# fzf — Interactive Command-Line Fuzzy Finder

> Practical guide to fzf — fuzzy-search and select interactively from files, history, processes and git branches, right in your terminal.

Source: https://www.jpkc.com/db/en/cheatsheets/files-text/fzf/

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fzf is an interactive fuzzy finder for the command line: you type a few characters and fzf filters any list in real time – files, command history, processes, git branches and anything you pipe into it. That turns tedious typing into a handful of keystrokes with a live preview and multi-select. Keep in mind that fzf is third-party software and not part of the base system – you install it separately (via your package manager or the git repository) and then set up the shell integration so that `Ctrl+T`, `Ctrl+R`, `Alt+C` and the `**` trigger work. This guide walks you through the invocations and key bindings you actually use day to day, from a simple search to git and process workflows.
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## Basic Usage

`fzf` — Launch fuzzy finder on all files in the current directory (recursive).

```bash
fzf
```

`<command> | fzf` — Pipe any list into fzf for interactive selection.

```bash
ls -la | fzf
```

`fzf --query '<string>'` — Start with an initial search query.

```bash
fzf --query 'config'
```

`fzf --filter '<string>'` — Non-interactive filter mode (for scripting).

```bash
find . -name '*.py' | fzf --filter 'test'
```

`fzf --multi` — Enable multi-select (Tab to select, Enter to confirm).

```bash
fzf --multi
```

`fzf --select-1` — Auto-select if there is only one match.

```bash
fzf --select-1 --query 'unique-name'
```

`fzf --exit-0` — Exit immediately if there are no matches.

```bash
fzf --exit-0 --query 'nonexistent'
```

## Search Syntax

`abc` — Fuzzy match: items containing a, b, c in that order.

```bash
Type 'cfg' to match 'config', 'configuration'
```

`'<exact>` — Exact match (prefix with single quote).

```bash
'config matches only lines containing 'config' literally
```

`^<prefix>` — Prefix match: must start with the string.

```bash
^src/ matches lines starting with 'src/'
```

`<suffix>$` — Suffix match: must end with the string.

```bash
.json$ matches lines ending with '.json'
```

`!<term>` — Inverse match: exclude lines matching the term.

```bash
!test excludes lines containing 'test'
```

`<term1> | <term2>` — OR operator: match either term.

```bash
.js$ | .ts$ matches JavaScript or TypeScript files
```

`<term1> <term2>` — AND operator: match both terms (space-separated).

```bash
src config matches lines containing both 'src' and 'config'
```

## Preview & Display

`fzf --preview '<command> {}'` — Show a preview of the selected item.

```bash
fzf --preview 'cat {}'
```

`fzf --preview 'bat --color=always {}'` — Preview with syntax highlighting (requires bat).

```bash
fzf --preview 'bat --color=always --line-range=:100 {}'
```

`fzf --preview-window <position>` — Set preview position (up, down, left, right, hidden).

```bash
fzf --preview 'cat {}' --preview-window right:60%
```

`fzf --height <percent>` — Limit fzf to a portion of the screen (no fullscreen).

```bash
fzf --height 40%
```

`fzf --layout reverse` — Show results top-down instead of bottom-up.

```bash
fzf --layout reverse --height 40%
```

`fzf --border` — Draw a border around the fzf window.

```bash
fzf --border rounded --height 40%
```

## Shell Integration (Ctrl Shortcuts)

`Ctrl+T` — Fuzzy find files and paste the selection to the command line.

```bash
vim [Ctrl+T] → select file → Enter
```

`Ctrl+R` — Fuzzy search shell command history.

```bash
[Ctrl+R] → type partial command → Enter to execute
```

`Alt+C` — Fuzzy find directories and cd into the selection.

```bash
[Alt+C] → select directory → Enter
```

`<command> **<Tab>` — Trigger fuzzy completion (files, dirs, hosts, etc.).

```bash
vim **[Tab] → fuzzy select file
```

