nnn
by jarun
nnn is a small file manager that runs inside a terminal window. It lets you browse, search, rename, copy and preview files quickly using the keyboard, including on low-powered machines and over remote connections.
Worth a lookEstablished, with a few things to check (listed below).
- Stars
- 22.1k +1 a day
- Licence
- BSD-2-Clause
- Runs on
- Your computer
- Setup
- Moderate
- Language
- C
- Age
- 3724 days
What you can do with it
- Browse folders, search as you type and jump between several folder tabs from the keyboard
- Batch rename files, copy, move, delete and archive selections of files
- Check disk usage and preview files using plugins
Ways a business could use it
- Tidy and batch rename large sets of client files, such as photos or documents, without paying for a file-management app
- Manage files on a remote or low-spec server over SSH without installing a desktop environment
Can you use it commercially?
Free to use, change and sell, including in paid products. Keep the copyright notice.
Not legal advice. Read the project's licence file before building a product on it.
Getting it running
Install it with your system's package manager, or download a static binary, then optionally run the quickstart script to add a shell function.
Follow the official instructions in the project README.
Things to check
- Terminal-only with keyboard shortcuts, so it has a learning curve for non-technical users
- Previews and some features need extra plugins and dependencies
Checked 01 Nov 2026. Summary drafted by AI from the project's README.
