DOKK / manpages / debian 11 / nnn / nnn.1.en
NNN(1) General Commands Manual NNN(1)

nnn — The unorthodox terminal file manager.

nnn [-a] [-A] [-b key] [-c] [-C] [-d] [-D] [-e] [-E] [-f] [-F] [-g] [-H] [-J] [-K] [-l] [-n] [-p file] [-P key] [-Q] [-r] [-R] [-s name] [-S] [-t secs] [-T key] [-u] [-U] [-V] [-w] [-x] [-h] [PATH]

nnn (Nnn's Not Noice) is a performance-optimized, feature-packed fork of noice (http://git.2f30.org/noice/) with seamless desktop integration, simplified navigation, type-to-nav mode with auto select, disk usage analyzer mode, bookmarks, contexts, application launcher, familiar navigation shortcuts, subshell spawning and much more. It remains a simple and efficient file manager that stays out of your way.

nnn opens the current working directory by default if PATH is not specified.

Press ? in nnn to see the list of keybinds.

nnn supports the following options:

-a
auto-setup temporary NNN_FIFO (described in ENVIRONMENT section)

-A
disable directory auto-select in type-to-nav mode

-b key
specify bookmark key to open

-c
indicates that the opener is a cli-only opener (overrides -e)

-C
earlier colorscheme - color directories by context, disable file colors

-d
detail mode

-D
show directories in context color with NNN_FCOLORS set

-e
open text files in $VISUAL (else $EDITOR, fallback vi) [preferably CLI]

-E
use $EDITOR for internal undetached edits

-f
use readline history file

-F
show fortune in help and settings screen

-g
use regex filters instead of substring match

-H
show hidden files

-J
disable auto-proceed on select

-K
test for keybind collision

-l val
number of lines to move per mouse wheel scroll

-n
start in type-to-nav mode

-o
open files only on Enter key

-p file
copy (or pick) selection to file, or stdout if file='-'

-P key
specify plugin key to run

-Q
disable confirmation on quit with multiple contexts active

-r
show cp, mv progress
(Linux-only, needs advcpmv; '^T' shows the progress on BSD/macOS)

-R
disable rollover at edges

-s name
load a session by name

-S
persistent session

-t secs
idle timeout in seconds to lock terminal

-T key
sort order
keys: 'a'u / 'd'u / 'e'xtension / 'r'everse / 's'ize / 't'ime / 'v'ersion

-u
use selection if available, don't prompt to choose between selection and hovered entry

-U
show user and group names in status bar

-V
show version and exit

-w
place hardware cursor on hovered entry

-x
show notis on selection cp, mv, rm completion
copy path to system clipboard on select

-h
show program help and exit

There is no configuration file. Associated files are at

${XDG_CONFIG_HOME:-$HOME/.config}/nnn/

Configuration is done using a few optional (set if you need) environment variables. See ENVIRONMENT section.

nnn uses xdg-open (on Linux), open(1) (on macOS), cygstart on (Cygwin) and open on (Haiku) as the desktop opener. It's also possible to specify a custom opener. See ENVIRONMENT section.

Open multiple locations with 4 contexts. The status is shown in the top left corner:

- the current context is in reverse video
- other active contexts are underlined
- rest are inactive

A new context copies the state of the previous context. Each context can have its own color. See ENVIRONMENT section.

Sessions are a way to save and restore states of work. A session stores the settings and contexts.

Sessions can be loaded dynamically at runtime or with a program option.

When a session is loaded dynamically, the last working session is saved automatically to a dedicated -- "last session" -- session file. The "last session" is also used in persistent session mode.

Listing input stream has a higher priority to session options (-s/-S). Sessions can be loaded explicitly at runtime. Session option restore would restore the persistent session at runtime.

All the session files are located by session name in the directory

${XDG_CONFIG_HOME:-$HOME/.config}/nnn/sessions

"@" is the "last session" file.

Filters are strings (or regex patterns) to find matching entries in the current directory instantly (search-as-you-type). Matches are case-insensitive by default. The last filter in each context is persisted at runtime or in saved sessions.

Special keys at filter prompt:

-------- + ---------------------------------------
  Key    |                Function
-------- + ---------------------------------------
 ^char   | Usual keybind functionality
 Esc     | Exit filter prompt but skip dir refresh
 Alt+Esc | Exit filter prompt and refresh dir
-------- + ---------------------------------------

Special keys at empty filter prompt:

------ + ---------------------------------------
  Key  |                Function
------ + ---------------------------------------
   ?   | Show help and config screen
   /   | Toggle between string and regex
   :   | Toggle case-sensitivity
  ^L   | Clear filter (if prompt is non-empty)
       | OR apply last filter
------ + ---------------------------------------

Additional special keys at empty filter prompt in type-to-nav mode:

