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Midnight Commander project preview
Developer ToolsAlternative to Far ManagerAlternative to Total CommanderAlternative to Norton Commander

Midnight Commander

Feature-rich dual-panel visual file manager for Unix terminals and console.

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LicenseGPL-3.0
GitHub stars3.2k
Last commit1 weeks ago
Tags6 topics
Norton CommanderConsole File ManagerCVfsDual PanelProductivity
Overview

Why consider Midnight Commander?

Midnight Commander (GNU mc) is an open-source visual file manager with dual-panel layout. Written in C, it allows users to inspect files, edit syntax-highlighted code, copy directories over FTP/SSH, and manipulate TAR/ZIP archives.

Guided learning

Learn Midnight Commander by building

Practical setup notes, real use cases, and copy-ready examples in one focused guide.

1 min read 2 sections
In this guide2 sections

Overview of Midnight Commander

Midnight Commander provides side-by-side directory diffing and remote server file operations with intuitive function-key shortcuts.

Installation

bash
1# Ubuntu/Debian
2sudo apt install mc
3
4# macOS via Homebrew
5brew install midnight-commander

Midnight Commander is licensed under the GNU General Public License v3.0 (GPL-3.0).

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Midnight Commander FAQs

Midnight Commander is listed as a Developer Tools tool on TiloBox. Review the overview, features, and official documentation on this page to decide whether it solves your specific workflow.

Start with the project's GitHub repository and official website for supported installation and deployment instructions. Test the setup with representative data or a small project before rolling it out more widely.

Midnight Commander is listed under the GPL-3.0 license. Read the complete license text and the project's notices before using, modifying, or distributing the software.

Production readiness depends on your requirements. Review maintenance activity, security practices, documentation, backup and upgrade procedures, and compatibility with your stack; then validate it in a non-production environment.

Midnight Commander is listed as an alternative to Far Manager. Compare the core workflow, deployment model, integrations, and licensing against your must-have requirements before switching.