What is this?
nnn (n3) is a terminal file manager built for speed and low resource use. The binary is typically around 100KB, it usually needs less than 3.5MB of resident memory, and it runs fine even with 8 colors.
nnn (n3) is a terminal file manager built for speed and low resource use. The binary is typically around 100KB, it usually needs less than 3.5MB of resident memory, and it runs fine even with 8 colors.Is it a full file manager or just a directory browser?A full one: create, rename, duplicate, copy, move, delete, archive and link files, batch-rename a whole selection, and send deletions to the FreeDesktop-compliant trash. It also doubles as a disk usage analyzer.
A full one: create, rename, duplicate, copy, move, delete, archive and link files, batch-rename a whole selection, and send deletions to the FreeDesktop-compliant trash. It also doubles as a disk usage analyzer.How do I get it running?Install via your package manager (it is widely packaged) and run the quickstart command to generate a shell function, or just run the static binary with no install at all. After that, arrows, / and q are enough to get around.
Install via your package manager (it is widely packaged) and run the quickstart command to generate a shell function, or just run the static binary with no install at all. After that, arrows, / and q are enough to get around.Do I need to install anything else for the fancier features?The core has minimal library dependencies and is easy to compile; extras are opt-in. Remote mounts need sshfs or rclone, rich previews come from FIFO-based plugins, and files open through your desktop opener (or nuke in a pure CLI setup).
The core has minimal library dependencies and is easy to compile; extras are opt-in. Remote mounts need sshfs or rclone, rich previews come from FIFO-based plugins, and files open through your desktop opener (or nuke in a pure CLI setup).Is there a config file I need to learn?None to set up - there is no config file, just sensible defaults, and a plugin can back up your settings. Deeper customization happens at compile time, where features and dependencies can be compiled in or out.
None to set up - there is no config file, just sensible defaults, and a plugin can back up your settings. Deeper customization happens at compile time, where features and dependencies can be compiled in or out.Does it only work on desktop Linux?No - it targets any POSIX terminal: Linux, macOS and the BSDs, WSL on Windows, Raspberry Pi, and Android via Termux. Shortcuts are touch-friendly for handhelds, and there is a 1-column mode for small screens.
No - it targets any POSIX terminal: Linux, macOS and the BSDs, WSL on Windows, Raspberry Pi, and Android via Termux. Shortcuts are touch-friendly for handhelds, and there is a 1-column mode for small screens.Does it collect any data about me?No. It is explicitly privacy-aware with no unconfirmed user data collection - everything stays local in your terminal.
No. It is explicitly privacy-aware with no unconfirmed user data collection - everything stays local in your terminal.How does search work?Filtering is instant as you type, in three modes: plain string (default), fuzzy and regex (POSIX/PCRE2). A unique match jumps straight into the matching directory, and a subtree search plugin can open or edit every result.
Filtering is instant as you type, in three modes: plain string (default), fuzzy and regex (POSIX/PCRE2). A unique match jumps straight into the matching directory, and a subtree search plugin can open or edit every result.Can I preview files before opening them?Yes - text files and directories have a built-in previewer, FIFO-based plugins extend previews to many other mime types, and a plugin adds image, video and audio thumbnails. Archives can be listed, extracted or mounted via FUSE.
Yes - text files and directories have a built-in previewer, FIFO-based plugins extend previews to many other mime types, and a plugin adds image, video and audio thumbnails. Archives can be listed, extracted or mounted via FUSE.What are contexts?They are nnn's take on tabs or workspaces, each with its own custom color; Tab creates and cycles them. Alongside them you get sessions, bookmarks and a mark-and-visit system for directories.
They are nnn's take on tabs or workspaces, each with its own custom color; Tab creates and cycles them. Alongside them you get sessions, bookmarks and a mark-and-visit system for directories.Can I hook it into my other tools?Yes - plugins are language-agnostic and can be run with hotkeys, nnn works as a file picker and ships a (neo)vim plugin, and cd-on-quit plus stdin path lists make shell integration easy. Power users alias things like l='nnn -dDe'.
Yes - plugins are language-agnostic and can be run with hotkeys, nnn works as a file picker and ships a (neo)vim plugin, and cd-on-quit plus stdin path lists make shell integration easy. Power users alias things like l='nnn -dDe'.Which topics is it in?ncurses, file-search, disk-usage, multi-platform, wsl, launcher, filesystem, file-manager, neovim, plugins, vim, lightweight
ncurses, file-search, disk-usage, multi-platform, wsl, launcher, filesystem, file-manager, neovim, plugins, vim, lightweight