cEnrx"
355 NNN_OPENER: specify a custom file opener.
357 export NNN_OPENER=nuke
359 NOTE: 'nuke' is a file opener available in the plugin repository.
361 NNN_BMS: bookmark string as key_char:location pairs separated by ;:
363 export NNN_BMS="d:$HOME/Docs;u:/home/user/Cam Uploads;D:$HOME/Downloads/"
365 These bookmarks are listed in the help and config screen (key ?).
367 NNN_PLUG: directly executable plugins as key_char:plugin pairs separated
369 by ;:
370 export NNN_PLUG='f:finder;o:fzopen;p:mocplay;d:diffs;t:nmount;v:imgview'
372 NOTES:
374 1. To run a plugin directly, press ; followed by the key.
375 2. Alternatively, combine with Alt (i.e. Alt+key).
376 3. To skip directory refresh after running a plugin, prefix with -.
377 export NNN_PLUG='p:-plugin'
379 To assign keys to arbitrary non-background cli commands and invoke
381 like
382 plugins, add ! before the command.
383 export NNN_PLUG='x:!chmod +x $nnn;g:!git log;s:!smplayer $nnn'
385 To pick and run an unassigned plugin, press Enter at the plugin prompt.
387 To run a plugin at startup, use the option `-P` followed by the plugin key.
388 NOTES:
390 1. Use single quotes for $NNN_PLUG so $nnn is not interpreted
391 2. $nnn must be the last argument (if used) to run a command as plugin
392 3. (Again) add ! before the command
393 4. To disable directory refresh after running a command as plugin,
394 prefix with -!
395 5. To skip user confirmation after command execution, suffix with *
396 Note: Do not use * with programs those run and exit e.g. cat
397 export NNN_PLUG='y:-!sync*'
399 6. To run a GUI app as plugin, add a & after !
401 Note: $nnn must be the last argument in this case.
402 export NNN_PLUG='m:-!&mousepad $nnn'
404 7. To show the output of run-and-exit commands which do not need user input,
406 add | (pipe) after !
407 Note: This option is incompatible with & (terminal output is masked
408 for GUI programs) and ignores * (output is already paged for user)
409 export NNN_PLUG='m:-!|mediainfo $nnn;t:-!|tree -ps;l:-!|ls -lah --group-directories-first'
411 EXAMPLES:
413 ------------------------------------ + -------------------------------------------------
414 Key:Command | Description
415 ------------------------------------ + -------------------------------------------------
416 c:!convert $nnn png:- | xclip -sel | Copy image to clipboard
417 clipboard -t image/png* |
418 e:-!sudo -E vim $nnn* | Edit file as root in vim
419 g:-!git diff | Show git diff
420 h:-!hx $nnn* | Open hovered file in hx hex editor
421 k:-!fuser -kiv $nnn* | Interactively kill process(es) using hovered file
422 l:-!git log | Show git log
423 n:-!vi /home/user/Dropbox/dir/note* | Take quick notes in a synced file/dir of notes
424 p:-!less -iR $nnn* | Page through hovered file in less
425 s:-!&smplayer -minigui $nnn | Play hovered media file, even unfinished download
426 x:!chmod +x $nnn | Make the hovered file executable
427 y:-!sync* | Flush cached writes
428 ------------------------------------ + -------------------------------------------------
429 Online docs: https://github.com/jarun/nnn/tree/master/plugins
431 NNN_ORDER: directory-specific sort key.
433 export NNN_ORDER='t:/home/user/Downloads;S:/tmp'
