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Best Productivity ResourcesBy Shushant LakhyaniVerified creator

Desktop App

lf

A fast terminal file manager written in Go.

Visit lf4.5

  • Rating

    4.5 / 5

  • Pricing

    Free

  • Difficulty

    Advanced

  • Works on

    macOS, Windows, Linux

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What is lf?

lf, short for list files, is a terminal file manager written in Go and inspired by ranger. Its README lists a single binary with no runtime dependencies, fast startup, asynchronous file operations, customisable keybindings and support for Linux, macOS, BSD and Windows. You extend it with your own shell commands.

Third-party open-source projects. We are not affiliated with their authors; repositories are provided as-is by their maintainers. Review each project's license, code and security before installing. See our Disclaimer.

Pros: what lf does well

  • One program with nothing else to install
  • Keyboard shortcuts you can change
  • Extend it with your own shell commands

Cons: where it falls short

  • Minimal by design, so you add features yourself
  • No graphical window

Who lf is for

Keyboard fans who want a lightweight, customisable file browser.

Who can skip it

People who want a ready-made app with menus and buttons.

lf alternatives

Not sold on lf? These do a similar job, and each card says what it has in common.

All File Management resources

ouch

Focus: compression, zip and archive. Shares terminal and command line with lf. Same 4.5 rating.

Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.5Visit

Broot

Focus: navigation. Shares file manager and terminal with lf. Same 4.5 rating.

Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.5Visit

Yazi

Focus: terminal ui and developer tool. Shares file manager and open source with lf. Adds Offline. Rated 4.7 (lf: 4.5).

Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.7Visit

superfile

Focus: terminal ui and developer tool. Shares file manager and open source with lf. Adds Offline. Rated 4.6 (lf: 4.5).

Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.6Visit

Atuin

Focus: shell history and sync. Shares terminal and command line with lf. Rated 4.7 (lf: 4.5).

Desktop AppFreemacOS, Linux
4.7Visit

htop

Focus: process viewer and system monitor. Shares terminal and command line with lf. Rated 4.7 (lf: 4.5).

Desktop AppFreemacOS, Linux
4.7Visit

Free alternatives to lf

Want to spend nothing? These free picks cover similar ground.

zoxide

Focus: navigation and shell. Shares terminal and command line with lf. Rated 4.7 (lf: 4.5).

Desktop AppFreemacOS, Linux
4.7Visit

dua-cli

Focus: disk usage and storage cleanup. Shares terminal and command line with lf. Rated 4.6 (lf: 4.5).

Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.6Visit

eza

Focus: file listing and ls alternative. Shares terminal and command line with lf. Rated 4.6 (lf: 4.5).

Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.6Visit

Files

Focus: file explorer alternative, tabs and windows. Shares file manager and open source with lf. A Windows app, not a desktop app. Rated 4.6 (lf: 4.5).

Windows AppFreeWindows
4.6Visit

nnn

Focus: batch rename and disk usage. Shares file manager and terminal with lf. Rated 4.6 (lf: 4.5).

Desktop AppFreemacOS, Linux
4.6Visit
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