Broot: The File Navigation Powerhouse Inside Your Terminal

Every time I dive into nested directories with cd, I feel like I’m wandering through a labyrinth looking for an exit. When a project has seven or eight levels of folders, finding one file can make you question your career choices. The tree command helps visualize the structure, but the endless scrolling text quickly becomes visual noise.

Then I discovered Broot, and it completely changed how I navigate files in the terminal.

What Is Broot?

Simply put, Broot is a terminal-based file manager written in Rust. It displays your directories as an interactive tree, letting you browse and search simultaneously. It’s ridiculously fast—even huge directories open instantly.

What Can It Do?

It’s blazingly fast

I tested it on a project with tens of thousands of files—Broot opened it instantly. Complex folder trees that would make tree stutter appear in Broot without delay.

Smart search

You can use fuzzy search (just type a few letters), regular expressions (for the perfectionists), or even search file contents. Finding a file becomes a matter of seconds.

Clean, readable interface

The tree view makes your directory structure crystal clear. You always know exactly where you are—no more running pwd to double-check.

Built-in file preview

Select a file and hit a shortcut to preview it—with syntax highlighting for code. No need to open your editor just to peek inside.

Batch file operations

Copy, move, and delete files directly inside Broot—no more mile-long shell commands.

Dual-panel mode

It’s like a modern-day Total Commander. Two panels, side by side. Moving files feels natural and efficient.

Git integration

This one’s a gem. You can instantly see which files were modified, added, or deleted—perfect for reviewing before a commit.

Cross-platform support

Broot works on Windows, macOS, and Linux. Whatever system you’re using, it has you covered.

Fully customizable

You can configure key bindings, colors, and commands. I’ve remapped mine to fit my workflow perfectly.

Installation

Depending on your system, installation is simple:

If you have Rust installed:

bash

cargo install broot

macOS users:

bash

brew install broot

Debian/Ubuntu:

bash

sudo apt install broot

Other Linux distributions:

Download the precompiled binaries from GitHub Releases.

First-time setup

The first time you run broot, it’ll ask whether to install a shell function—say yes. This enables seamless integration with your terminal.

You’ll usually add something like this to your .bashrc or .zshrc:

bash

source ~/.config/broot/launcher/bash/br

Then restart your terminal or reload the config file.

Basic Usage

Launching

Once configured, just type:

bash

br

You’ll see a tree view of your current directory.

Move with arrow keys or h/j/k/l (Vim users rejoice)
Enter to enter a directory
Esc or Backspace to go up a level
Ctrl + ↑/↓ to jump between directory levels quickly

Searching

Type directly in the input bar to start searching.

Fuzzy search: just type part of the name
Regex search: use patterns like /\.md$/ for Markdown files
Content search: prefix with c/

File preview

Select a file and press Ctrl + → for an instant preview with syntax highlighting.

Common Commands

Use : to enter commands at the bottom.

:q — quit
:h — show/hide hidden files
:size — show file sizes
:dates — show modification dates
:git_status — show Git status
:cp — copy
:mv — move
:rm — delete (careful!)
:mkdir — create directory

Example: select a file, type :cp, and specify a destination path to copy.

Advanced Tricks

Dual-panel mode

Press Ctrl + → to open a second panel.

Switch panels: Ctrl + ←/→
Move files between panels
Close current panel: Ctrl + w

Perfect for organizing files—source on the left, destination on the right.

Sorting

Need to find the largest or newest files?

:sort_by_size — by size
:sort_by_date — by date
:sort_by_name — by name

Great for cleaning up disk space.

Disk usage

:sizes visualizes folder sizes—far clearer than du.

Run external commands

You can run commands directly from Broot:

bash

:!cat {file}
:!code {file}
:!vim {file}

{file} auto-expands to the selected file’s path.

Custom configuration

Config lives at ~/.config/broot/conf.hjson.

Example: add a custom “open in VS Code” command:

json

{
  "invocation": "code",
  "execution": "code {file}",
  "leave_broot": false
}

Git integration

Run :git_status in a Git repo to view:

M — modified
A — added
D — deleted
?? — untracked

Instant project overview before committing.

