Features

Core File Management

Orthodox Two-Panel Interface

Experience the power of a traditional two-panel file manager optimized for keyboard navigation. View and compare two directories side-by-side, making file operations intuitive and efficient.

Side-by-side directory comparison
Switch focus with Tab
Navigate with Vi-like keys (j/k) or arrow keys
Jump to top/bottom with g/G

Multiple File Selection

Select and operate on multiple files and directories simultaneously with powerful selection tools.

Space - Toggle selection for current entry
Shift + j/k - Select while moving
+ - Select all displayed entries
- - Clear selection
* - Invert selection

File Operations

Comprehensive file and directory operations with cross-filesystem support:

Copy - Copy files/directories between any filesystems
Move - Move or rename files and directories
Delete - Move to trash (safe, in local file systems) or permanent deletion
Create - New directories and files
Edit - Open in your configured editor
View - View with default viewer

Works across all filesystem types: copy from S3 to local, FTP to archive, and more!

Smart Navigation

F2 Commander offers flexible keybinding options and powerful navigation features:

Two Keybinding Modes:

Vi-like Mode (default) - Mnemonic-based keys perfect for modern laptop keyboards:
- c - Copy
- m - Move
- D - Delete
Function Key Mode - Traditional orthodox file manager bindings:
- F5 - Copy
- F6 - Move
- F8 - Delete

Additional Navigation:

Command Palette (Ctrl+P) - Access all commands
Incremental Search (/) - Fuzzy find files
Go to Path (Ctrl+G) - Jump to any location
Bookmarks (b or F2) - Quick access to favorites

Display & Preview

File Preview Panel

Switch any panel to Preview mode to see file contents without opening them:

Text Files - With syntax highlighting for 100+ languages
Images - In terminals with TGP or Sixel support
PDF Files - Rendered preview of PDF documents
Directories - Tree view of directory structure

Enable preview with Ctrl+E (left panel) or Ctrl+R (right panel).

Display Control

Customize how files are displayed:

h - Toggle hidden files visibility
n/N - Sort by name (ascending/descending)
s/S - Sort by size
t/T - Sort by modification time
Ctrl+Space - Calculate directory size
R - Refresh listing

Multiple Themes

Choose from several built-in color themes or create your own. Themes can be changed on-the-fly via the configuration dialog (Ctrl+,).

Remote File Systems Preview

Note: Remote file systems support is in preview mode. All functionality is available, but features are being actively refined. Please report any issues you encounter!

Extensive Protocol Support

Connect to virtually any storage system through fsspec integration:

Cloud Storage:

AWS S3
Google Cloud Storage (GCS)
Azure Data Lake Storage (ADLS)
Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI)
Alibaba Cloud OSS

File Transfer:

FTP/FTPS
SFTP (SSH)
SMB/CIFS
WebDAV

Cloud Drives:

Dropbox
Google Drive

Specialized Systems:

HDFS (Hadoop)
DVC (Data Version Control)
LakeFS
Git repositories

Connection Management

Easily connect and manage remote filesystems:

Connection Dialog (Ctrl+T) - Interactive connection wizard
Bookmark Connections - Save frequently used connections
Persisted Configuration - Store connection details in config file
Automatic Package Detection - Shows required packages for each protocol

How to install protocol support

Most protocols require installing additional fsspec implementation packages:

# If you installed with pipx:
pipx inject f2-commander s3fs        # For AWS S3
pipx inject f2-commander gcsfs       # For Google Cloud
pipx inject f2-commander adlfs       # For Azure
# ... and so on

The connection dialog shows which package is needed for each protocol.

Archive Support

Read & Write Archives

F2 Commander treats archives as navigable filesystems powered by libarchive:

Supported Formats:

ZIP
TAR (with gz, bz2, xz compression)
7-Zip (.7z)
RAR
ISO 9660 (CD/DVD images)
MS CAB
XAR, LHA/LZH
cpio, ar, pax
WARC, mtree, shar
And more...

Browse Archives

Navigate archive contents just like regular directories:

Press Enter on an archive file to open it
Browse contents with normal navigation
Copy files out of archives to any destination
View file previews inside archives

Create Archives

Create new archives from selected files and directories:

Select one or more files/directories
Open Command Palette (Ctrl+P)
Choose "Create an archive"
Enter filename with extension

Supported extensions:

.zip, .tar, .tar.gz, .tgz, .tar.bz2, .tbz2, .tar.xz, .txz, .7z, .ar, .cpio, .warc

The file extension determines the archive format and compression method.

Integration & Customization

External Tool Integration

System File Manager - Open current location in Finder/Nautilus/etc. (o)
Default Programs - Open files with system default applications
Text Editor - Configure your preferred editor (auto-detects VS Code, vim, nano, etc.)
File Viewer - Set custom viewer with $VIEWER environment variable
Shell Integration - Drop to shell in current directory (x or F9)

Bookmarks

Quick access to frequently used locations:

Local directories
Remote filesystem connections
Network shares
Configured via GUI or JSON file

Configuration

Customize F2 Commander to your preferences:

GUI Configuration Dialog (Ctrl+,) - Friendly interface for all settings
JSON Configuration File - Platform-specific location for advanced customization
Auto-save - Changes save automatically
Key Mapping - Choose between Vi-like or Function key bindings
Themes - Select from built-in color schemes
External Tools - Configure editor, viewer, and other tools
Remote Connections - Store connection credentials securely

Flexible Panel System

F2 Commander uses a flexible panel system where each panel can display different types of content:

Files Panel

Default panel type for file system navigation and manipulation. Browse local and remote filesystems with full file manager capabilities.

Preview Panel

Display file contents, images, PDFs, and directory trees. Automatically updates as you navigate in the Files panel.

Help Panel

Built-in user manual with table of contents. Access with ? or F1.

Switch panel types with Ctrl+E (left panel) and Ctrl+R (right panel).

Discoverable Interface

Built-in Help

Never feel lost - comprehensive help is always one keystroke away:

Help Panel (? or F1) - Full user manual
Footer Menu - Shows common actions and their keys
Command Palette (Ctrl+P) - Searchable list of all commands

Everything is designed to be discoverable - you don't need to memorize commands or read documentation to get started. The interface guides you naturally.

Pro tip: Start with the Command Palette (Ctrl+P) to explore what F2 Commander can do!