Question 1

What's the difference between nvim-web-devicons and vim-devicons?

Accepted Answer

nvim-web-devicons is a Lua fork of vim-devicons, optimized for Neovim with better performance, Lua-native APIs, and features like automatic theme variants. It's specifically designed for Neovim >=0.7.0, while vim-devicons is VimScript-based and may be slower or less integrated.

Question 2

How to add custom icons to nvim-web-devicons?

Accepted Answer

Use the override option in the setup function or call set_icon with the file extension or filename. For example, specify icon, color, and cterm_color in a table like for zsh files, as shown in the README's usage examples.

Question 3

Why are my icons not showing up in Neovim?

Accepted Answer

First, ensure you have a patched Nerd Font installed and set in your terminal. Check if the plugin using nvim-web-devicons has cached icons; you might need to refresh with require('nvim-web-devicons').refresh() or reconfigure the setup order.

Question 4

Does nvim-web-devicons work with both light and dark themes automatically?

Accepted Answer

Yes, it automatically switches icon variants based on Neovim's background setting, but you can manually set the variant in setup. However, plugins may cache icons, so changes might require a refresh or plugin reinitialization.

Question 5

How to fix icon rendering issues on Windows with Alacritty?

Accepted Answer

Update the conpty.dll and OpenConsole.exe files in your PATH by copying them from terminals like Windows Terminal, as nvim-web-devicons has known issues with older system libraries. Refer to the Known Issues section for specific workaround details.

Question 6

Can I use nvim-web-devicons without a Nerd Font?

Accepted Answer

Technically yes, as it supports unicode and other fonts, but for full functionality and correct icon display, a patched Nerd Font is required. Without it, icons may appear as unknown characters or be missing entirely.

nvim-web-devicons

What is nvim-web-devicons?

Overview

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Frequently Asked Questions