far2l
Two-panel file manager, Linux port of FAR Manager v2
TLDR
SYNOPSIS
far2l [options] [-cd apath [-cd ppath]]far2ledit [options] [filename]
DESCRIPTION
far2l is a Linux (also macOS and BSD) fork of FAR Manager v2, the two-panel Orthodox file manager. It browses directories and archives, copies and moves files, edits and views text, and runs a command line under the panels. Plugins include NetRocks (SFTP, SCP, FTP, SMB, NFS, WebDAV, S3), multiarc/arclite archives, Colorer syntax highlighting, and optional Python scripting.Backends, from richest to leanest: GUI|WX (wxWidgets), experimental GUI|SDL, TTY|Xi (X11 + Xi for modifiers and clipboard), TTY|X (clipboard via X11), and plain TTY. far2l auto-downgrades when libraries are missing. --tty / --notty / --nodetect pin a backend. OSC 52 clipboard in TTY needs both the terminal and FAR2L Interface settings.far2ledit is the same binary started as a standalone editor.
PARAMETERS
-h
Short help and exit.--version
Print version and exit.-cd path
Set a panel directory (folder, file, archive, or prefixed command). First -cd is the active panel, second is the passive panel.-v file
Open file in the internal viewer.-v - command
Run command and view its output.-e[line[:pos]] [file]
Open the internal editor, optionally at line and column. Omit file for an empty buffer.-e[line[:pos]] - command
Run command and edit its output.-u identity|path
Alternate settings identity (under ~/.config/far2l/custom/) or a full path. Overrides FARSETTINGS.-a
Do not draw characters with codes 0-31 and 255.-ag
Do not draw pseudographics above code 127.-an
Disable pseudographics entirely.-co
Load plugins from cache only.-m
Do not load macros.-ma
Do not run auto-start macros.-set:PARAMETER=VALUE
Override a far:config value for this run. Repeatable.--tty
Force the TTY backend (skip GUI autodetection).--notty
Do not fall back to TTY if the GUI backend fails.--SDL
Force the experimental SDL GUI backend instead of wxWidgets.--x11 / --wayland
Force GDK_BACKEND for the GUI.--nodetect[=flags]
Skip TTY capability probes. Bare --nodetect is plain terminal mode. Letters: x/xi (X11/Xi), f (FAR2L extensions), w (win32), a (iTerm2), k (kitty), e (emoji VS16).--norgb
Disable 24-bit color.--mortal / --immortal
Exit vs background on SIGHUP. Default is mortal on a Linux VT, immortal otherwise.--ee=N
ESC expiration in ms (TTY without FAR2L extensions; default 100, 0 disables).--maximize / --nomaximize / --size=WxH
GUI window geometry.--primary-selection
Use the X11 PRIMARY selection (GUI).--clipboard=script
External clipboard helper (stdin/stdout get/set).
CONFIGURATION
~/.config/far2l or $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/far2l
Default profile (settings/config.ini and related files).-u identity
Profile under ~/.config/far2l/custom/identity/.-u /path
Profile under /path/.config/.FARSETTINGS
Same as -u.FAR2L_ARGS
Extra command-line options (not -h or -u). Example: export FAR2L_ARGS="--tty --nodetect".
KEYBOARD COMMANDS
F1
Contextual help.F3
View file.F4
Edit file.F5
Copy.F6
Move or rename.F7
Create directory.F8
Delete.F9
Menu bar.F10
Quit.Tab
Switch panels.Ctrl+O
Toggle panels vs the built-in terminal.Desktop environments often steal FAR keys (Alt+F1, Alt+F2, Ctrl+arrows). Release those bindings globally, or use FAR2L sticky modifiers (Ctrl+Space / Alt+Space) and the exclusive-hotkey option in Input settings.
INSTALL
CAVEATS
Still marked beta. Only English, Russian, Ukrainian, and Belarusian translations are considered complete. Some desktop and terminal keybindings collide with FAR chords. Under Wayland, TTY|Xi clipboard/modifier probing is unreliable; use far2l --tty --nodetect=x plus OSC 52, or the GUI. Homebrew's macOS GUI cask is unsigned and scheduled for removal unless a paid Apple developer identity appears.
HISTORY
FAR Manager originated on Windows (Eugene Roshal, then FAR Group). elfmz ported FAR v2 to Unix as far2l (GPL-2.0). Current man page version is 2.9.0 (August 2026).
