Yazi

What is it?

Yazi ("duck") is a terminal file manager written in Rust with an asynchronous core. It renders the file list immediately and streams in previews, thumbnails, and metadata in the background, so even huge directories stay responsive. Keybindings are Vim-like, and the configuration is TOML with a Lua-based plugin and previewer system.

Why use it?

Yazi is the modern answer to Ranger's speed limits. GPU terminals such as Kitty, WezTerm, and Foot can display real image previews, and the async engine keeps scrolling smooth on network mounts and directories with tens of thousands of files. It is also pleasant out of the box: fuzzy search, batch rename, and archive extraction work with no setup.

Key features

• Asynchronous I/O: the UI never blocks on the filesystem
• Inline image previews via Kitty, WezTerm, iTerm2, and Sixel protocols
• Tabs, bulk rename, and drag-and-drop between panes
• Lua plugins and custom previewers
• Built-in archive extraction and mounting helpers
• Rich theme and keymap configuration

How it compares

Against Ranger, Yazi is significantly faster and more actively developed, though its configuration surface is newer and still changing. Against nnn it is heavier but far more visual and beginner-friendly. If you want the terminal file manager that feels most like a modern GUI file browser, Yazi is the current favourite.