Handy Tips

Quick project access

Add an alias in your shell config:

bash

alias brp='br ~/projects'

Now just type brp to open your projects folder.

Integrate with `cd`

If you run br (not broot), select a directory, and press Alt + Enter, your shell will automatically cd there. No more climbing directories by hand.

Filter by file type

Use regex for fast filtering:

JS files: /\.js$/
Images: /\.(png|jpg|gif)$/
Configs: /\.config/

Disk cleanup

Combine :sizes with :sort_by_size—your biggest folders reveal themselves instantly.

Set bookmarks

Add shortcuts in the config:

json

{
  "key": "ctrl-p",
  "execution": ":goto ~/projects"
}

Press Ctrl+P to jump straight to your projects directory.

Real-World Scenarios

Searching in large projects

Need to find a component fast?

Run br
Type header
Use arrow keys to navigate
Preview with Ctrl + →
Open with :code

Done in seconds.

Cleaning up `node_modules`

Front-end projects eating disk space?

Run br
Filter node_modules
Use :sizes
Delete with :rm

Free up gigabytes instantly.

Reviewing before commit

Run br inside a repo
:git_status to view changes
Preview modified files
Commit confidently

Much better than git status.

Batch operations

While Broot doesn’t handle bulk renaming directly, you can use :! to call your custom scripts for mass processing.

Tool Comparisons

vs ls:ls only shows the current folder. Broot visualizes the whole structure interactively.

vs tree:tree floods your screen with text; Broot folds, filters, and interacts intelligently.

vs Midnight Commander: MC is powerful but clunky. Broot feels modern and lightweight.

vs GUI file managers: GUI tools require a mouse and context switching. Broot keeps you entirely in the terminal, keyboard only—pure efficiency.

Performance

Written in Rust, Broot is lightning fast:

Massive directories open instantly
Minimal memory footprint
Real-time search feedback
Handles tens of thousands of files with ease

I benchmarked it on a 50,000+ file project—indexed in under a second.

Final Thoughts

After using Broot for a few months, there’s no going back.

Navigating with cd and ls feels ancient now. I just launch br, search, and jump straight where I need to be. For deep project trees, it’s a lifesaver.

Git integration, dual panels, and real-time previews make it feel like a full IDE inside the terminal. And thanks to Rust, it’s lightning fast and rock solid.

If you live in the terminal or wrestle with complex directory structures, try Broot. Just don’t forget to enable the shell integration—it’s crucial for the full experience.

Since I installed it, I’ve barely used cd at all. 😄

Related Links

GitHub: https://github.com/Canop/broot
Docs: https://dystroy.org/broot/
Config examples: https://github.com/Canop/broot/tree/main/resources

Got questions or thoughts? Drop a comment below!

Broot: The File Navigation Powerhouse Inside Your Terminal ​

What Is Broot? ​

What Can It Do? ​

Installation ​

First-time setup ​

Basic Usage ​

Launching ​

Navigation ​

Searching ​

File preview ​

Common Commands ​

Advanced Tricks ​

Dual-panel mode ​

Sorting ​

Disk usage ​

Run external commands ​

Custom configuration ​

Git integration ​

Handy Tips ​

Quick project access ​

Integrate with cd ​

Filter by file type ​

Disk cleanup ​

Set bookmarks ​

Real-World Scenarios ​

Searching in large projects ​

Cleaning up node_modules ​

Reviewing before commit ​

Batch operations ​

Tool Comparisons ​

Performance ​

Final Thoughts ​

Broot: The File Navigation Powerhouse Inside Your Terminal

What Is Broot?

What Can It Do?

Installation

First-time setup

Basic Usage

Launching

Navigation

Searching

File preview

Common Commands

Advanced Tricks

Dual-panel mode

Sorting

Disk usage

Run external commands

Custom configuration

Git integration

Handy Tips

Quick project access

Integrate with `cd`

Filter by file type

Disk cleanup

Set bookmarks

Real-World Scenarios

Searching in large projects

Cleaning up `node_modules`

Reviewing before commit

Batch operations

Tool Comparisons

Performance

Final Thoughts