There is always a better mousetrap for file management on Windows. Several File Explorer alternatives, such as Files, File Pilot, XYplorer (a dual-pane manager), and others, do better than the default explorer. Yazi provides a method for navigating your files and folders in a terminal-first environment. It’s a utility written in Rust that is a fast file manager. With Yazi, you get a clean, light, and straightforward terminal for managing your files on Windows. It is an insanely fast file manager that allows for a more productive and efficient workflow.

It doesn’t take over File Explorer, but it can be a supplemental tool to get to the files you need more quickly. It is worth noting, however, that getting comfortable with Yazi requires a learning curve. You’ll need to learn some code and keyboard shortcut commands, such as pressing “O” to open a selected file, “fd” to search for files by name, or “rg” to search your files by content.

Better performance

Access files and folders faster

As any Windows user knows, File Explorer is a clunky and inefficient file management method. While there are ways to tweak display settings to improve system performance, File Explorer is GUI-based and slow by default. When it freezes on your system, you must restart it and enact troubleshooting steps to get it working again. You shouldn’t be constantly fighting with your file manager during your workflow. It is inefficient.

Yazi utilizes system resources efficiently and doesn’t freeze up because it operates asynchronously with an Async architecture. It is designed to be an Explorer alternative that makes file management fast and reliable.

However, Yazi provides a minimalist interface that finds all your files immediately, allowing you to see and manage what you need. I’ve been running it on a Windows 11 laptop modified with Windows 25 settings, but Yazi doesn’t care about the GUI. It creates its own terminal-first environment. It couldn’t be lighter on system resources, and it finds all your files fast after installation.

This utility is designed for power users who are used to the CLI environment. However, even beginners shouldn’t have difficulty selecting files in various directories by pressing the arrow keys. I am not exaggerating when I mention this is a light utility.

It has a minimalist interface, discovers files and folders in all directories from the beginning, and is designed for you to navigate and manage your files with keyboard shortcuts, not the mouse. But it is worth noting that it does have mouse support for added flexibility in managing files. You can use your mouse to click and select files and folders within Yazi.

Advanced file management features

Get more from Yazi with multitasking functionality

In addition to being a lightweight file manager that never freezes up on Windows, it includes advanced features that help you get more from the tool. It supports batch renaming, multi-tabs, and scrollable previews of PDFs, videos, and pictures. It also includes cross-directory file selection so you can move files efficiently. The image preview feature is built in and supports various multiplexers and platforms, like Kitty Unicode placeholders, iTerm2 inline images protocol, Sixel graphics format for Windows, and more.

The utility's crux is a CLI tool called “ya” that helps with plugin management and other features. While in the tool, type ya to bring up the Yazi CLI and start typing. Select a file, type Y, and rename the files and folders as needed. To help discover files, press F to use the filter function to narrow down results in folders with multiple files. To manage plugins, type ya pack followed by the package code. You can also use ya pack to open the package manager, and it supports installing a subdirectory from a monorepo as a package. In addition, it includes several ways to configure the appearance of the utility. For example, you can change the color of the utility, the text, add a border, and more.

Yazi is a straightforward method for file management on Windows

If you are looking for a new way to manage your files on Windows that provides a classic terminal-like environment, Yazi might be for you. It does give you a light interface that is insanely fast for file management. But you must learn some code and keyboard shortcuts for easy navigation. You will also want to use basic commands like “ya” to open the CLI to assist with directory creation and plugin management.

Compared to File Explorer, Yazi is a blazing-fast way to manage your files and folders. However, it isn’t something I would want to work on all day. I use it as a supplemental tool when I need to do something quickly with my files and folders. I’m partial to XYplorer as my leading dual-pane file manager on Windows. Yazi is a tool from which power users and coders would benefit the most. There is a lot you can do with it.

However, I see the power included in Yazi. If I’d never started using other Explorer alternatives, it could have won the central spot on my system, and it still might once I find the time to learn more about the tremendous number of packages and commands to get the most from it. You can download Yazi from GitHub and get help with it on the Yazi support page.