------ + ------------------------
  Key  |         Function
------ + ------------------------
   '   | Go to first non-dir file
   +   | Toggle auto-advance
   ,   | Mark CWD
   -   | Go to last visited dir
   .   | Show hidden files
   ;   | Run a plugin by its key
   =   | Launch a GUI application
   >   | Export file list
   @   | Visit start dir
   ]   | Show command prompt
   `   | Visit /
   ~   | Go HOME
------ + ------------------------

Common regex use cases:

(1) To list all matches starting with the filter expression,
start the expression with a '^' (caret) symbol.
(2) Type '\.mkv' to list all MKV files.
(3) Use '.*' to match any character (sort of fuzzy search).
(4) Exclude filenames having 'nnn' (compiled with PCRE lib): '^(?!nnn)'

In the type-to-nav mode directories are opened in filter mode, allowing continuous navigation.
When there's a unique match and it's a directory, nnn auto selects the directory and enters it in this mode. Use the relevant program option to disable this behaviour.

nnn allows file selection across directories and contexts!

There are 3 groups of keybinds to add files to selection:

(1) hovered file selection toggle
- deselects if '+' is visible before the entry, else adds to selection
(2) add a range of files to selection
- repeat the range key on the same entry twice to clear selection completely
(3) add all files in the current directory to selection

A selection can be edited, copied, moved, removed, archived or linked.

Absolute paths of the selected files are copied to .selection file in the config directory. The selection file is shared between multiple program instances. The most recent instance writing to the file overwrites the entries from earlier writes. If you have 2 instances if nnn open in 2 panes of a terminal multiplexer, you can select in one pane and use the selection (e.g. to copy or move) in the other pane (if the instance doesn't have any local selection already).

nnn clears the selection after file removal, batch-rename and link creation with selection. However, it is retained after archive creation with selection as the user may want to delete the archived files next.

To edit the selection use the _edit selection_ key. Use this key to remove a file from selection after you navigate away from its directory. Editing doesn't end the selection mode. You can add more files to the selection and edit the list again. If no file is selected in the current session, this option attempts to list the selection file.

There are two ways to search and list:

- feed a list of file paths as input
- search using a plugin (e.g. finder) and list the results

File paths must be NUL-separated ('\0'). Paths and can be relative to the current directory or absolute. Invalid paths in the input are ignored. Input limit is 65,536 paths or 256 MiB of data.

To list the input stream, start nnn by writing to its standard input. E.g., to list files in current directory larger than 1M:

    find -maxdepth 1 -size +1M -print0 | nnn

or redirect a list from a file:

    nnn < files.txt

Handy bash/zsh shell function to list files by mime-type in current directory:

    # to show video files, run: list video

    list ()
    {
        find . -maxdepth 1 | file -if- | grep "$1" | awk -F: '{printf "%s ", $1}' | nnn
    }

A temporary directory will be created containing symlinks to the given paths. Any action performed on these symlinks will be performed only on their targets, after which they might become invalid.

Right arrow or 'l' on a symlink in the listing dir takes to the target file. Press '-' to return to the listing dir. Press 'Enter' to open the symlink.

Listing input stream can be scripted. It can be extended to pick (option -p) selected entries from the listed results.

The minimum file size unit is byte (B). The rest are K, M, G, T, P, E, Z, Y (powers of 1024), same as the default units in ls.

The SHELL, VISUAL (else EDITOR) and PAGER environment variables are used. A single combination of arguments is supported for SHELL and PAGER.

NNN_OPTS: binary options to nnn

    export NNN_OPTS="cEnrx"

NNN_OPENER: specify a custom file opener.

    export NNN_OPENER=nuke

    NOTE: 'nuke' is a file opener available in the plugin repository.

NNN_BMS: bookmark string as key_char:location pairs separated by ;:

    export NNN_BMS='d:~/Documents;u:/home/user/Cam Uploads;D:~/Downloads/'

NNN_PLUG: directly executable plugins as key_char:plugin pairs separated by ;:

    export NNN_PLUG='f:finder;o:fzopen;p:mocplay;d:diffs;t:nmount;v:imgview'

    NOTES:
    1. To run a plugin directly, press ; followed by the key.
    2. Alternatively, combine with Alt (i.e. Alt+key).
    3. To skip directory refresh after running a plugin, prefix with -.

    export NNN_PLUG='m:-mediainf'


To assign keys to arbitrary non-background non-shell-interpreted cli
commands and invoke like plugins, add _ (underscore) before the
command.

    export NNN_PLUG='x:_chmod +x $nnn;g:_git log;s:_smplayer $nnn'

    To pick and run an unassigned plugin, press Enter at the plugin prompt.
    To run a plugin at startup, use the option `-P` followed by the plugin key.

