How to install zoxide on Windows?

Use winget with 'winget install ajeetdsouza.zoxide', or alternative package managers like Chocolatey or Scoop, as detailed in the Windows installation section for PowerShell and other shells.

zoxide vs autojump: which is better?

zoxide is faster, supports more shells, and offers better integrations, but autojump might suffice for basic use in supported shells; zoxide can import autojump data for a smooth switch.

How to import my z.sh history into zoxide?

Run 'zoxide import --from=z' with the path to your z database (usually ~/.z), following the import instructions for fasd, z.lua, and similar tools.

Does zoxide work with Fish shell?

Yes, zoxide fully supports Fish shell—add 'zoxide init fish | source' to your config.fish file, and it integrates with Fish's completions and features.

How to exclude directories from zoxide's tracking?

Set the _ZO_EXCLUDE_DIRS environment variable with glob patterns (e.g., '$HOME/private/*') before initialization, as explained in the configuration section for custom exclusions.

Can I use zoxide without replacing the cd command?

Yes, by default it uses 'z', but you can configure it with --cmd to alias or replace cd, or use --no-cmd to define custom functions without overriding built-ins.

zoxide

MITRustv0.9.9

A smarter cd command that learns your most-used directories for fast navigation across all major shells.

Visit Website

What is zoxide?

zoxide is a fast and intelligent directory navigation tool for the command line. It replaces the traditional `cd` command by learning which directories you use most frequently, allowing you to jump to them with minimal typing. It solves the problem of navigating deep or frequently accessed directory structures efficiently, using a ranking algorithm based on usage frequency and recency.

Target Audience

Developers, system administrators, and power users who spend significant time in the terminal and want to optimize their directory navigation workflow across various shells and platforms.

Value Proposition

Developers choose zoxide for its exceptional speed, cross-shell compatibility, and seamless integration with existing tools. Its smart learning algorithm requires no manual configuration, and it can import data from other directory jumpers, making adoption frictionless.

Overview

A smarter cd command. Supports all major shells.

Use Cases

Best For

Quickly navigating to frequently used project directories

Related Projects

Community-curated · Updated weekly · 100% open source

Found a gem we're missing?

Open-Awesome is built by the community, for the community. Submit a project, suggest an awesome list, or help improve the catalog on GitHub.

Submit a project Star on GitHub

GitHub

36.0k stars801 forks0 contributors

Reducing keystrokes when working with deep directory trees

Users switching between multiple shells who want consistent navigation

Migrating from autojump, z, or similar tools without losing history

Integrating directory jumping into file managers like ranger or nnn

Enhancing terminal workflows with fuzzy finding and interactive selection

Not Ideal For

Users who navigate primarily via GUI file managers and rarely use the terminal command line
Systems with stringent security policies that prohibit installing and executing third-party shell extensions or daemons
Environments where shell initialization speed is micro-optimized and any overhead from additional tools is unacceptable
Projects requiring directory navigation based on complex metadata, tags, or non-frequency-based algorithms

Pros & Cons

Pros

Intelligent Fuzzy Matching

Uses a smart algorithm to rank directories by frequency and recency, allowing jumps with partial names—demonstrated in the tutorial where 'z foo' navigates to the best match without full paths.

Universal Shell Support

Works across Bash, Zsh, Fish, PowerShell, Nushell, and more with simple initialization scripts provided for each, ensuring broad compatibility as listed in the installation section.

Seamless Data Migration

Imports history from popular tools like autojump, fasd, and z, with detailed commands for each, easing transition without losing learned directories.

Extensive Ecosystem Integration

Integrates natively or via plugins with file managers (e.g., ranger, nnn), editors (Vim/Neovim), and launchers (Alfred, Raycast), expanding utility beyond basic shell navigation.

Cons

External Dependency on fzf

Full interactive features (zi) and tab completions require fzf installation, adding an extra step and potential compatibility issues if fzf is not available or outdated.

Shell Version Constraints

Has minimum version requirements for some shells, such as Nushell v0.89.0+ and Elvish v0.18.0+, which may not be met in older or stable system distributions.

Configuration Overhead

Setup involves editing shell config files and managing environment variables (e.g., _ZO_EXCLUDE_DIRS), which can be error-prone for users unfamiliar with shell customization.

Frequently Asked Questions

Home

Command-Line Apps

oh-my-zsh

🙃 A delightful community-driven (with 2,400+ contributors) framework for managing your zsh configuration. Includes 300+ optional plugins (rails, git, macOS, hub, docker, homebrew, node, php, python, etc), 140+ themes to spice up your morning, and an auto-update tool that makes it easy to keep up with the latest updates from the community.

Stars186,399

Forks26,360

Last commit4 days ago

fuck

Magnificent app which corrects your previous console command.

Stars96,666

Forks3,931

Last commit1 year ago

NVM

Node Version Manager - POSIX-compliant bash script to manage multiple active node.js versions

Stars93,042

Forks10,117

Last commit19 days ago

fzf

:cherry_blossom: A command-line fuzzy finder

Stars79,710

Forks2,789

Last commit3 days ago

#autojump-alternative

Open Source Apps48.1k

Shell36.8k

Command-Line Apps19.2k

ZSH Plugins17.6k

Terminals Are Sexy12.9k

PowerShell5.4k

Dev Env3.2k