vifm ☆

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Description:
Ncurses-based file manager with vi-like keybindings

Type: Formula | Tracked Since: Dec 28, 2025

Links: Homepage | formulae.brew.sh

Category: Productivity

Tags: file-manager ncurses vim productivity cli

Install: brew install vifm

About:
Vifm is a powerful ncurses-based file manager that provides a dual-pane interface and extensive vi-like keybindings for efficient file system navigation and manipulation. It allows users to perform complex file operations using familiar Vim commands, such as visual selection, regex searches, and custom macros. The tool is highly configurable, supporting custom keymaps, color schemes, and plugins to adapt to various workflows.

Key Features:

Dual-pane layout for simultaneous source and destination browsing
Vim-inspired keybindings for navigation and file operations
Extensive customization via configuration files and commands
Support for file filtering, sorting, and regex-based searches

Use Cases:

System administrators managing files across multiple directories
Developers preferring keyboard-driven workflows over mouse-based GUIs
Users migrating from Vim who want a consistent editing environment

Alternatives:

ranger – Ranger is also a vim-like file manager but written in Python, whereas Vifm is written in C for performance.
mc – Midnight Commander offers a similar dual-pane interface but uses Emacs-style keybindings by default.

Version History

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