    NOTES:
    1. Use single quotes for $NNN_PLUG so $nnn is not interpreted
    2. $nnn should be the last argument (IF used)
    3. (Again) add _ before the command
    4. To disable directory refresh after running a command as plugin,
       prefix with -_
    5. To skip user confirmation after command execution, suffix with *
       Note: Do not use * with programs those run and exit e.g. cat

    export NNN_PLUG='y:-_sync*'

    6. To run a GUI app as plugin, add a | after _

    export NNN_PLUG='m:-_|mousepad $nnn'

    EXAMPLES:
    ----------------------------------- + -------------------------------------------------
                Key:Command             |                   Description
    ----------------------------------- + -------------------------------------------------
    g:-_git diff                        | Show git diff
    k:-_fuser -kiv $nnn*                | Interactively kill process(es) using hovered file
    l:-_git log                         | Show git log
    n:-_vi /home/user/Dropbox/dir/note* | Take quick notes in a synced file/dir of notes
    p:-_less -iR $nnn*                  | Page through hovered file in less
    s:-_|smplayer -minigui $nnn         | Play hovered media file, even unfinished download
    x:_chmod +x $nnn                    | Make the hovered file executable
    y:-_sync*                           | Flush cached writes
    ----------------------------------- + -------------------------------------------------

NNN_COLORS: string of color numbers for each context, e.g.:

    # 8 color numbers:
    # 0-black, 1-red, 2-green, 3-yellow, 4-blue (default), 5-magenta, 6-cyan, 7-white
    export NNN_COLORS='1234'

    # xterm 256 color numbers (converted to hex, 2 symbols per context):
    # see https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/15/Xterm_256color_chart.svg
    export NNN_COLORS='#0a1b2c3d'

    # both (256 followed by 8 as fallback, separated by ';')
    export NNN_COLORS='#0a1b2c3d;1234'

    NOTE: If only 256 colors are specified and the terminal doesn't support, default is used.

NNN_FCOLORS: specify file-type specific colors:

    export NNN_FCOLORS='c1e2272e006033f7c6d6abc4'

    Specify file-specific colors with decimal xterm 256 color numbers converted
    to 2 hex symbols per color.
    Order is strict, use 00 to omit/use default terminal color. Defaults:

    ------------------------- + --- + -------------
              Order           | Hex |    Color
    ------------------------- + --- + -------------
    Block device              | c1  | DarkSeaGreen1
    Char device               | e2  | Yellow1
    Directory                 | 27  | DeepSkyBlue1
    Executable                | 2e  | Green1
    Regular                   | 00  | Normal
    Hard link                 | 60  | Plum4
    Symbolic link             | 33  | Cyan1
    Missing OR file details   | f7  | Grey62
    Orphaned symbolic link    | c6  | DeepPink1
    FIFO                      | d6  | Orange1
    Socket                    | ab  | MediumOrchid1
    Unknown OR 0B regular/exe | c4  | Red1
    ------------------------- + --- + -------------

    If the terminal supports xterm 256 colors or more, file-specific colors will be rendered.
    To force the earlier colorscheme use option -C.
    If xterm 256 colors aren't supported, earlier colorscheme will be used.

NNN_ARCHIVE: archive extensions to be handled silently (default: bzip2, (g)zip, tar).

    export NNN_ARCHIVE="\\.(7z|bz2|gz|tar|tgz|zip)$"

    NOTE: Non-default formats may require a third-party utility.

NNN_SSHFS: specify custom sshfs command with options:

    export NNN_SSHFS='sshfs -o reconnect,idmap=user,cache_timeout=3600'

    NOTE: The options must be comma-separated without any space between them.

NNN_RCLONE: pass additional options to rclone command:

    export NNN_RCLONE='rclone mount --read-only --no-checksum'

    NOTE: The options must be preceded by "rclone" and max 5 flags are supported.

NNN_TRASH: trash (instead of rm -rf) files to desktop Trash.

    export NNN_TRASH=n
    # n=1: trash-cli, n=2: gio trash

NNN_SEL: absolute path to custom selection file.

NNN_FIFO: path of a named pipe to write the hovered file path:

    export NNN_FIFO='/tmp/nnn.fifo'

    NOTES:
    1. Overridden by a temporary path with -a option.
    2. If the FIFO file doesn't exist it will be created,
       but not removed (unless it is generated by -a option).

NNN_LOCKER: terminal locker program.

    export NNN_LOCKER='bmon -p wlp1s0'
    export NNN_LOCKER='cmatrix'

NNN_MCLICK: key emulated by a middle mouse click.

    export NNN_MCLICK='^R'

    NOTE: Only the first character is considered if not a Ctrl+key combo.

nnn: this is a special variable.

    Set to the hovered file name before starting the command prompt or spawning a shell.

NO_COLOR: disable ANSI color output (overridden by NNN_COLORS).

nnn may not handle keypresses correctly when used with tmux (see issue #104 for more details). Set TERM=xterm-256color to address it.

Arun Prakash Jana <engineerarun@gmail.com>,
Lazaros Koromilas <lostd@2f30.org>,
Dimitris Papastamos <sin@2f30.org>.

November 17, 2020 Debian