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Zoxide

A smarter cd command

  • z
  • zi

1. What is zoxide?

zoxide is a modern replacement for the cd command.

It learns which directories you use the most and lets you jump to them instantly—without typing long paths.

Traditional cd

cd ~/Documents/projects/my-awesome-project/src

With zoxide

z my-awesome

That’s it.

2. Why use zoxide?

zoxide is useful because it:

  • 🧠 Learns automatically from your directory usage
  • ⚡ Saves keystrokes (jump with partial names)
  • 🔍 Uses frecency (frequency + recency)
  • 🐚 Works with zsh, bash, fish, nushell
  • 🛠️ Is fast and written in Rust

If you frequently cd around your system, zoxide is a huge productivity boost.

3. Installing zoxide

macOS (Homebrew)

brew install zoxide

Linux (most distros)

sudo apt install zoxide

or via cargo:

cargo install zoxide

Verify installation

zoxide --version

4. Enable zoxide in your shell

zoxide needs a small shell hook to work.

For zsh (most common on macOS)

Add this to ~/.zshrc:

eval "$(zoxide init zsh)"

Then reload:

source ~/.zshrc

For bash

Add to ~/.bashrc:

eval "$(zoxide init bash)"

For fish

zoxide init fish | source

5. Basic usage

5.1 Jump to a directory

z project

zoxide searches your directory history and jumps to the best match.

Example:

z code
z downloads
z dotfiles

5.2 Partial matching (very powerful)

z my

If you’ve visited:

~/my-project
~/my-notes

zoxide picks the one you use most often.

5.3 Multiple keywords

z work backend

Matches directories containing both words.

6. How does zoxide learn?

zoxide automatically records directories when you:

  • cd into them
  • Use z to jump

It does not scan your filesystem. It only learns from your behavior.

Over time, it becomes more accurate.

7. Useful commands

List known directories

zoxide query -l

Show match score

zoxide query my-project

Jump using interactive selection (fzf)

If you have fzf installed:

zi

You get a searchable list of all known directories.

8. Replace cd completely (optional)

If you want zoxide to feel native:

zsh alias

alias cd="z"

Now every cd becomes smart automatically.

⚠️ Optional, but many users love it.

9. Common beginner questions

❓ Is zoxide safe?

Yes.

  • No background daemon
  • No network access
  • Stores a small local database

❓ Where is the data stored?

Usually in:

~/.local/share/zoxide/

❓ Does it slow down the shell?

No. zoxide is extremely fast.

10. Typical workflow example

cd ~/Documents/projects/website
cd src
cd components

Later…

z website
z components

No long paths. No thinking.

11. zoxide vs autojump

Feature zoxide autojump
Language Rust Python
Speed ⚡ Fast Slower
Matching Better Basic
Maintenance Active Less

zoxide is generally considered the modern successor.

12. Summary

zoxide gives you:

  • Faster navigation
  • Less typing
  • Smarter jumps
  • Zero configuration after setup

If you use the terminal daily, zoxide is a must-have tool.