435 NOTE: Sort keys can be a/d/e/r/s/t/v (see program option -T).
437 Capitalize to reverse (except 'r').
438 Path must be absolute.
439 Timestamps for entries modified/created within 5 minutes are shown in reverse.
441 NNN_COLORS: string of color numbers for each context, e.g.:
443 # 8 color numbers:
445 # 0-black, 1-red, 2-green, 3-yellow, 4-blue (default), 5-magenta, 6-cyan, 7-white
446 export NNN_COLORS='1234'
447 # xterm 256 color numbers (converted to hex, 2 symbols per context):
449 # see https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/1482942/93023823-46a6ba80-f5e1-11ea-9ea3-6a3c757704f4.png
450 export NNN_COLORS='#0a1b2c3d'
451 # both (256 followed by 8 as fallback, separated by ';')
453 export NNN_COLORS='#0a1b2c3d;1234'
454 NOTE: If only 256 colors are specified and the terminal doesn't support, default is used.
456 NNN_FCOLORS: specify file-type specific colors:
458 export NNN_FCOLORS='c1e2272e006033f7c6d6abc4'
460 Specify file-specific colors in xterm 256 color hex numbers (2 symbols per color).
462 Order is strict, use 00 to omit/use default terminal color. Defaults:
463 ------------------------- + --- + -------------
465 Order | Hex | Color
466 ------------------------- + --- + -------------
467 Block device | c1 | DarkSeaGreen1
468 Char device | e2 | Yellow1
469 Directory | 27 | DeepSkyBlue1
470 Executable | 2e | Green1
471 Regular | 00 | Normal
472 Hard link | 60 | Plum4
473 Symbolic link | 33 | Cyan1
474 Missing OR file details | f7 | Grey62
475 Orphaned symbolic link | c6 | DeepPink1
476 FIFO | d6 | Orange1
477 Socket | ab | MediumOrchid1
478 Unknown OR 0B regular/exe | c4 | Red1
479 ------------------------- + --- + -------------
480 If the terminal supports xterm 256 colors or more, file-specific colors will be rendered.
482 To force the 8-color scheme use option -C.
483 If xterm 256 colors aren't supported, 8-color scheme will be used.
484 NNN_ARCHIVE: archive extensions to be handled silently (default: bzip2,
486 (g)zip, tar).
487 export NNN_ARCHIVE="\\.(7z|bz2|gz|tar|tgz|zip)$"
489 NOTE: Non-default formats may require a third-party utility.
491 NNN_SSHFS: specify custom sshfs command with options:
493 export NNN_SSHFS='sshfs -o reconnect,idmap=user,cache_timeout=3600'
495 NOTE: The options must be comma-separated without any space between them.
497 NNN_RCLONE: pass additional options to rclone command:
499 export NNN_RCLONE='rclone mount --read-only --no-checksum'
501 NOTE: The options must be preceded by "rclone" and max 5 flags are supported.
503 NNN_TRASH: trash (instead of rm -rf) files to desktop Trash.
505 export NNN_TRASH=n
507 # n=1: trash-cli, n=2: gio trash
508 NNN_SEL: absolute path to custom selection file.
510 NNN_FIFO: path of a named pipe to write the hovered file path:
512 export NNN_FIFO='/tmp/nnn.fifo'
514 NOTES:
516 1. Overridden by a temporary path with -a option.
517 2. If the FIFO file doesn't exist it will be created,
518 but not removed (unless it is generated by -a option).
519 Online docs: https://github.com/jarun/nnn/wiki/Live-previews
521 NNN_LOCKER: terminal locker program.
523 export NNN_LOCKER='bmon -p wlp1s0'
525 export NNN_LOCKER='cmatrix'
526 NNN_TMPFILE: always cd on quit and write the command in the file speci‐
528 fied.
529 export NNN_TMPFILE='/tmp/.lastd'
531 NNN_HELP: run a program and show the output on top of the program help
533 page.
534 export NNN_HELP='fortune'
536 NNN_MCLICK: key emulated by a middle mouse click.
538 export NNN_MCLICK='^R'
540 NOTE: Only the first character is considered if not a Ctrl+key combo.
542 nnn: this is a special variable.
544 Set to the hovered file name before starting the command prompt or spawning a shell.
546 NO_COLOR: disable ANSI color output (overridden by NNN_COLORS).
548
550 Arun Prakash Jana <engineerarun@gmail.com>,
551 Lazaros Koromilas <lostd@2f30.org>,
552 Dimitris Papastamos <sin@2f30.org>.
553
555 https://github.com/jarun/nnn
556BSD Nov 24, 2022 BSD