`cd **<Tab>` — Fuzzy directory completion.

```bash
cd **[Tab] → select directory
```

`ssh **<Tab>` — Fuzzy hostname completion from known_hosts.

```bash
ssh **[Tab] → select host
```

## Git Integration

`git branch | fzf | xargs git checkout` — Interactively select and checkout a branch.

```bash
git branch | fzf | xargs git checkout
```

`git log --oneline | fzf --preview 'git show {1}'` — Browse commits with preview.

```bash
git log --oneline | fzf --preview 'git show {1}'
```

`git diff --name-only | fzf --preview 'git diff {}'` — Browse changed files with diff preview.

```bash
git diff --name-only | fzf --multi --preview 'git diff {}'
```

`git stash list | fzf | cut -d: -f1 | xargs git stash pop` — Interactively select and pop a stash.

```bash
git stash list | fzf | cut -d: -f1 | xargs git stash pop
```

## Common Patterns

`vim $(fzf)` — Find and open a file in vim.

```bash
vim $(fzf --preview 'cat {}')
```

`kill -9 $(ps aux | fzf | awk '{print $2}')` — Interactively select and kill a process.

```bash
kill -9 $(ps aux | fzf | awk '{print $2}')
```

`docker stop $(docker ps | fzf | awk '{print $1}')` — Interactively select and stop a Docker container.

```bash
docker stop $(docker ps | fzf | awk '{print $1}')
```

`printenv | fzf` — Browse and search environment variables.

```bash
printenv | fzf
```

`cat <file> | fzf --multi | pbcopy` — Select lines from a file and copy to clipboard.

```bash
cat urls.txt | fzf --multi | pbcopy
```

`find . -name '*.json' | fzf --preview 'cat {}' | xargs code` — Find, preview, and open a JSON file in VS Code.

```bash
find . -name '*.json' | fzf --preview 'cat {}' | xargs code
```

## Environment Variables

`FZF_DEFAULT_COMMAND='<cmd>'` — Set the default command for file listing.

```bash
export FZF_DEFAULT_COMMAND='fd --type f --hidden --exclude .git'
```

`FZF_DEFAULT_OPTS='<opts>'` — Set default fzf options.

```bash
export FZF_DEFAULT_OPTS='--height 40% --layout reverse --border'
```

`FZF_CTRL_T_COMMAND='<cmd>'` — Customize the file search for Ctrl+T.

```bash
export FZF_CTRL_T_COMMAND='fd --type f --hidden'
```

`FZF_ALT_C_COMMAND='<cmd>'` — Customize the directory search for Alt+C.

```bash
export FZF_ALT_C_COMMAND='fd --type d --hidden'
```

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## Conclusion

fzf makes searching and selecting in the terminal radically faster: you type fuzzily, see matches instantly, and pipe the selection into any other tool – from `vim $(fzf)` to interactive branch switching in git. Because fzf is third-party software, you have to install it once and enable the shell integration; only then do the shortcuts `Ctrl+T`, `Ctrl+R`, `Alt+C` and the `**` completion trigger become available, and some examples assume further helpers such as `fd`, `bat` or `pbcopy`. Be careful with combinations like `… | fzf | xargs git checkout` or `kill -9 $(…)`: fzf only provides the selection, the effect comes from the downstream command – so check what you actually run after selecting.

## Further Reading

- [fzf on GitHub](https://github.com/junegunn/fzf) – the official project with installation, docs and examples
- [fzf wiki: examples](https://github.com/junegunn/fzf/wiki/examples) – a large collection of practical usage examples
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## Related Commands

- [grep](https://www.jpkc.com/db/en/cheatsheets/files-text/grep/) – searches file contents for patterns; handy as a pre-filter before fzf
- [find](https://www.jpkc.com/db/en/cheatsheets/files-text/find/) – produces file lists that you pipe into fzf
- [less](https://www.jpkc.com/db/en/cheatsheets/files-text/less/) – pager for viewing the file selected with fzf